One meal a day for dogs?

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

This started by accident when I lost a cat in January and realized the dog had never needed to “remind” me about meal times in her 10 (now 11) years of life. She’s a late sleeper and sometimes I would forget that she hadn’t had breakfast if her day started at noon. I can force her outside if I need to be somewhere but there is no getting this dog up without being stern if she notices undesirable weather from the window next to her bed. No health or behavior issues but has gone from an ideal weight of fit and 50 to less active and approaching 55 lbs. in the last couple years. She’ll eat anything at any time but is usually polite about waiting.

On the days she didn’t get breakfast I would feed her 50% more for dinner and that started a pattern of sleeping later and not acting starved the next day. On the days she was fed twice, which equaled more food, she was more restless and asking for dinner earlier. In trying to find out if this is safe, I read a recent study that says there are long term health benefits to feeding (healthy) dogs only once a day.

What are your thoughts? I’m asking because she did get breakfast today and started bugging me for food at 6 PM when dinner is normally around 8:00.

[Posting_Trot]

That’s interesting about your dog’s reaction.

When I was growing up (decades ago), my parents and I lived on a small sheep-farm and we had border collies. We only fed them once a day and I think that schedule was the norm then.

But I think that nutrition science has advanced significantly since then, and all the vets recommend twice a day feeding as the standard with variations to that schedule done on an individual basis. (I’m not a nutritionist, not a vet.)

I doubt that your dog will be harmed by occasionally going with one meal a day, but I’d worry about changing a feeding schedule with an older dog who has been doing well so far on the previous schedule. But you can always ask your vet or your dog’s breeder (if you’re in touch with them).

[Angela_Freda]

More frequent smaller meals of the same daily total amount.
Mine eats four times a day, gets frequent walks, wrestles the cat and is a svelte Beagle.

Sounds like she needs more exercise not less food. And she’s well into “senior” years, so I’d consider a different food and a vet visit, if you haven’t been lately.
Are you feeding dry food?

[S1969]

Most people find that it’s better for their dogs to eat 2x a day and one of the reasons is that their poop/pee behavior is more consistent by doing that.

But dogs are adaptable. I know a fair number of hunting breeders that feed one large meal rather than 2 smaller ones - and that’s because if the dog is working in the am it’s easier not for them to be galloping around with a full stomach, and also better for their stamina if they had the larger meal the evening prior to a morning run.

I’ve never heard it’s more safe to feed only 1x but it is likely that the confounding variable in that study is that amount of food. Many (most?) pets are overfed and under exercised, so feeding 1x a day might be less likely to result in overfeeding. It’s impossible to really do a lifetime study on dogs and actually test this, though.

If you’re experiencing undesired weight gain though, two suggestions – one would be to weigh the food, regardless of whether you feed 1x or 2x a day. Measuring by volume isn’t reliable and we can easily add a 1/8 cup without even realizing. And two; you could try splitting the meal to 2x a day and see if that makes her more active because she’s not sleeping off a big meal.

[brody]

When I had a wide group of adult dogs I fed a formal meal once a day. As dogs aged sometimes they did better on frequent smaller meals.

All dogs got snacks at bedtime and reinforcement through the day.

Our 6month old in an ideal world would eat three times a day. She has not read her direction manual though and some days simply waits until I’m home from work to eat.

Feed the dog you’ve got the way that works for you both.

(Unless a dog is very young or old or unwell I have fasted occasionally for decades as well)

[Annie10]

Mine only eat once a day. They don’t need to be fed multiple times a day

[Lusoluv]

I wish there was a formal study on this topic as I have a dog with a sensitive stomach. I feed her 2x/day about 12 hours apart. I’ve read articles talking about NOT letting the stomach go too long between feedings to prevent acid or bile buildup. I’ve read equally convincing articles about feeding 1x/day so the stomach/digestive tract can “rest and reset” between meals. Kind of like intermittent fasting guidelines for people, which was a practice that is now falling out of favor. It’s so hard to know the right approach with conflicting, supposedly vet-based articles!

I’ve know folks who do both types of meal plans. All the dogs seem fine and adapt to their feeding styles, so which is BEST??

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@Angela_Freda

Sounds like she needs more exercise not less food. And she’s well into “senior” years, so I’d consider a different food and a vet visit, if you haven’t been lately.
Are you feeding dry food?

@S1969

If you’re experiencing undesired weight gain though, two suggestions – one would be to weigh the food, regardless of whether you feed 1x or 2x a day. Measuring by volume isn’t reliable and we can easily add a 1/8 cup without even realizing.

She is not overweight and the vet always compliments me on that. I only mentioned it because she’s gone from looking like a Greyhound for most of her life to people (with those obese dogs) no longer asking if she’s old or sick. LOL

Food is rotation of Honest Kitchen, homemade, raw and soaked dry. She used to be on mostly raw and zero kibble but supply issues changed that in 2020. Other than being allergic to all poultry, there have never been any stomach issues and bathroom habits are pretty consistent.

Better accuracy for meals is a good idea. Kibble and the Honest Kitchen have their own scoops but homemade can vary on ingredients or what spoon I use to serve. (it is weighed before storing but not again if 2-3 meals are put in one container) I was initially adding 50% more to dinner because I didn’t want her to get overly hungry but I also didn’t want to double the amount before she went to bed.

@Lusoluv

I’ve read articles talking about NOT letting the stomach go too long between feedings to prevent acid or bile buildup. I’ve read equally convincing articles about feeding 1x/day so the stomach/digestive tract can “rest and reset” between meals.

That is what I read, too. I never planned to take her down to one meal but it was only after the cat died that I noticed she had never been catless and was clueless about what signaled breakfast. Since I soak her kibble, even hearing me scoop it out of the bin doesn’t trigger that food will be coming soon like opening a can of Fancy Feast did.

There don’t seem to be any ill effects and she’s always been a late sleeper/fair weather dog so I’m not noticing any change in behavior.

@brody

All dogs got snacks at bedtime and reinforcement through the day.

I’ve done that and it didn’t seem to make a difference but now I’m thinking of doing it on a schedule if we give up breakfast permanently.

[colorfan]

I have always only fed my adult dogs once a day. I also don’t feed them human food other than pork or beef bones. Maybe the odd piece of gristle. Of course some dogs, (current pooch does not) will beg when they smell food or if I am eating but that is their nature, not indicative of being hungry.

[colorfan]

We understand horses are designed to eat/graze throughout the day, this schedule ultimately works best for their system.
Dogs come from a feast or famine lineage. Eating once a day used to be the accepted norm. Modern dogs seem to have many issues, allergies, digestive upsets etc, I think its best to feed them as they would eat as nature intended but ultimately you have to feed the dog in front of you. I suggest it is our own desire to eat often that fuels the desire to feed our beloved pup often.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@colorfan

Of course some dogs, (current pooch does not) will beg when they smell food or if I am eating but that is their nature, not indicative of being hungry.

Yeah. Although she’s always ready to eat, she doesn’t usually bother me. I gave her some (late) breakfast yesterday because I was making bone broth in the slow cooker and didn’t want her to obsess over the smell while hungry. Bone broth is a regular event so it was strange that she was clearly asking for dinner early when she normally ignores whatever I’m cooking or eating. Unless something drops on the floor!

[Posting_Trot]

That’s interesting. I feed my two dogs Honest Kitchen as well: the older dog gets the dehydrated which I reconstitute and the younger one eats Honest Kitchen clusters. My dogs are both Border Terriers. The older one is a 15 year old male, and the younger a 4 year old female. They like the food and they’ve kept their weight and energy levels steady.

I have at various time with the older dog, fed him homemade. But ultimately he seems to like the Honest Kitchen just as much (although Border Terriers are notoriously unpicky) and I do add meat scraps and the occasional cooked egg as garnishes.

And, no, they’re not spoiled!

[Janet]

Dogs (and cats) are carnivores/predators. They have evolved for many millions of years to have big meal when they have a kill, and then a long gap (many days) before they have another.

Yes, they have been domesticated for thousands of years, but I do not think it changes their basic metabolism. Yes, we have breed in some changes, such as extra large dogs that are subject to bloat, and other things that might affect their digestion, but in general I think that most dogs would not suffer by being fed once a day.

[Pico_Banana]

I have two greyhounds. Our girl is now 10. She’s always been quirky. She’s a late sleeper. She would only go to the bathroom twice a day if she had her way. She’s always been kinda meh about food unless it’s really high value. Lately she has decided that she only wants to eat once a day. I offer breakfast several times throughout the morning and afternoon and she usually decides to eat around 5. I just end up giving her breakfast and dinner at the same time. Doesn’t seem to have any negative impact on her.

My boy, on the other hand, gets an upset tummy if he does too long without food.

[DiamondJubilee]

I know a lot of people who feed their dogs once a day with 0 issues. I’ve read quite a few articles now on fasting dogs and how good it is for them and their systems. I would think if you fed once a day with no issues, I wouldn’t think it would be a problem.

Now I know dogs and human systems are very, very different, but I know if humans only ate once a day, they can gain weight (as in body goes into fasting mode), but only for so long. Obviously if they are being starved, they will eventually lose weight. But if they eat 1 big meal a day, they can actually not lose any weight (even if consuming less calories) and its better to have several small meals a day (I’m not a nutritionist but worked with 2 different trainers when I was in body building and worked on meal plans, weighed my food for years, when and what to eat etc as I also had a lot of body fat to get rid of). I wonder if it would be similar to dogs if they only received one meal a day, as in they could possibly gain weight? My mother in law who feeds all of her 3 breeding dogs 1 x a day does have dogs on the pudgy/heavy side. They are also farm dogs but are quite inactive. They prefer the indoors on a lap though lol! And are kibble fed (as in high carbs which I find is also hard for a dog to lose weight on since they burn carbs off last). My girl is also really hard to get out of bed in the morning and has a hard time waking up to eat. But due to her breed and potential issues, her breakfast is important. She loves her dehydrated Smack dog food in the mornings, raw bones in the afternoon and a raw meal in the evenings and it has worked really well for her for the past 1.5 years.

I actually do give my giant breed dog as many small meals (4 after her gastropexy surgery which was tough!) as possible through the day and do not exercise her 1hr before or after a meal, in case of bloat, even though her stomach is now tacked, she can still bloat. Her breed (Greater Swiss MD) can also get lick fits (http://www.gsmdca.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/LICK-FITS.pdf ) if their stomach is empty, have bile vomits, so most people who own the breed also feed several meals a day, plus a bed time snack and always have bread, tums and bloat buster (simethocone) on hand just in case as it can be a common occurrence within the breed. Luckily my girl has not had any of these lick fits.

So as so many have said, do whats best for your dog in front of you as it can really vary from breed to breed!

[rockonxox]

My dogs get fed once per day. When I’m cooking dinner they get some vegetables as snacks. I don’t do treats or other human food for them. They are in good condition and diet is vet approved. The only time I feed twice is if they need meds that are 2x a day and should be taken with food.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@Pico_Banana

I have two greyhounds. Our girl is now 10. She’s always been quirky. She’s a late sleeper. She would only go to the bathroom twice a day if she had her way.

I think my Pitbull identifies as a Greyhound.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

@Posting_Trot

I feed my two dogs Honest Kitchen as well: the older dog gets the dehydrated which I reconstitute and the younger one eats Honest Kitchen clusters.

I feed different things because I believe it balances out the nutrition and I like to include different textures. She doesn’t care but I can’t bring myself to give her Honest Kitchen paste or soup every day. No spoiled dogs here, either. LOL

[Casey09]

I agree with all of those saying that we have to look at the dog in front of us and the issues and conditions that individual dog has and be flexible enough to do what the dog does best with.
I have big dogs and tend to feed twice a day due to bloat risk. Dogs in their natural state would feast after a kill, but my understanding is that they would also be about beagle-sized.
I’ve also had several dogs who have acid reflux and had a tendency to throw up bile on an empty stomach.
For those reasons, twice a day works for me. If your dog does better eating once a day, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
We all have a lot to learn about all different species and eating and nutrition, and the foremost thing in my mind is to keep an open mind and keep learning and experimenting.
I personally have heard more encouragement of intermittent fasting now than I’ve ever heard before, so who knows what we will all be doing in the future.

[enjoytheride]

Our dog is also a late sleeper and will occasionally miss breakfast in the morning. I am the big meanie and I will shove her out of bed and outside because as she is getting older she has occasionally remained in bed dribbling pee.