Is it ok to feed my dogs just once a day?

When I first got my two bichon frize crosses I would leave dry food out for them 24/7 but then one of them in particular started to put on weight so I now feed them once in the morning.

Is this enough or should I top them up at night?

 

In my own opinion, I do not think it was okay to just feed dog once in a day. It will be too long between meals and most probably they could be hungry with that duration. I am not sure about that but I had never fed my dogs just once ever since. I think better to feed them at least twice other with smaller meals if you like them to lose weight or not gain weight anymore.

 

Wow, what cute breed of dog you have there. Well, it depends on their body requirement or how much they need. You should observe if feeding them once a day and with that amount of dog food still have that normal effect on their growth.

 

Just treat them the way you treat yourself. Once a day meal is not good at all 'cause they need a constant supply of energy throughout the day. I feed my dogs with small frequent servings so that they can burn the foods efficiently and it will not be stored as fats. If they start gaining weight then just make the servings smaller.

 

I think if you feed you dogs just once a day, you will be keeping them lean. And mean. Good idea if your dogs are mainly for watch dog duty. Not such a good idea if your dogs are family pets.

 

You did a great points there. Though I don't want any of my dogs to be starved just to make them meaner. I consider my dogs as members of our family.

 

Don't overdo it, though. Some people really feed their dogs very well and their dogs end up looking like this one:

 

That was so cute but obviously unhealthy though. My Chao knows how to control his appetite. He voluntarily refuse from eating if she's already full. I know my dog will never look as obese like that cute dog in the picture.

 

I think it's possible that the owner of the fat dog is also a fat person. There is a tendency for dogs to look like their owners. Compare these pictures:

 

LOL those pictures are amazing! My daughter and hubby feed their 3 big dogs once a day because more than that they tend to get a bit porky. Of course I know my son-in-law likes to give them kitchen snacks and they also get pigs ear treats and other dog treats too... (especially when I am there...doting grandmother syndrome ha ha).

 

I don't think there is any thing wrong with feeding your dog once a day depending on how active he is and as long as you give him a decent portion of food. I usually feed my dog only once or twice as well and he is also a bichon mix. He usually will eat half his feed in the morning and come back for the rest at night. As long as your dog isn't begging for food and seems to still be at a healthy weight he should be fine. Just make sure to always keep a constant supply of water for him!

 

My vet growing up always use to tell us to feed our dog once a day, I never really understood it. I mean it's
bad enough that they have to eat the same meal everyday, but stuck eating one big meal then having to be hungry
for the 12+hrs post you digesting that one meal per day. Some dogs won't due this but I'm lucky and I can put
out as much dry food as I would for him for a day, much like a cat, he eats it when he is hungry. He also
manages what he eats around when he gets taken out without me having to for him. I'm blessed with that.

 

I remember one friend who has a number of Bangkeaws who told me about how he trained his dogs to open their own dog food when he had to be away for a few days. He put dry dog food in small plastic bottles. The bottles were made of soft thin plastic. I think he said he used mineral water bottles. He would put a number of these bottled dog food outside the house. Whenever any of his dogs feel hungry, it would just rip open one to have a meal.

Considering that Bangkeaws are not the easiest dogs to have anyone babysit while you are away, his method is a good plan. Of course, he had a big tub of clean water available.

 

That is a good method/interesting idea, but with some dogs you'd have to be really careful. Some aren't trained well in not eating the plastic. Further more my best friends dog's growing up use to love ripping plastic bottles apart into tiny little pieces and never eating them at all. Occasionally they would get pink around their lips and we would assume it was from chewing threw the thing and playing tug of war. Over the years it got worse, and turned out they were allergic to plastic like that the whole time.

 

If you want them to lose weight try feeding them smaller portions 2-3 times a day rather than just feeding them once.

 

I agree with wils172. Feed them smaller portions. The problem with feeding them one large meal is the possibility that they might end up with bloat which can be very fatal- however, bloat is more prevalent in larger breeds like Great Danes or Mastiffs. By the way, how old are you Bichons? You also have to consider their ages.

According to an article I've read, feeding them twice or thrice a day can promote digestive regularity.

So small portions twice a day is way better than one large meal.

 

I agree with the above advice that you should certainly use portion control, but not just once a day. That's restricting their diet away too much. Once in the morning and once in the evening is fine, but pay attention to how much you're feeding each time. Also, if you're the type who ends up handing out treats for absolutely everything, pay attention to how much they're eating of that and maybe cut back some.

 

I believe its ok if you feed your dog once a day, just as long you maintain the same ratios within a 24-hour cycle.
In my case I feed mine 2 times, but it doesn't mean you can't do it only once a day. The trick is you should know the ideal weight of your dog depending on his size and breed type. From there you can adjust the amount of food to serve for the day. Doesn't really matter if you give it once a day or split it into two servings. Hope this helps.

 

I think it is fine as long as your dogs are in the ideal weight range. I feed my shih tzu once a day, and do not see any problems with it. My bigger bulldog, though, eats twice a day. This is what our vet recommended for him. I think as long as they are where they are supposed to be in weight, it should be fine. You can also call your vet and see what he or she recommends.

 

Once a day seems too little. Maybe twice a day? Have you asked your vet? If one dog is gaining weight maybe there is something more behind it? I leave food out for my dog but he usually waits till night time to eat probably hoping I will give him something better before he has to eat his dog food.