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

Personally I would not feed my dogs only once a day. I normally don't leave food out and available either. My dogs eat in the morning while I eat. They get a treat to enjoy as I leave and I feed them dinner when we eat. They also get a small snack late at night because I'm usually up and it helps them sleep better. Each meal is only like 3 tablespoons.

 

Hello Victor, I like the pictures of pets and owners! Cute

 

No need to worry, feeding your dog once a day is fine. Like I said before, just as long the ratios of food are maintained within a 24-hour cycle, there shouldn't be any cause for alarm.

 

I would say 2-3 times a day should be good enough. I mean, if its a small dog, then that be plenty but not over doing it either. I remember when I was able to just leave the dog bowl out, but then we got a new dog and it just would not stop eating it so we had to start putting food out at specific times of the day.

 

It's okay to feed a dog once a day - especially if it's a larger breed. But, it has been determined that all dogs (especially smaller breeds) derive more nutrition from twice daily feedings. Also, if you own a "gobbler" (a dog that inhales his food), he may be less inclined to do so if his food amount is broken out between two meals so that he's not ravenous at dinner time.

 

My dogs only eat once a day as adults. They ate more often as puppies, but even if I put their food out in the morning, they usually will only eat it later on in one meal.

 

Well, I have always heard that its not good to leave food out for a dog 24/7. On the back of the bag it will say how much food your dog should get (according to its weight) I just split it up and give them half in the morning, and half in the night. I just think about how would I like to only eat once every 24 hrs. I would be starving! Just feed her twice a day, with the recommended amount and she should be fine.

 

Really it depends on the dog. Is he active or does he like to lay around the house most of the time? Is he a giant breed or tiny? Does he even WANT to eat more than once a day?

My uncle has a 2 year old pit bull that usually eats once a day. Sometimes he will take two meals but that is pretty rare. And usually he will not take any food until around 2-3 pm. Sometimes he won't eat all day until dinner time. But he is an extremely healthy, muscular, semi-active pit. He's not too skinny but not fat at all.

So like I said it just really depends on the dog.

[edit] Also, I agree 100% that it's not a good idea to leave food out 24/7. This gives the dog the impression that they can eat whenever they want. I've also heard that dogs can gain lots of unhealthy weight because of free-feeding. I'd suggest putting the food down, and if the dog doesn't show the slightest interest, pick it up and wait for the next meal time.

 

The dog behavior books say after a dog is a year old it is ok to feel him/her once per day. I leave dog food out for my dogs 24/7 but I find that they usually only eat once in the morning, They have eaten another snack a few hours later but not very often.

 

I think it's important to feed them twice a day and both meals not too large and slightly varied. Leaving dog food out 24/7 can lead to obesity if the owner is not around to give company to their pooch.Others have mentioned this earlier in the thread. If you leave food outside for your dog you could attract unwanted rats at night.

 

I think twice is good. Once in the morning, once at night. However, it does depend on your breed. Our dachshund only eats once a day, even though we try to get him to eat twice. Our lab eats 4 cups of food per day which was recommended by our vet. She eats four times per day, spread out. But sometimes she eats less. We also do not table feed our dogs since they have sensitive stomachs.

 

I feed my Homer after every walk - which means four times a day, but I always give him very small portions, so in total he doesn't get too much - but he eats often so he is not hungry. If I fed him only once a day, he would be unhappy .

 

My dog eats twice a day but I've known lots of dogs that only eat once a day. I think as long as they are getting enough food in that one feeding it's ok to do so.

 

I think it's not just whether they are given enough in one feeding. The type of food they are fed can also make a difference. If it's something that takes a long time to digest like, say, meat, then probably just one meal a day will keep them going for the whole day. Of course, they should have access to clean water all the time.

 

I will admit I feed mine once a day, and they are in the good healthy weight ratio. However, I also admit that they do get little snacks through out the day as well. So, it isn't like they are only getting food every 24 hours, its just that this is how their main meal a day is done.

 

I guess it really depends on the weight and health of your dog. If your dog can gain a few pounds or is below average, I would feed the dog twice a day. However, if the dog is overweight, or perfectly healthy I think feeding once a day is perfectly fine. My dog would not be able to be fed just once a day. She needs her food and she is still underweight although I feed her 2-3 times a day.

 

It would depend on the dog breed really. Just remember that dogs are wolves and wolves are lucky to get a large meal of meat every couple of days, sometimes they can go hungry for several days between a kill. Don't make the mistake of applying human rules to your dogs. And avoid overly fatty foods. They do need some fat in their diet to be healthy but is should be good quality animal fat.

A single meal in a day would not hurt your dog, and it would be quite natural in some ways. But two or even three meals is fine as well as long as portion control is exercised. Some doge are more active, and may need more meals.

 

Well, it has been a very long time since dogs became domesticated. So to expect dogs to live like wolves is a bit far-fetched. On top of that, many pedigreed dogs have been bred for generations on specialized diets. So what we should do is look at the current needs of the dog instead of its ancestry as wolves.