# At what age to eliminate third feeding?



## zeke11 (Jul 21, 2009)

Duffy just turned 5 months old today.

Presently, I'm feeding him 3 cups per day of Pro Plan large breed puppy. As soon as this bag is done, I will switch him to adult food.

I'm wondering when to cut out the lunchtime feeding. He is still eating like a horse, all three meals.

Thanks,
Kris


----------



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

Most people drop the middle feeding somewhere between five and seven months.


----------



## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

We did it with Tucker when he was between 6 and 7 months.


----------



## beccacc31 (Aug 17, 2009)

My vet just recommended that I drop the lunch feeding because Wilson was really getting fat. All of a sudden he lost his waist line. He is 19 weeks now and weighs a bit more than 39lbs. So we are now doing 2 feedings a day, 2 cups per feeding with one third of a can of wellness mixed in. So 4 cups of large breed puppy and 2/3rds cup of canned per day.


----------



## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Now would be fine. I usually tell clients just to gradually make the AM/PM meals bigger and the "lunch" smaller (keep feeding the same daily total, unless you need weight loss or gain). Take as long as you need to feel comfortable, but in reality, the dog will be comfortable with it before you are probably!


----------



## Doodle (Apr 6, 2009)

IowaGold said:


> I usually tell clients just to gradually make the AM/PM meals bigger and the "lunch" smaller.


This is exactly what we did, and at 6 months.


----------



## kaysy (Jan 9, 2010)

Actually, Marty has been on twice a day since almost day one. We have 2 cats that are fed twice a day and didn't want them ("big boned") to get into having lunch. Marty has done very well.


----------



## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

six months here.


----------



## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

Hank went to 2 meals at around 5.5 months. I fed his breakfast a little later and his dinner a little earlier to make the transition.


----------



## IndyDan (May 19, 2009)

I'm feeding three times a day (3-4 cups per day) using a Brake Fast Dog Bowl. I just switched to Fromm's. I hope it will allow more flexibility in weight control in adjusting calorie intake within Fromm's Family of Food.

I think IowaGold has the right approach. I just need to comfortable, first.


----------



## zeke11 (Jul 21, 2009)

beccacc31 said:


> My vet just recommended that I drop the lunch feeding because Wilson was really getting fat. All of a sudden he lost his waist line. He is 19 weeks now and weighs a bit more than 39lbs. So we are now doing 2 feedings a day, 2 cups per feeding with one third of a can of wellness mixed in. So 4 cups of large breed puppy and 2/3rds cup of canned per day.


Yikes! Am I underfeeding?

Duffy gets 1 cup per meal (so 3 cups total in a day) of kibble and no canned food.

He is always hungry.

Should I be feeding more at this point? I think he weighs about 40 or so lbs.

Kris


----------



## Stircrazy (Nov 30, 2009)

zeke11 said:


> Yikes! Am I underfeeding?
> 
> Duffy gets 1 cup per meal (so 3 cups total in a day) of kibble and no canned food.
> 
> ...


depends on the food, tell you how much I feed per meal is useless unless you are feeding the same food I am. for example I feed Orijen regional red and for my dog the recomended is 2 to 2.25 cups per day where if you feed a lower nutrent dense food it will have more volume of food per day but you will end up with the same amount of calories.

I switched to two feedings a day at 3 months as he was losing interest in his food and just picking at it. 

Steve


----------



## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Like Stircrazy says, it depends on the food and also on the puppy...Tess is from the same litter as Wilson, but has had much more bowel problems. Due to that I've been very careful with the amount she gets. For the last month or so she got 3/4 Eukanuba and 1/4 Fromm (I want to switch her to Fromm eventually, but am doing that very, very slowly). When I was at my vet last Monday, Tess weighed 37 lbs at 19 weeks and the vet thought she looked a little on the lean side, so told me to increase her food to 1 1/2 cup, three times a day. She finishes that amount in no time, too, of course. Wilson was only a little heavier I believe, but has a different build. Tess is very leggy and really sturdy for her 19 weeks.


----------



## beccacc31 (Aug 17, 2009)

Hi Zeke,
Have a talk with your vet or your breeder about his weight if you are concerned. My concern was and is hip dysplasia. Wilson started out as a poop eater and so we added a Corban tablet to his diet along with wet food. Ever since then he blew up. My vet thinks that he should stay approx 10% underweight durring developement and my breeder really stressed to us not to let him get overweight. Vet told me on Monday that he's not overweight as she can still feel his rib cage but he has lost his waiste line. Looking at both Tess and Wilson you would never know that they are only two pounds apart. She is sleek and slender and Wilson is a tank! Before I dropped the mid day feeding he was getting 1.5 to 2 cups per feeding and 1/3rd can wet(I was at two then went back to 1.5). I honestly think that at the two cups per feeding I may still be over feeding him.


----------



## jmamom (Dec 3, 2009)

I'm glad you asked this question - I was wondering the same thing! Right now I can't imagine Josie giving up lunch. She eats like she hasn't been fed in a week, and she's always looking for more. I think she seems a good weight, not over or under. Right now she gets 3 cups a day of large breed ProPLan, plus training treats and a filled Kong every couple of days. She's going to be spayed at the end of March, I think I'll wait until after that, it might be a good time to change routines then, since her other routines will be interrupted too. Of course, when I wake up tommorrow, she'll probably have grown again and I'll have to rethink.:doh: It's amazing how they can change overnight.


----------



## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

She eats like she hasn't been fed in a week, and she's always looking for more. 


This would be because she is a Golden Retriever) I tell everyone that goldens were all pigs in a previous lifetime! lol
Seriously, most goldens would eat themselves into oblivion and would all be charter members to overeaters anonymous. Most of them will eat whatever and how much you put in front of them which does make it much more difficult to control their weight.
I tell our puppy owners to eliminate the 3rd meal after teething which is around 5 months or so and that is generally when we stop the 3rd feeding when we are raising a puppy of our own. 
I agree that it is important that puppies be kept lean during the heavy growth phase. You should be aiming for them to be gaining about 1.5 lbs per week. If they are gaining more weight than that, you need to adjust to food intake. Slow, even growth is best for their bones and joints.


----------



## mullietucksmom (Mar 22, 2009)

6 months here also


----------



## Sophie_Mom (Jan 21, 2009)

We still feed Sophie three times per day. She gets 2/3 of a cup at each feeding, but she is always VERY interested in each of her meals. Because of our schedules/routines we are able to give her a mid-day meal. Is there any reason that is "bad" for her?


----------



## IowaGold (Nov 3, 2009)

Sophie_Mom said:


> We still feed Sophie three times per day. She gets 2/3 of a cup at each feeding, but she is always VERY interested in each of her meals. Because of our schedules/routines we are able to give her a mid-day meal. Is there any reason that is "bad" for her?


So long as she remains lean, there is no reason not to feed the extra meal if that's what you want to do.


----------



## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

Sophie_Mom said:


> We still feed Sophie three times per day. She gets 2/3 of a cup at each feeding, but she is always VERY interested in each of her meals. Because of our schedules/routines we are able to give her a mid-day meal. Is there any reason that is "bad" for her?


No, the third meal isn't bad for her. Puppies get three meals because most little babies at 7-8 weeks can't take in enough food at one time to only be fed 2 meals a day. Most people want to eliminate the 3rd meal because it is more work and many times can mean coming home from work or having someone come in to feed the puppy the 3rd meal.

As long as you are keeping her lean(and it certainly doesn't sound like you are overfeeding her from the amount) but each dog is an individual and each dog food has a different caloric amount and different amount of protein and fat, it is fine to feed her 3 times a day.


----------

