# When to stop the midday meal...?



## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

When did you stop feeding your pups 3 meals a day?
I just switched both my guys to Wellness and I noticed that the feeding guideline for Riley's weight calls for a bit less than the food he had been on before. (2 1/2 to 3 cups per day.)
He's 7 months old now and I'm wondering if I should continue splitting that into 3 meals, or if it's time to cut him back to 2 meals a day?
I don't remember how old Gunner was when I stopped giving him three meals a day and the sad thing is, it was only 5 years ago! lol.


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## missmarstar (Jul 22, 2007)

definitely only 2 meals/day at his age... they really only need 3 meals per day when they are very young..


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## Charlie06 (Feb 10, 2007)

I still give Charlie 3 meals a day, just because I'm home with him all the time and he consumes his meals in like 15 seconds


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I feed Ike 2x a day. He is a slow eater though. It takes him a couple hours to finish breakfast. I put dinner down when we eat and he'll save some for just before bed. Don't know why.


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## Adriennelane (Feb 13, 2008)

I feed Lucy twice a day and she gets a snack in the middle. I was worried that I wasn't feeding her enough, but her vet says that she's the perfect weight. You can't see her ribs, but you can feel them.


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

I started feeding mine twice a day instead of three times when they were between six and seven months. If I remember well, to avoid a riot I did it in stages, making the mid-afternoon meal smaller and smaller and adding a little to the other two meals.


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## Deborah (Jul 3, 2005)

I stopped giving Coach a mid day meal when he was 6 months old, I don't know if it was right or wrong but it worked. I don't let my dogs "graze" either, if they aren't done eating in 20 minutes, the bowl comes up. Lucie eats more slowly so I start her first and they both finish up at about the same time. Neither one of them inhale their food but I haven't had a problem with them finishing their plates


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I stop the lunch meal at 4 months.


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## Celeigh (Nov 29, 2007)

I've been thinking the same thing. Fergus is 24 weeks and I was just thinking how much longer I should do this. He likes it and I'm home, so it's no big deal. But now that I have Lily who only eats twice a day, it feels strange to feed him an extra time. We may start to wean off that midday meal soon.


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

Stopped the lunch time meal at 4-5 months old.....


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I was just wondering this today since Bama is now over 7 months. I have had him at 2 meals since he was 6 months and wondered if it was to soon. But lately he doesnt even finish his morning meal all the time. I feed him 1 cup of food with some canned food. i worred he isnt getting enough food but he seems happy and isnt a skinny butt. 
Glad to know I am doing everything right.


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## beargroomer (Jan 2, 2008)

gaius is 5 months old and he's always been on twice a day. that's because his lunch (the entire serving) was just kept in a ziplock to use throughout the day for training. i would use hotdogs, food rolls, and other yummy stuff for recall training, and just use kibble for everyday good behaviors. now that he doesn't get treated for every "sit" and "down" and everytime he goes potty, i just make his breakfast and dinner bigger and carry less in the ziplock.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Our vet just told us that Brady is ready for 2x meals (he's 4 months). We're still going to come hom eat lunch for potty breaks though.


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## Griffyn'sMom (Mar 22, 2007)

Griff stopped eating the 3rd meal on his own - only he eliminated breakfast. :uhoh:


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## FriendsOfZoe (Feb 15, 2008)

Zoe's 11 months old and is still on three meals a day for two reasons...one is that she inhales her food, and I've heard it recommended for inhalers to eat smaller meals more frequently to reduce the risk of bloat. Some giant breed owners that are really prone to bloat (like great danes) even feed 5-6 times per day. Second is that she is ALWAYS hungry and begging for food/trying to steal it, and that midday meal just helps to take the edge off a bit.


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## LOVEisGOLDEN (Jan 4, 2008)

Layla has never had 3 meals a day. she barely finishes the meals we give her & we always end up dumping a few pieces back into the bin for later. She's a weird one, only eats 5 days a week. she won't eat on days when hubby has to work (firefighter, works every 3rd day)


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

Well, if inhaling his food is the main question in cutting him back to two meals a day, I don't know...
He'll down 1 1/2 cups in about three minutes flat. He does eat a little slower when I mix in some green beans. Don't know why. He likes them, so it's not like he's trying to pick around them or anything, but it does slow him down a _little_ bit.
Is that too much, too fast? I've never had an inhaler. Every dog I've ever had has been a picker. 




paula bedard said:


> I feed Ike 2x a day. He is a slow eater though. It takes him a couple hours to finish breakfast. I put dinner down when we eat and he'll save some for just before bed. Don't know why.


Cooper used to do that, too. I'd put his bowl down in the morning and he'd pick at it throughout the day - a couple bites here, a couple there. Then he'd go back at 10:30 at night to finish it off. He never woke us up in the middle of the night to go out, or anything, so we figured it wasn't hurting anything to let him do it, if that's when he was hungry.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

We drop the noon meal at around 12 weeks of age.


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

I stopped at about 4 months.


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## FriendsOfZoe (Feb 15, 2008)

LifeOfRiley said:


> ..
> He'll down 1 1/2 cups in about three minutes flat...Is that too much, too fast? I've never had an inhaler. Every dog I've ever had has been a picker.


No, haha, that's not quite an inhaler. Zoe will eat 1.5 cups in about 15 seconds--and then throw up from eating too fast. We take care of this by spreading out her meals and then either only giving her a little at a time (so it takes like 5 or 6 "dumps" to give her the whole scoop) or by putting it in a toy that she has to roll around to get the kibble out.


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## LifeOfRiley (Nov 2, 2007)

FriendsOfZoe said:


> No, haha, that's not quite an inhaler. Zoe will eat 1.5 cups in about 15 seconds--and then throw up from eating too fast.


Wow. LOL - compared to Zoe, I guess Riley _isn't_ much of an inhaler!

I haven't given him any lunch today. I figured it was as good a time as any, if I'm going to cut him down to 2 a day. The looks are killin' me. As I type this, he's sitting here, staring at me. And he's walked over to his food bin twice now and looked back at me. 
Nice to see he's mastered the 'guilt trip'.


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## jlehigh (Jan 18, 2008)

I fed Dakota twice a day per the breeder since 8 weeks when I got her (though the 1st week she would not eat entirely in one sitting). She gets healthy treats when I come home for lunch to fill the gap, but really gulps the 2 daily meals down quick (even with adding some water).


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

I feed Sadie 3 times a day, she is still on puppy food and will inhaled 1.5 cups of kibbles in about 20 seconds. Talked to the vet about it and he suggested to leave her like this for a little while until she caught up to the weight she should have for her age. She is still on the skinny side. She weight in at 32 pounds, and is about 4 - 5 month old.





















 


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