feeding schedule

[MMtnmom]

Gracie is 7 plus months and I am still feeding her three times a day. She still eats all meals with the ferocity of a starving leopard. I feel as though I should be trying to wean her to two meals a day. Should I or should I just keep on with the three meals. Her weight is not an issue, just the division of the days allotment.

 

[NinaA]

IMHO, and since I'm just a few months ahead of you with Moonlight, I would feed three times a day until you notice a lag in interest. Moonlight ate three times daily and then about 7-8 months began to kind of lose some of the interest in the mid-day meal. That's when we began to drop it. Didn't do it all at once, but sort of offered kibble, and if she didn't want it, I'd just save for supper. If she's eating like she's starved and you have not weight issues, I'd continue and watch for a "sign".

Nina
et al

 

[MMtnmom]

well that was my plan...but, chow hound that she is, I don't think she'll ever show any disinterest in food! I guess it doesn't hurt to feed three times a day...but I'd like to get her down to two...someday...before she goes off to college!

 

[sarnewfie]

i do twice a day no matter how lionish the appetite once they hit six months it is twice a day.
i think even five months.
you can give her a bisquit or snacks of veggies as a third meal if you like

 

[BluwaterNewfs]

I switch my puppies from 2 to 3 meals by th etime they are 6b months. What I do is over a month's time, actually 4 weeks, I take 1/4 of the 'lunch time' portion and divide it and it to the breakfast and dinner. So if the pup is getting 2 cups per meal, I take a 1/2 a cup a week from the lunch and add 1/4 c to breakfast and dinner. So when they are on 2 meals they are still getting the same amount of food which they still usually need at the age.

I started doing it this way on the advice of my breeder who has been breeding, showing and doing working events with her newfs for 40 years.

[ 08-05-2005, 08:06 AM: Message edited by: JTNewf ]

 

[Sailorgirl]

I think we switched Rita to two at 5 months or so. She doesn't really eat anything but her raw mix at dinner with any sort of gusto and never did and frankly, it was a lot easier to get it down to two. But we also did it gradually and increased the size of the other two meals to make sure she was getting the same total amount of food.

Hey Martha ... we never get to see pictures of her but does Gracie still have her big spot?

 

[dogger]

Kai has been on 2 meals for since he was 5months old but he gets treats during the day to curb the appetite.
favorites are sweet red bell peppers, water melon (they love water mellon), mother hubbard dog cookies, marrow bones raw green beans. .... not all at once

 

[momsdog]

I've been saying I would post and have been way too busy to do much of anything...grabbing my NN time a lot at work...will soon, Ipromise. The big spot on the back of her neck is gone...just a couple of white hairs in memory! Still has white smudge on her nose, and other white components are pretty much the same. She's looking pretty sharp these days, really nice coat for s youngster, good bone in hips and shoulders, legs nice and straight...of course, if I ever get pix posted she'll probably look like I did her hair with an egg beater. Think she's going to make a really fine looking girl...if I let her live that long!

 

[Sailorgirl]

Awww .. I can't believe her spot is gone. Rita's little spot is, sadly, but a memory as well. One lone white hair marks the spot now. And Rich pointed out the on her left side she's getting MORE white and on her right side she's getting more black. It's all very odd!

 

[ardeagold]

We kept them on three meals a day (with the same amount in three versus two portions) as long as they wanted it that way.

For Mira...miss pickey, it was a LONG time...she preferred smaller, more frequent meals. Molly switched to two meals at about 8 mos.

I just let the dog guide me.