Feeding

[momPaws]

Now that I am home all day with Honey she begs for food. First let me say that she gets treats during the day, plus she always has dry food in her dish. But once a day I mix her dry food with canned food and that is her main meal. That's the food she loves and eats the best. Am wondering if I should go to 2 feedings per day. She has always been thin, but went down a pound on her last vet visit. (33 pounds- vet says she's fine).
I feel guilty when I am eating b'fast and lunch in front of her. (I know, I know - dogs train people, not the other way around )

[Marty]

I feed twice a day. With 3 dogs, I can't leave it down or glutton Winnie would eat it all.

[Ash]

Twice plus treats.

If she's skinny there's nothing against giving her food when she asks for it, I'd say.

[TheSkeptic]

Like ASH twice, plus treats. ....

[Marty]

MomPaws, some more thoughts on this. Feeding twice a day would be helpful in preventing bile upchucks, if that has ever happened to Honey. Winnie did it once after a stressful holiday season...not only did it scare me until I learned what it was, but it left a good carpet stain.

[momPaws]

Think I will go to twice..thanks for input. I haven't been worried about her being hungry since there is always dry food in her dish, but she isn't crazy about it that way. My sweet little ole Honey will be treated to another home cooked (*sort-of) meal tomorrow.

(*I add water to her dry food- nuke it for a min., add canned food, her gluc/condr and supplemented oil. Yum- home cooked - she loves it.)

[k9Karen]

Two of mine get those "bile upchucks" if I don't feed twice a day. Allie is the worst, and she definitely does better on twice-a-day feedings. I can't feed her and not feed the others, so, it's twice a day for everyone. If I'm home, they will also get a small treat when I eat lunch (I agree, they train us, and I am nothing if not well trained!!)

[E's]

One not-quite-full Mardi Gras cup (approx. 1-1/2 measuring cups) of senior chow twice daily, usually with just a taste of Q's canned Friskies pure chicken; 4 Sam's Club Nutri Biscuits after each meal... plus the occasional crunchy kitty treat (OK - so the dog was raised by cats )

Win also has a lifelong tendency to have bile upchucks once in awhile - sometimes even when on-schedule with feedings... Her senior chow has gluclosamine (sp?) but I'd like to get her back on the supplement capsules too... keep forgetting to look for them when I do get to a Walgreen's...

The other 2 dogs here get only one feeding, at night - usually quite late - which bothers me, but I am allowed to slip them a few biscuits in the morning.

Sometimes in cool weather I nuke Win's feeding about 10 seconds - never for more than 15 seconds... just enough to bring it to "freshkill" temp (ugh - but dogs are predators, right? )

Win's feeding schedule/intake hasn't been normal for almost 2 months now and her activity level seems to me to be about the same as at home, yet she appears fit and has not gained weight... in fact looks to have lost a pound or so. IMO this is because German sheps are such family dogs - Winnie is in her element here in ways she wasn't before, because I am so reclusive...