One meal or two? I'm dithering...

[Nicola]

At the moment Alfred and Tillibert are on 2 meals a day as they have been since, well, forever. They get their breakfast at around 8am during the week and 9-10am at weekends and dinner at around 6pm all the time BUT neither of them is eating the breakfast (Alfie mince&veg and Tilly Autarky and NatureDiet). They pick at it at best and then lose interest and sometimes just ignore it completely whereas they eat their dinner enthusiastically. They also don't scrounge for food during the day even though they haven't eaten their brekky.

All this is leading me to think maybe I should put them on just the one feed per day but I'm reluctant to do this. I just don't like the idea of them going so long between feeds, but is this just me doing this for MY sake and looking at it from my human point of view when I should really listen to what they seem to be telling me?? I'm really dithering over it. Also, for BARF feeders, how would you feed just one meal per day... mince AND bones at the same time? I'm thinking that would be rather a lot of different things all at once...

So what I need is advice, and plenty of it   

For those of you who feed once a day - why do you do it? Do you think it makes a difference to the dog? What time do you give the feed at - morning, afternoon or evening? Do you give them anything else during the day (other than some biccies or treats)?Does it affect their 'poo routine'? Do they go fewer times? I've read about some dogs getting pukey on an empty stomach and although both of mine have iron constitutions it's still in the back of my mind and I'd rather not wake up to the dulcet tones of them heaving on the bedroom carpet at night 

For those of you who feed twice a day - why do you do it? Do you think it makes a difference to the dog? What times do you offer the meals at? And does your dog eat both of them with the same enthusiasm or do they pick at or leave one and eat the other?

Thank y'all! 

[Magic Star]

Nicola, I used to feed Indie once a day, because she was a fussy dog and to prevent her from grazing, as she just used to always have a bowl of kibble and go back and forth all day long taking little bits.  This resulted in her doing tiny and lots of poohs    So I started feeding her just once a day, usually mid afternoon, but she would have natural yoghurt for her brekkie and 4 gray bones for supper!  It solved the problem, she started eating her dinner all in one go and now shes back on two feeds a day, which she clears in minutes

[Cazzie]

Nicola

I feed all mine once a day,  normally first thing in the morning after their walk. They used to get 2 meals but I was finding that someone was needing out for the loo at 2am or there abouts (the younger ones) or id wake up to a pile on the floor. 

I think though 2 meals are better that one big meal, as id rather eat twice a day than once, but to be honest it hasnt made any difference to mine with one meal.

Also I could feed my lot 10 times a day and theyd scoff it no muckin around with fussy dam dogs in this house couldnt be bothered with it now. They do get maybe a couple of biscuits during the day each, but if i am in the kitchen they are always looking for food. Its a pack thing with them they are all fed together, so if they dont eat it someone else will so as you can gather no one goes hungry in this house and not a morsel left EVER. 

[lexi]

All my dogs have always had two meals a day. Since they are all so interested in food, I think it's better to not let them go for too long with empty tummies. They also get a few biscuits each before going to bed. Byron and Mac seem to have "iron" stomachs but Holly's is a little more delicate and the bedtime treat seems to prevent her from throwing up bile in the morning.
Since they are all such gluttons, they have at least three things to look forward to each day!

[Helen]

i had this with jarv, and i solved it by making his evening meal small so he was hungry by morning and ate his breakfast.  Now I give him 2 meals roughly the same size, tend to make the morning one the more appetizing (tripe etc) and then in the evening he's hungry enough to eat whatever there is served to him

i didn't like the thought of him motoring around all day on an empty stomach (although i'm sure he's fine - just the hoomun thinking he's got no energy reserves)

this works for us, but plenty of dogs are happy on one meal a day

[speedyjaney]

Sneakin online whilst at work 

Mine get 2 meals a day, each meal half of their daily ration.

Jessie Dyson Dustbin would eat 20 meals a day if we offered it but Saffi seems to get full now and again so we just remove the brekki meal for a day or 2 then she is straight back to scoffin it!

Im quite mean tho so they get their kibble , sometimes with water on it, sometimes with veggies but if they dont it then nowt else!

Janey

[crazyspaniels]

mine get a snack in the morning and there full meal at 5pm, suits them all and they are all greedy dogs and never leave a drop

[Sheryl]

My two would make my life a misery if I didn't give them 2 meals a day but then they are food driven.  Kali especially tends to do the foamy sick (sorry) if she gets left too long without something so for her 1 meal isn't an option.

[supaspaniel]

My guys have always been on 2 meals aday. They are equal sized meals. And to be honest I really wouldn't get away with one meal aday....they want their breakfast and they want their tea...they do ok on it. I suppose I just never got around to just one meal 
I know loads of peeps that only feed once a day and they all do ok on it too. Matts lot are fed once a day although I did get him in the habit of giving them a bonio or somesort of biscuit in the morning after their walk.

Its whatever suits yours really and if they aren't bothered about one meal in particular then give one meal a day a try...you can always go back if it doesn't work

[*Jay*]

Two meals a day here. The boys are so obsessed with food that they scoff the lot and by next mealtime you would think their throat had been cut    Jersey on the other hand needs encouragement to eat - I think she sees it as too much of an effort  During the week, they get their first meal between 7-8am and the second between 2-3pm. At weekends it is anytime between 9-11am and 4-5pm.  They get treats during the day and a gravy bone at bedtime.

[Joelf]

Our dogs always have 2 meals a day; breakfast at about 6-630am & their supper about 6-630pm.

Spike & the other labs have always fallen on their food like starving refugees but until recently Domino was quite fussy.Now they get yummy bones & chicken wings he can't wait to get his food!!

They get a few gravy bones as treats throughout the day.

[Aggie]

Because of Pops ours get 3 ( on tablets - so do them both the same)

6am get protein only

7.30am carbohydrate only

6pm kibble JWB

They eat energetically at all times

Before that it was twice a day. When we just had Pops I just used to feed her once in the evening but it didn't really work for her.

[pamela]

I feed 2 meals a day, Auturky in the morning and usually a little Auturky and meat at around 5pm. Sometimes Ben doesn't really bother much for either meal. He even seems happy getting just biscuits in the morning and an evening meal.
You could always try cutting down one of the meals and see how you get on.

[happydog]

Fern is fed BARF and I feed her once a day about 5.30 in the afternoon. This is  well after her main run of the day. She has raw mince and veggies first and the bones afterwards. Sometimes I leave the (chicken wings usually) bones for half an hour and sometimes straight after she has finished her mince and veg. She doesn't get many treats during the day either. Sometimes she will get fruit/veg  peelings when i am preparing meals, or a very occasional biscuit or pigs ear.

I have fed all our (5) past dogs once a day at about this time and have never ever had them being sick through an empty stomach or through eating too fast because I had starved them all day. I do think it important not to feed close to excercise though.    Dogs aint like us 'oomans   

[Nicola]

Thanks for the responses guys, I think I might give the 'Freya diet' a go and give them a snack in the morning and then one main meal at around 5pm so we'll see how it goes