how many meals?

[Jen]

don'y know about you lot - but I find the "how much" guide on the back of dog food packets/tins rather confusing - (probably cos I'm blonde!) BUT - Monts is currently on 2 meals a day - half tin of puppy chum/mixer at each meal.  My question is this......when will he be on 1 meal aday and whilst you're in the mood to answer my stoooopid questions - when is a puppy NOT a puppy?  Monty doesn't have small bite mixer as he likes to crunch the adult size...but what about food?
Thank you guys                    

[Anonymous]

Jessies 6 months Montys around that age isn't he?   well shes on 2 meals a day and moe if she shoves poppy away from hers    but the guides on the packets I have found to be unreliable.  I was told to keep her on puppy food until shes 1 and then she can go up to adult, although poppys on he puppy aswell cos its suitable for toy dogs..and shes well...TINY... she loves it anyways..                      

[Mary]

I'm happier taking advice from the experienced people on here rather that the packets.

Lottie is nearly 5 months and on 3 meals which I was wondering when to reduce to 2.  She will be horrified

Don't think I'd want to get it down to one meal really, it would be OK to have the equivalent of 1 meal in 2 wouldn't it?                    

[Anonymous]

jessies appetite is great at moment since the new food and I think she would hate to be made to eat one meal, she looks forward to her second meal I am sure of it   so i she can stay on two meals I think thats what I;'d like to do                    

[Jo W]

I've always fed Billy twice a day because he's big and it avoids gastric torsion but only started doing so with Amber in the last six months or so.  I've found it easier to control her weight and she's more settled during the day, I suppose because dogs tend to sleep after exercise and on a full tummy??                    

[FionaM]

I put Poppy on 2 meals a day when she was about 6 months old and that's what she's still on (she's now 14 months). I give her half the daily amount at breakfast time and the other half in the evening.

I think you can go down to just 1 meal at 1 year but I think I'll stick to 2 meals                      

[Anita]

I'm really confused

Phoebe is on two meals a day and the vet advised me that as long as she was getting the amount of food she would be fine on two meals.

I'm not sure when to swap her to adult food or when to swap her to one meal. The packets say one thing but experienced members on here have different views. I think its better to see what your dog is like.

Phoebe is quite small but well rounded (not fat - yet) so I think she's being fed the right amount of puppy food. But after 6 months the packs say adult food - I think I'll keep her on it until she's 8 months or so.

She is still quite a light weight too - the only worry is that I don't want to over feed her.

Help                    

[Pammy]

Technically a puppy is a puppy until they are twelve months old. However, when it comes to feedng etc you have to be guided by your own dog. By the age of twelve months most Cockers can manage on one meal a day. Many owners though do like to feed two. Mine usually get two - a light breakfast and then the evening feed at about 7.00. It all comes down to what suits you and yours the best.

As for changing from puppy to adult food - again it depends on your puppy and also what you are feeding. Many now produce a junior range and that can be used from about 6/8 months to 12 months or so - but many go straight from puppy to adult at around 8 months of age. No hard and fast rules. Puppy tends to have much higher levels of protein in it for the growing pup.

hth                    

[Jane S]

We have always fed our adult Cockers two meals a day - this is what I have found suits them & what I recommend our puppy buyers continue with once their puppies become young adults. I think it's unfair to expect a dog to eat just once a day - he or she is going to spend an awful long time with an empty tum

As for when to feed adult food, as Pam says this is down to personal preference. Cockers are a fast-maturing breed & are more or less fully grown by 8 or 9 months & so no longer need the higher protein found in puppy foods. I personally see no need for special Junior formula foods for a Cocker & all our dogs will go onto adult food at about the 8 month stage. This is what works for us anyway                    

[Jen]

thank you - I'll now 'digest' this lot - (excuse the pun )                    

[*Jay*]

Mine are kept on two meals a day. My uncle had a collie who just had one meal but he would pick at it during the day. Can't see any of my boys doing that somehow I switched Vegas over to two meals when he was 6 months old and it suits us fine.                    

[jakieboy]

Ebbie only has the one meal - proper doggy food, but during the day - whenever i go out - ie to drop kids off, pick them up, work etc she gets chewsticks, or biscuits or something else nice - so she doesn't have to last all day on an empty tum, even when i am at home all day - she still reminds me to give her something from the cupboard (see the thread about annoying traits), she's quite funny and very hard to ignore.  If she didn't have so many other things i would feed her twice a day - of course - at the mo - she is having 2 meals and treats cos of the pups - not that she is feeding them anymore so i have got to reduce it further.                    

[Gilly]

I'm really confused

Phoebe is on two meals a day and the vet advised me that as long as she was getting the amount of food she would be fine on two meals.

I'm not sure when to swap her to adult food or when to swap her to one meal. The packets say one thing but experienced members on here have different views. I think its better to see what your dog is like.

Phoebe is quite small but well rounded (not fat - yet) so I think she's being fed the right amount of puppy food. But after 6 months the packs say adult food - I think I'll keep her on it until she's 8 months or so.

She is still quite a light weight too - the only worry is that I don't want to over feed her.

Help  
 

I'm in the same boat as you Anita...Buttons is only 5 months old just a coupke of days ago and she's been on 2 meals a day for a while...simply because she's just not a greedy big eater....it's still the same amount of food as 3 meals...just into 2 thats all, she seems to eat better this way....I'm gonna keep her on 2 meals brekkie and tea and swap her to adult food at about 8 months.
By the way I never read the packets...I usually guess...but it's very rare she ever finishes a full meal she's just not a big eater :-                    

[Anita]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll keep her on puppy food until she's about 8 months and then see how she's doing.

After reading all the advise I might keep her on two meals but she's not a very greedy dog. She also gets biscuits and chew sticks after a walk or when we have left her for a bit.

I just don't want her to turn into a barrel I try and make sure her food quantity is altered if she has had a few too many biscuits.

By the way - tried her with a chicken wing yesterday She was very wary at first as if to sya - 'what on earth is this???' It didn't take her long to eat it!!!!

I'm going to wait and she if her tummy is ok with it before giving her another one