[flyaway]

Is there anything inherently wrong with feeding 3 times a day instead of 2?

We've been feeding our 14-month-olds twice a day since they were about six months old, but I think we're going to move back up to three. Riley, the male, is slightly underweight (confirmed by vet). He seems to need 4 cups a day to maintain his weight, despite only being 61 pounds! The problem is he doesn't want to eat 2 whole cups in a single feeding, especially in the morning.

They've recently been switched to ZD prescription dog food to see if it will help their allergies. That's part of the problem... Riley was fine (but never with any weight to spare) on 3 1/2 cups of ProPlan, but when we switched to the ZD he started to lose weight.

 

[moverking]

I've alway fed mine 3 x's a day....they get just about 1 3/4 cup total broken into 3 meals with a small dollop of salmon, Jack Mackerel, or turkey/beef that I've cooked for them. IMO, smaller meals decrease the chance of bloat and is an even supply of carbs and protein throughout the day.
I know it's anthropomorphising, but my belly would be growling all day on 1 or 2 feeds, lol.

 

[LuckyPup]

I have actually been wondering the same thing! The vet told us only feed Luck twice a day. But my boyfriend is home with him all day. We wanted to do 3x a day. Think it would work better for him too because he is overweight. I was thinking he would have less and not gulp all his food at once and have breaks with exercise in between.

I am curious what other people have to say. If there is nothing wrong with it and it is just convenience I may switch to 3x a day

 

[timberwolf]

We are still feeding Timber 3x a day and at this point, unless he starts showing disinterest in his lunch feeding, we will stick with 3x a day.

My hubby and I both go home at lunch and while we are having our lunch, he has his. I don't think he will take too kindly to us cutting out his lunch and eating in front of him LOL

 

[Lisa_and_Willow.]

I feed mine 3x a day too. Diesel won't eat a large meal in one go and like your Riley he started losing weight. 3 smaller meals works well for him and Willow doesn't mind either!

 

[SF Golden]

Another 3x per day feeder here!!! In fact, we just went to the vet this past weekend for Biscuit's annual shots and she said as long as it works in your schedule (which it does for us), 3x is completely fine. As MoverKing mentioned, our vet said smaller meals throughout the day decrease chances of bloat, etc...

Our guy is 14 months as well. He's super active, so while we're feeding him a total of 4 cups spread out through the day, he's been holding steady at 70lbs for quite some time! He gets 1 1/2 at breakfast, 1 at lunch, and 1 1/2 at dinner with a few treats.

 

[Garfield]

Hey Flyaway:

To answer your original question, there is no harm in feeding 3x a day if it works for you & your dogs (in fact it's oft recommended for pups and seniors).

On a related (and completely unsolicited but intended to be helpful) note, not sure which ProPlan you were feeding (or what in it was causing allergy issues?), but almost all of their formulas have much higher protein (and some fat) than the HSD ZD, which is likely why one of your pups needs 4 cups a day and is losing weight (and likely important muscle mass in the process). Unless your dog is one of those rare, really specific allergen cases (and honestly dogs on prescription HSD are usually not as many ingredients therein oft cause issues themselves), a holistic, low-allergen food (that will require both less feeding amount and expense) might be a better course than upping the feeding times alone.

 

[flyaway]

Thanks everybody! It sounds like 3 feedings a day is the way to go for us.

Garfield... we don't know what the dogs are allergic to or if they even have food allergies at all. We're doing a 10-week trial to see if switching to the ZD helps their itching and allergic ear infections. (I'm not sure if you're referring to a different food or the same one... this one is Hill's Prescription Diet, not Science Diet, so I wasn't sure if maybe there are two versions from the same company, a prescription one and a non-prescription one.)

So we'll see. We pretty much have to start the trial over anyway, because Riley was sick to his stomach (causing him to lose another half pound, of course) for a few days, and we had to feed him chicken and rice instead. Plus, Zoe had a UTI, and we just couldn't get her to take her pill without putting it in something. I'm not sure how to go 10 weeks without "pill pockets."

 

[flyaway]

Btw, Garfield, do you have any specific low-allergen food brand suggestions?

When they were really little, we tried them on Innova, but they hated it. Riley actually climbed over the back of a couch to get away from his bowl of food. So I'm not sure about trying that one again.

 

[msdogs1976]

One thing to consider is when you go away for a few days and board your dog somewhere. Will they do 3 feedings a day? A friend might but I know when I had to board mine at the vet, they do 2 feedings a day. Personally I never saw the need in more than twice a day, until recently. I now feed 4 times a day due to a health problem(ME). Pretty much required to help manage the disease.

 

[Bender]

JMHO:

Z/D is low in protein - 17% and chicken is a common allergy for many dogs, as is soy.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1078&cat=all

Another option would be to try California Natural Herring and Sweet potato, there's more protien and calories in it, no chicken (still some grains but barley and oatmeal aren't as commonly used usually compaired to wheat and corn)...
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=527&cat=all

Or, something like Acana Pacifica, a fish based, grain free food. Also more calories..
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=2255&cat=3

The problem with most vet kibble is they are not long term diets, usually overpriced and low quality, so you're spending a lot more than you should.

Just my thoughts here. I deal with a lot of raw feeders with work, and almost every dog with allergies is usually a chicken allergy, or they get itchy on grains (one product we carry used to include ground flax in the raw patties, some dogs would have issues with that or even a teaspoon of flax oil).

Lana

 

[Garfield]

Thanks everybody! It sounds like 3 feedings a day is the way to go for us.

Garfield... we don't know what the dogs are allergic to or if they even have food allergies at all. We're doing a 10-week trial to see if switching to the ZD helps their itching and allergic ear infections. (I'm not sure if you're referring to a different food or the same one... this one is Hill's Prescription Diet, not Science Diet, so I wasn't sure if maybe there are two versions from the same company, a prescription one and a non-prescription one.)

So we'll see. We pretty much have to start the trial over anyway, because Riley was sick to his stomach (causing him to lose another half pound, of course) for a few days, and we had to feed him chicken and rice instead. Plus, Zoe had a UTI, and we just couldn't get her to take her pill without putting it in something. I'm not sure how to go 10 weeks without "pill pockets."


Btw, Garfield, do you have any specific low-allergen food brand suggestions?

When they were really little, we tried them on Innova, but they hated it. Riley actually climbed over the back of a couch to get away from his bowl of food. So I'm not sure about trying that one again.

Anytime Spring-Fall is a tough time to diagnos allergies as environmental factors are so much in play. As for the food suggestion, it would help to know what formula ProPlan were the pooches on? Also, how long have they been on the Hills and has there been any improvement on it (did Riley's stomach upset and Zoe's UTI begin after the switch to Hill's)?

Generally not a fan of any Hills food (prescription or otherwise) - way too overpriced and underqualitied if you ask me.

I am partial to Naturapet products for their manufacturing and food standards. They guarantee that 80% of the protein in their food is from specified animal meat so you can be reasonably assured it is not overloaded with grains (unlike with Hills and many other brands which use grains as primary protein sources) and I both have & have seen dogs do exceptionally well on their products. I'd stay away from Innova and EVO lines (as well as Orijen and Acana) because they have quite a few ingredients that could counteract allergen isolation objectives. However, second Bentley's California Natural suggestion (excellent elimination diets). I'd initially encourage you to try out Healthwise - like CN, it's also a reasonably priced NaturaPet product with a simple, limited, low-allergen ingredient list, but is a bit higher in protein (~26%) and fat (~15%) than CN which would probably benefit your young, slim pups. Good luck with whatever you decide and please keep us posted on the pooches' progress!:wavey:

p.s. Regarding the pill taking, is Zoe still on UTI antibiotics? If so, what form are the meds (capsule, tablet, etc)?

 

[flyaway]

Hi there,

Blah, I definitely want them off the ZD after reading that site. They haven't been on it that long... I'd say about 3 weeks. They're getting close to the bottom of the first (and only) bag. I'm not sure about the timing in relation to Zoe's UTI... I feel like she already had it before the switch, but it could have ben immediately after. She's been off the antibiotics for about a week. Riley's stomach upset was definitely after, but it was just a several-day acute episode, rather than an ongoing thing. He was fine for the first couple weeks of food, and he seems fine now.

I'm not sure I see any difference in itching, but then again, we haven't really been faithful to the trial, due to needing to switch to boiled chicken and rice for a few days and also giving them small bits of other food to hide pills in. There is definitely a HUGE difference in their stools, though. They poop much less often and smaller amounts than they did on the ProPlan. (Also none of Riley's weird colitis mucus sheath deal but he only gets that from time to time anyway, so it's not indicative.)

They were on the Lamb (and Rice, I think) ProPlan. They've also been on the Chicken a fair amount... before and after the brand switched to making the shredded blends and not being able to find the old kind.

Anyway, I need to go out today or tomorrow to get them some food... I hope I can find some of the CN or Healthwise locally. Thanks to both of you for your suggestions!

 

[Garfield]

Hi there,

Anyway, I need to go out today or tomorrow to get them some food... I hope I can find some of the CN or Healthwise locally. Thanks to both of you for your suggestions!

If you want to try the CN or Healthwise, any Naturapet carrier (of innova, etc) can usually order the CN or Healthwise if not already in stock. And whatever brand/formula you choose, see if you can get some sample bags to try out with your dogs for palatability test.