Feeding Poochie 1X a day ok?

[BonCoeur]

Hi,
Poochie is 16 weeks old. I feed him Eukanuba dry food (Lamb and Rice for Puppy) twice a day (7am and 7pm). I work far from home, so my commute is exacting; Poochie seems to be adapting fine...

When I got him at 11 weeks, he was eating 2 tablespoons of Eukanuba wet food + 1/2 cup of dry twice a day. My vet told me I can just feed him dry food from now on, so I started doing that. But...he has kinda gotten fat lately! He was 3 lbs 3 weeks ago, and on Saturday we have a vet appt, so I'll find out his weight then. Do you think it's ok to start feeding him once a day at this point? When did some of you start just a one time daily feeding?

I follow the Eukanuba guide and it says he should have 1 and 3/4 of a cup a day. I have been dividing that by 2 at this point, but my friend has a Yorkie who he feeds just once a day (5 years old).

I just don't wanna be a bad parent!!

Many thanks for any insight!
Nima

[devotedtoyou]

YIKES!!! My Yorkie is almost four years old and I feed her once a day. I only give her 1/2 cup of dry food. She weighs a little over six pounds!!

[Itspuppyluv]

Four months is too young to be fed only once a day. They have fast metabolisms and their stomachs are too small to hold enough food to last twenty four hours.

[PinkMartini]

Originally Posted by Itspuppyluv

Four months is too young to be fed only once a day. They have fast metabolisms and their stomachs are too small to hold enough food to last twenty four hours.

I totally agree 3lbs is not big at all

[YappyScrappy]

That seem like a lot of food...but, I checked the Eukanuba web site, and it says to give your baby 1 1/4 cup of food...this seems like more than other brands call for...my 15lb. adult (Shorkie) eats 1 1/2 cups a day, 3/4 cup at 7am and 3/4 at 7pm...She is on Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice Small Bites...I would never feed just once a day...

[lickthestar]

i feed archie twice a day, but have dry food out all the time. i always have just enough dry food out to cover the bottom of his bowl. i feed him less wet food in the mornings, and more at night. my vet recommended that i keep his food out at all times because he can be a picky eater. but you just have to make sure not to give them too much.

do you think your dog is overweight because he doesn't get enough exercise? how many times a day do you walk him and for how long? Archie gets walked 3 times a day at the very least, and a couple of times a week, he goes to the dog park to play with other dogs. we also give him tennis balls and stuff at home to play with and he's always got his dog friends coming over and he goes over to their apartments. if you can't take your dog for long walks, maybe try tossing a tennis ball around the house before bedtime?

also, your dog is only 4 or 5 months. At that time, archie was 6 lbs. now, at 11 months, he's about 11 lbs. this is growth time, so it's probably more important to feed your dog more food. although you got a tiny yorkie, doesn't mean that they will not grow.

you can tell if your yorkie is fat if you can't feel their ribs when you pick them up. although archie is over 10 lbs., i can still feel his ribs. it's hard to tell if puppies are overweight or just growing. more likely, your dog is just growing.

the other thing is that dogs will generally regulate their eating. people say they tend to over eat, but I don't believe that at all. i think overweight dogs just don't get enough exercise and get too many treats. you don't see overweight dogs in the wilderness, do you? they're animals. they can figure out when they're full and when they're hungry.

[devotedtoyou]

My Yorkie is four YEARS old. She's full grown at 6 pounds and not a bit fat, as I walk her a mile every day. The point I was trying to make is that she only eats 1/2 cup dry food a day and that seems to be plenty and she's not skinny at 6 pounds. I think the person who started this thread has a puppy.

[Itspuppyluv]

Originally Posted by devotedtoyou

My Yorkie is four YEARS old. She's full grown at 6 pounds and not a bit fat, as I walk her a mile every day. The point I was trying to make is that she only eats 1/2 cup dry food a day and that seems to be plenty and she's not skinny at 6 pounds. I think the person who started this thread has a puppy.

I think you misunderstood. I was writing to the person who wrote the first post. She has a four month old puppy.

[devotedtoyou]

Oops, sorry. Can you tell I'm new at this?

[Itspuppyluv]

No problem. I'm pretty new at this too and make plenty of mistakes.

[Chelsie1978]

I free feed both of mine,they have food out ALL the time,so only one meal a day seems very little to me,espcially for a four month old puppy.Even just twice seems very little.You cant always follow a guide exactly with a live animal.I read the eukanuba guide and if I were to follow it religiously,one of my yorkies would be eating way more than she actualy wants whlst the other would be starved..lol.See,on those guides they have certain weights and certain amounts,but these dont always work because we are talking about live animals here,each with its own needs and personality.Have you tried leaving kibble down all day? Some people say that they dont free feed because their puppies would be eating all day but this isnt true When the pup realises that its food will not be taken away,the rush to finish it up quickly will stop and the pup will eat at its own pace..no pup eats more than its tummy can handle.
If you have to work long hours,I would try the free feeding method.Leave kibble out all day and let your baby eat when he needs to I read somewhere (I wil try and find it) that puppies that free feed are less prone to being over weight,whilst pups that gobble down their food because they know it will be taken away are more prone to putting on weight on the long run.Once a day seems very little for a puppy and I honestly think that if your baby is going to be alone during the day,its better to fill his bowl in the morning and leave it out for him all day.I change my yorkies kibble every morning and I even top it up during the day if they eat it all.Mine are not over weight,Lady is 16months old and weighs 2 lb´s and Jess is 1 year old and weighs 7lb´s.They have always eaten like this,top-ups and all and its worked for them

[SoCalyorkiLvr]

I free feed mine too with dry kibble. It is always out. One is 7 months and 3.5 lbs and one is 4.5 months and 2 lb. I think I worry too much about low blood sugar because I had that happent ot my daughter's dog and it was scary.

[aimee]

Kibble is always available for mine as well. Twice a day I make a "meal" (heated kibble, sometimes with a bit of cottage cheese or other such topper") for them which they scarf up. The dry kibble, they nibble on off and on through the day.

[debi_s]

You could try one of those 'Kong-Toys'....or whatever the name is....I have one. It is shaped like a pyramid...hollow in the center and a hole in the top...I put a couple good handfuls of puppy food in it and leave it out on the floor during the day.
Lil Bit has to work at getting the thing to roll around to get the food to fall out.
This is good for letting the puppies get some exercise and also helpful in burning up some energy.
The lady at the PetSmart said it is great for puppies/dogs who need "something to do".......

[orinskye]

my boy doesnt know when to stop.... he will literally eat and eat untill he pukes it up, so now i feed him once a day.....i put about 1 cup of food (eukanuba small bite maintenance) and then if he wants to eat it all right then and there he will if not then he can snack on it later too..... he eats like a horse....... at first he used to eat it all, but now he eats most of it and leaves a little something to snack on later