# From 2 meals to 1



## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

Eli is 9 months and is fed at 8:30 AM and 6:30 PM. He almost always doesn't eat breakfast. I'm hesitant to stop offering breakfast because 1) he's less than a year, and 2) he does occasionally throw up bile in the morning when his stomach is too empty. Should I keep offering breakfast or is it OK to go to 1 meal now (with mid-day snacks, of course)?


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

I'm in the same boat with my Whimsy as you are with Eli. I had always put half her kibble down in the a.m. and then half in the p.m. Quite a while ago she stopped eating it in the morning and left it to eat in the evening all at once..( I would just add to it so she was getting her full days worth.) So now I just put it all in her bowl in the morning and it is there when she wants it. Something that is easy to do when they are on dry food only. She just turned a year old last week and she is telling me she just needs to eat once a day. Whimsy does barf up some bile once in a while in the morning too, so now I offer her a few small cookies in the morning and that helps. She has never been a big eater and does well regulating her own food intake.( she never turns down a cookie)


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## Cherin36 (Sep 2, 2010)

Chewy (9 mos) is the same way as well. He doesn't eat much if any in the morning...he threw up bile the other morning which freaked me out until I read why he did it. I always offer it in the morning but he rarely eats it. I leave him with a few treats during the day. I find that he likes to eat at 6:30pm and then again around 9pm. He isn't too skin and definitely not overweight so I am assuming this is ok.


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

whimsy said:


> I would just add to it so she was getting her full days worth.) So now I just put it all in her bowl in the morning and it is there when she wants it. Something that is easy to do when they are on dry food only.


I add cooked chicken to his kibble so leaving it out isn't an option. I've been throwing it away after an hour or so. Now I'm wondering if I should double the portion, at least the kibble part, in the evening if he doesn't eat breakfast so that he gets enough calories and nutrition? Really hadn't thought of that before. I was still following the "take it or leave it" model.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

What I started doing around this time was feeding her around 10-11am a larger portion meal, and if she's not hungry..I'll leave it out for a few hours. And I won't put down an evening meal unless she tells me she wants one. She goes and stands by where I keep her vitamins/food, etc. and stares at it, lol that's how I know she's hungry.

I got tired of wasting so much food, most days she only eats once a day, maybe 1-2 every few weeks she'll want 2 meals a day, no rhyme or reason to it.

Kara


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

How much is everyone feeding their Havs? Please list the weight of Hav and amount/type of food. 

Jack (12 pounds) is fed Solid Gold (Lamb) dry level 1/3 cup; 2 x day. 

Dexter (15-16 pounds) is fed Solid Gold (Lamb) dry heaping 1/3 cup; 2 x day.

I always give some type of very small treat during the day for training. And, I do mix in a little of my Chicken soup mixture (one tablespoon) amount to the dry food.

Sometimes they do not feel like eating a meal, I take it up and they are hungry by the next meal.


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## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

Most of the time Tucker eats twice a day. Ocassionally, just once a day. He weights 18# and gets 1/3 rounded cup 2 x's day. Mid afternoon I give him several chopped baby carrots which he loves. I still give him a very small treat each time he goes out to potty. He comes in a sits by the pantry door and waits for me to give it to him. By now it's a habit for us.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

This is an interesting thread as my guys were not eating a full two meals lately either. At first we thought it was the supplement that I was adding for their tarter but I stopped it and they still were hesitant. At first hubby thought it was the new food I put the older three on but we discounted that when I said that the puppy was not eating her puppy food either! 
We finally came to the conclusion that it was the time change!! I feed them about an hour or two later than before and they eat like champs. So in my house that is what it is. But.... I also now add some soft food with their kibble and they gobble it up any time I feed them. I wonder if the time change in your area made a difference.


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Whimsy is 1 year old and I am gradually switching her over to her adult dry food. She seems more than satisfied with 1/2 heaping cup once per day. When she finishes that, I have offered her more and she turns her nose up at it..shes' full. Maybe when she is outside and running about more when the weather gets nice her needs will change..we shall see.
She gets several small treats a day for training.( Charley bear treats)


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

I feed my Havanese two time a day. I give just a very small amount in the morning and most at night. They eat Pro Plan small breed formula. I add a spoon of canned to it. Some mornings all don't eat, but a couple days later, they go back to eating breakfast. I think they just know when they don't need it and when they do. They almost never leave any food at dinner, that's why I give them the majority of their meal then.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Laurief said:


> We finally came to the conclusion that it was the time change!! I feed them about an hour or two later than before and they eat like champs. So in my house that is what it is. But.... I also now add some soft food with their kibble and they gobble it up any time I feed them. I wonder if the time change in your area made a difference.


Oh Yes! We remember the time change very well! I think they are back on schedule though...they still try to wake us up at 6am.

1/2 cup food? If I put that down for either Dexter or Jack to eat, they would eat it! Then, I would be afraid they would gain too much weight. The Vet did say Dexter should lose 2-3 pounds. Anyway....

I cannot imagine feeding 1 x day....My boys love food and snacks!


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## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

Whimsy does barf up some bile once in a while in the morning too,

Lizzie did that the other morning, too. It was weird. I think she was hungry as she ate everything when I fed her.

Lizzie is 10# and almost 1 year and I feed her at 7 am and again around 5pm. Some days she eats all of it and other days not. It can be either meal, too. I feed about 2 tablespoons (which I just checked and is 1/4 cup) of Orijen kibble, 1 large tablespoon scoop of any of the Instinct canned flavors and either some left over chicken or I fry up some hamburger or scramble an egg and mix it in. Sometimes I give her some coconut oil and that is the first thing she eats. She gets a tiny amount (less than quarter) of nitrate free hot dog when I comb her every day and a few freeze dried liver treats for commands.


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## marlowe'sgirl (Jun 17, 2010)

My little guy is 15 lbs-ish, 15 months. I feed him 1/2 cup am & pm of Orijen 6 Fish (which is well within the rec feeding amount). Most days he ends up finishing all of it by the end of the day - I leave it out all day. A couple days a week he eats only half meal and 1-2x a month he'll just not eat anything all day.


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

Eli is 9 months, 13 lbs. I feed him 1/3 cup dry food mixed with 1 - 1.5 oz chicken breast 2x per day. He also usually gets one snack a day - a dry Happy Hips chicken strip or tablespoon of greek yogurt or a few small sweet potatoe biscuits. It depends what I have on hand (he hasn't had Happy Hips or flossies because we suspect he has allergies and are trying to rule out a few things). Once a week he gets an egg.

Sounds like we feed in the same ballpark.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Thought I would check with Sabine about this. Here's her response.

Hi Dave, 

I generally recommend 3 meals until 6 months old, and then going to 2 meals.

Puppies have a fast metabolism, as evidenced by how challenging a lot of people find house training - the food passes through quite quickly, and if fed more often, the body has more opportunity to absorb nutrients.

That doesn't mean you have to feed first thing in the morning, if the puppy doesn't want to eat and is otherwise healthy, I would most certainly not push food on them, let alone try doctoring up food with all kinds of things to get them to eat. If they self-regulate well, don't become hypoglycemic, or vomit bile on an empty stomach, it's fine. I would still try to divide the daily food portion into two feedings.

Another issue is, does the puppy really just "not feel hungry", or is he/she refusing food due to feeling nauseous. I've had cases like that.

Sabine


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## marlowe'sgirl (Jun 17, 2010)

The feeling nauseous is a good point. My guy gets nauseous from the car and will definitely eat less on a day with a longer car trip.


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

Both of mine are a year old. They always got 1/4 cup in the morning of dry ProPlan puppy small breed and 1/4 cup in the evening plus snacks during the day and they always ate everything. The last few months...probably when they were 9 or 10 months old the bf was out of work and they really got off schedule some days they eat and some days they don't eat....since he is home with them all day I kind of thought he might be giving them more treats which is why they don't eat their food...but he's been out of town for work the last week so I know their treat consumption was down drastically and they still don't eat like they used to....although I do notice when I take them walking and/or let them go to the farm and run they tend to eat alot more.....


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## FancyNancy (Oct 7, 2009)

I'm submitting this to give everyone a giggle! Henry is 1.5 years, 14 lbs. He gets 2 raw Instinct rabbit medallions for breakfast sprinkled with Instinct dried kibble and a tiny bit of parmesan cheese (freshly grated of course) plus a spoonful of cooked sweet potato. For dinner, 2 spoonfuls of Instinct canned rabbit with a small amount of the kibble and a teaspoon or so of Greek yoghurt. Needless to say, he is always very excited to get his meals. He also has the bile thing so he gets a few treats before bed. My husband refuses to feed him because he says it's too complicated!


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## iluvhavs (Jul 21, 2008)

Rico is 5 years old and weighs in at 17 lbs. Big boy, but not overweight. According to Sabine (and the diet is working well) he gets 15 oz a day, split into two meals. I do two meals because I have to regulate meds that go into the food. I weigh the food, instead of using a measuring cup because he eats home-cooked, and you may jam a lot mor food into a measuring cup then I do. So weighing it is the best way to get an accurate read on how much he eats. I weigh him every week. If he is gaining, I cut back on food. If he's losing, I add. 

Lucy is 3 and weighs 13 lbs. She gets 10-12 oz's of food daily, split in two meal. They both eat around 7:30 AM and 7:0PM.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

iluvhavs said:


> Rico is 5 years old and weighs in at 17 lbs. Big boy, but not overweight. According to Sabine (and the diet is working well) he gets 15 oz a day, split into two meals. I do two meals because I have to regulate meds that go into the food. I weigh the food, instead of using a measuring cup because he eats home-cooked, and you may jam a lot mor food into a measuring cup then I do. So weighing it is the best way to get an accurate read on how much he eats. I weigh him every week. If he is gaining, I cut back on food. If he's losing, I add.
> 
> Lucy is 3 and weighs 13 lbs. She gets 10-12 oz's of food daily, split in two meal. They both eat around 7:30 AM and 7:0PM.


Good stuff. Sabine will lead you in the right direction. It's up to us to follow through.


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