Meal times???

[lab.lover]

Hi everyone.
Ruby is 12 weeks old today, so should I start cutting her 3 meals a day down to two? Not sure when I should do this. She eats all her 3 meals a day but like me I am sure dogs don't need to be hungry to eat!

[lankeela]

I would start by giving her slightly less in her two daytime meals, so that you can then combine them into one lunchtime meal but play it by ear, and only cut down if she is starting to leave any, or take a bit longer clearing it up. There is no hard and fast rule, and unless they are a particularly greedy breed (eg Labrador!) then be guided by their appetites. Another way is to substitute one of the meals with a biscuit or treat and give the other daytime meal a bit earlier or later depending on when you want to feed her.

[bigmamma]

Hi lab.lover , well really you should get this advise from your vet as they know Ruby and her weight , but ....LOL...I will throw in my twopenceworth anyway.
I think you should keep her on 3 a day for longer but keep an eye on her weight . She is only a baby yet and will need all those calories . I assume it isn't 3 big meals , perhaps a smaller breckie and lunch and her main meal as the 3rd one.
My dog is on 2 , a very small breckie and her main meal around 6 , she is 5 now of-course and went onto 2 meals when she was 6 mths :-) xx

[bigmamma]

sorry lankeela , your post wasn't there when I started typing
so I hope you don't mind love :-)

[lab.lover]

Thanks for the advice.
I spoke to a friend last night who has a 10 month old Lab. She stopped giving Maddie 3 meals a day when she was 8 months old! I will continue to give her 3 meals a day for a while longer I think and see what the vet says on Tuesday when I take her for her next vaccination. They say it's best to give your dogs 2 meals a day when they are adults as it's better for their digestion. But as Ruby is still growing then I will stick to 3.
She does get a little extra from my 2 year old as he always spills some of his dinner on the floor. Last night it was rice and sweetcorn, although she didn't like the crumpet he gave her this morning!

[lankeela]

Have just re-read your orignal question, and I must have been having a senior moment, as I thought you were asking about cutting down from 4 to 3 meals! I would definitely keep her on 3 meals until she is at least six months, then you could do as I suggested above and cut out one of the meals and end up giving her a breakfast and teatime meal, with maybe a bikkie snack in between and at bedtime. Some people keep their adult dogs on two meals a day, mine all have one meal in the evening but there is always a bowl of dry food down for them to pick at if they are hungry during the day, but they are not Labs! LOL