Is it cruel to feed a dog once a day

The Pros And Cons Of Feeding Your Dog Once A Day

The most common feeding schedule for adult dogs is one or two meals daily. I recommend that most people feed their dogs twice a day. But feeding your dog once a day can work well in some circumstances.

The best feeding schedule for your individual dog will depend partly on the type of food you give them. And my advice is based on my own forty years experience of feeding both kibble and raw, to dozens of different dogs.You can check out what I feed my own dogs each day in this article

Considerations

Is it cruel to feed a dog once a day?

The short answer is no. Traditionally almost all adult dogs were fed once a day. This was the norm when I was a kid. The rationale behind this schedule is that dogs are carnivores, and it is natural for them to eat a large amount of food in one go, and then fast for many hours, before eating again.

In those days most dogs were fed on a mixture of canned (wet) dog food, and dog biscuits together with scraps leftover from human meals.

However, most modern dogs are fed on kibble. And with dry food, feeding once a day has some disadvantages. Lets dig into those, and help you decide how often to feed your dog.

Natural feeding patterns

Its true that your dog is genetically almost identical to the wolves from which they descend. Wild wolves or other dog species hunting in groups may bring down a large prey animal, and feast on it. Then not eat for a day or two.

Its also true that dogs have been catching much smaller prey and scavenging from humans for thousands of years, and have adapted well to eating smaller and more frequent meals.

Pros and cons large vs smaller meals

Feeding once a day is convenient. And with a raw diet, it can be safe and satisfactory for most medium to large dogs

The natural diet of a dog, raw meaty bones, organs, eggs, and even invertebrates such as worms and beetles, are all processed very quickly by a dogs digestive system. Its designed perfectly for the job. And because there are no fillers or carbs in this food, it isnt very bulky. Everything is digested with little waste.

With kibble, feeding once a day only, can be problematic for some dogs. Its all to do with the portion size. And of course once daily meals are twice as big as twice daily meals.

Big dogs

It can be risky to feed a large or deep chested dog their whole days ration of kibble in one hit. Thats because these types of dog are more prone to suffering from bloat.

When we feed our dogs on kibble, we are asking the dogs digestion to take on a task that it isnt quite designed for. Along with the protein, fat and minerals that your dog needs, are a lot of bulky fillers.

While the food looks and feels light and compact when you pour it into the bowl, at that point it is completely dehydrated. It starts to swell up inside your dog as soon as they start to drink.

Its worth thinking about what happens to the bowl of kibble your dog just ate, when they head over to their water dish. Try dropping a few pieces into a glass of water to see how much they expand!

Your dog needs that water so dont ration it. But be aware that they can end up with a lot of heavy food sitting in their stomach, and this may increase their risk of suffering from bloat.

Little dogs

Small dogs often need a minimum of two meals per day, in order to feel well. My own Jack Russell terrier will often vomit if she misses her breakfast, and this is quite common in little dogs.

Some small dogs also find it hard to consume enough in one sitting to keep their weight up. So feeding twice a day may be necessary for many dogs weighing much less than around 20lbs.

This rule applies with both raw food and kibble.

Puppies

All puppies need feeding more frequently than adult dogs.

Most kibble fed puppies need at least four meals a day until they are three months old, then three meals a day until six months.

Some raw fed puppies can drop a portion a bit sooner.

Food should be fun

Aside from the health and safety issues around eating kibble, food is a source of great pleasure in our lives, and dogs feel the same way. They enjoy their meals. And look forward to the next one.

Most dogs eat kibble quite fast. Its unusual for a dog to take more than five minutes over their meal. And twenty four hours is a long time for a kibble fed dog to go between meals, especially when the last meal was over so quickly!

Raw meaty bones take a lot of time to consume, and can keep a dog occupied happily for half an hour or more. But even so I think there is a lot of pleasure to be gained if this experience happens twice in each day rather than once.

Which is best? One meal or two?

Your adult dog will most likely thrive whether you divide their daily ration into one meal or two. However, if your dog is large or deep chested, and fed on kibble, I recommend you feed twice daily, dividing that ration into a morning and evening feed.

Obviously, twice daily meals doesnt mean twice the quantity. You feed the same daily ration but divide it into smaller portions

I do think it means twice the fun though!

And while once daily feeding is suitable for all but the smallest raw fed dogs, I feed all my dogs raw, and, twice daily

Let me know what you decide to do!

Im always interested to hear from readers about how they feed their dogs, so do drop a comment in the box below!

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Is It Cruel To Feed a Dog Once a Day? Feeding Times 101

While some dog owners deem feeding once per day cruel, others assume its the healthiest option.

My Rottweiler went from 3 to 2 feedings when she was around six months.

But then I read about the dog equivalent of intermittent fasting and wondered if there were any health benefits to skipping one feeding now and then.

Naturally, the portion size increases as the caloric intake stays roughly the same.

After all, it shouldnt be a diet.

Fast forward, Ive decided to dive deeper to find out if feeding once per day would be suitable for my dog.

Spoiler alert: Feeding once per did kinda backfire, at least for me.

I found out that my dog has certain needs when it comes to feeding frequency and yours might have those needs too.

Feeding once per day can be great for some, but terrible for others, especially if your dog is suffering from medical issues.

FYI: Current consensus is that feeding twice per day is optimal. But the scientific jury is still out on what constitutes the optimal feeding schedule.

We do have one large-scale study that concludes feeding once per day might be beneficial but this comes with a few caveats. Its an interesting discussion starter for sure.

That being said, some dogs just cant do it.

My Rottweiler was vomiting when the time between feedings was too long.

Well, she always did love her food and rarely left a crump in her bowl.

If your dog is vomiting continuously while being fed once a day, thats a clear sign this feeding schedule isnt made for your specific pooch.

Its up to you and perhaps your board-certifiedveterinary nutritionist to evaluate whether or not your dog is the right candidate.

On one hand, a healthy adult large-breed dog may be able to go for it or even prefer it.

On the other hand, if you have a puppy, senior, or otherwise unsuitable dog, you may need to rethink the feeding schedule and stick to feeding 2-3x per day.

Lets have a look at how you can determine whether or not feeding your dog once per day might be worth a try for your individual.

Is It Cruel To Feed a Dog Once a Day?

It is not generally cruel to feed a healthy adult dog once a day occasionally but that meal should be appropriately sized and balanced. Monitor the feeding schedule since many dogs dont do well with once-a-day feeding.

Age and health are huge components in whether feeding once a day is okay for your dog or not.

Puppies have shorter windows for when they need nutritional power and feeding a puppy once (or even twice) per day is not beneficial for their development.

First of all, most pups cant manage to eat the entire meal in one sitting consistently.

Secondly, your pup will be missing energy in between the naps where puppies usually regenerate until the next burst of energy.

If your dog is a senior, he may also have trouble with one meal per day since he might not be able to digest a large meal at once and lack energy for a major part of the day.

The same goes for dogs with pre-existing health conditions.

You may need to talk to your veterinary nutritionist about that but generally speaking, feeding a healthy adult dog twice per day is considered best practice.

So feeding once per day is probably best avoided for dogs who fit the following criteria:

• Senior
• Puppy (3-4x meals per day instead)
• Some medical conditions
• Dog experiences issues with one meal (vomiting, lethargy, gut issues)

However, some of you just want to try out feeding once a day with a healthy dog or maybe youve done it in the past on busy days.

Lets dive deeper into the pros and cons of feeding once per day.

Pros and Cons of Feeding Your Dog Once a Day

Some dog owners who feed once a day claim that their dogs gut health or immune system improved as well as their appetite but the opposite could happen too.

Other dogs just gurgle up white foamy vomit (the vomit color is actually very telling in regards to the cause).

Lets examine the pros and cons.

As mentioned above, you should note that gut health and immune system boosts are not scientifically proven yet.

That being said, your dogs gut health may very well be positively affected as this feeding schedule is a lot more similar to what theyd do in the wild.

Others argue that dogs are not wolves anymore and domestication went a long way which includes their eating habits.

Improvements to gut health and immune system are strongly discussed among raw diet proponents who fast their dogs for a full day.

Fasting doesnt necessarily mean your dog gets fewer calories but again, it means increased portion sizes.

Whatever you do, dont go overboard and feed more in one session than you would otherwise over the whole day.

If you monitor your dogs food intake and he does eat the meal without any issues, hes probably okay in that regard (might still not be the best solution for you though).

However, vomiting signals an underlying issue.

Vomiting is usually accompanied by the inability to finish the meals reliably as well as a drop in appetite in general.

While it can just be the adjustment period, you need to monitor this closely and consult your vet.

Last but not least, your dog will probably be confused.

Think about it, nobodys telling you anything and suddenly theres a whole day without food.

Will there ever be another meal? Will you starve? Have you been forgotten?

Thats what my Rottweilers eyes are conveying, even if Im just skipping one meal.

On another note: My dog skips her morning meal on road trips which is beneficial for a couple of reasons.

This way, you avoid the risk of your dog vomiting in the car as well as bloating. Also, your dog is not as sluggish in the morning.

If I have to choose between gut issues, vomiting, or bloat and an empty stomach, Id go without a meal or just provide a really light one.

Here are the findings of the study I mentioned above:

() dogs fed once daily rather than more frequently had lower mean scores on a cognitive dysfunction scale, and lower odds of having gastrointestinal, dental, orthopedic, kidney/urinary, and liver/pancreas disorders.

Once-daily feeding is associated with better health in companion dogs: results from the Dog Aging Project

A couple of caveats to this study among 10,000+ canines.

• All data is owner-reported
• Study does not account for snacks & treats
• No info on caloric intake (dogs fed once might just get less food)
• Skews toward dry, commercial food (>80%)
• Most dogs were neutered/spayed

Best Time To Feed Dog Once a Day

The best time to feed your dog once a day is when the last meal was given 12 hours before and the next meal is given 24 hours after or vice versa (most likely morning or evening) or distribute the time between meals evenly and feed mid-day.

This schedule assumes that youve been and will be feeding your dog twice a day before and after that day where you only feed once a day.

If you feed your dog only once a day as part of your regular feeding schedule, just choose a time such as noon and stick to it every day.

A couple of examples (assuming 2x meals on Monday & Wednesday but you still want that fasting period in between):

1. You feed your dog 8 pm on Monday, then 8 am on a Tuesday morning, and again 8 am on Wednesday morning
2. You feed your dog 8 pm Mon, then 8 pm Tue, and 8 am Wed
3. You feed your dog 8 pm Mon, then 2 pm Tue, and 8 am Wed

If you feed once a day, stick to 2 pm every day, for example

Your dogs specific feeding schedule will of course vary a lot.

When you go to bed and wake up will decide what time your morning and evening meals should be served and not everybody is able to feed their dog in the middle of the day.

Can I Feed My Dog 3 Times A Day

Yes, you can feed your dog 3 times a day and for puppies, seniors, and dogs with some health conditions its actually the recommended feeding schedule.

Even if you have a healthy adult dog, you can still opt for feeding three times a day if your doggo thrives on that.

Some dogs just cant go the whole day without a meal and for some time, Ive given my Rottweiler a treat in the middle of the day to avoid her stomach growling.

Beware of a bloating risk if your schedule doesnt allow 3 feedings with sufficient time to eat and settle afterward.

Also, dont let those puppy eyes fool you into giving a third meal if its not necessary. Especially not if its an additional meal on top.

Best Time To Feed a Dog

The best time to feed your dog depends entirely on how often you feed your dog but you need to make sure the time in between meals isnt longer than 12-24 hours at the max.

The mentioned feeding schedules above can act as a starting point for you.

Most dog owners will opt for feeding right in the morning and in the evening.

Make sure its not right before going to bed though and give your dog the chance to go potty.

Should You Feed Your Dog Before Or After Walks

If possible, avoid feeding your dog before walks for around an hour and let your dog calm down for a short period after walks to properly digest the food.

Since the risk of bloat and other issues is more prevalent with feeding before walks, Id personally recommend feeding your dog after the walk.

How To Change Dog Feeding Schedule

Every dietary change and that includes the feeding schedule itself should be slowly changed and closely monitored. Take a step back if your dog is not doing well.

Its not wise to go from 3 feedings a day to 1 meal the next day and your dog will likely vomit or show other signs of hunger.

Try providing two meals instead and once your dog is fine with that (a couple of days or perhaps weeks), make the second meal lighter.

At some point, youd be able to feed just a snack as the second meal. Soon, you could transition to just one feeding.

Whether or not one meal per day is ideal for your dog is totally up to you and if youre unsure, consult your vet.

The science is not entirely on one side or the other so its up to you, but cruel isnt the appropriate word as long as the diet is balanced and your dog gets all his calories.

Trust me, my Rottweiler wouldnt let that transgression slide, and perhaps your dog will show clear signs of what feeding times are best for him too.

Disclaimer: This blog post does not substitute veterinary attention and does not intend to do so. I am not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist. If your dog shows any sign of illness, call your vet.