Can I feed my large breed 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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Feeding Your Dog Once a Day: Is It Cruel?

This article has been reviewed in accordance with our editorial policy.

The information in this article is not a substitute for professional help.

When it comes to feeding dogs, the advice is bountiful, endless, and often confusing.

So when you might hear a suggestion of feeding your dog once a day, it might immediately come off as cruel. Turns out, once-a-day meals might actually have more health benefits than you originally thought.

Feeding your dog once a day is not cruel and might benefit them. For dogs that thrive on this diet, the signs of aging can be reversed, gastric upset can be remedied, and some dogs wont be forced to overeat. On the contrary, single feeding can cause medical issues in dogs that need more food, the food can be disproportionate, and an unhealthy relationship with food can form.

In this article, I will explore the positives and negatives of feeding your dog only once a day, so you can make an informed decision for your furry best friend.

Ready? Lets dive in!

Table of Contents

Traditionally, adult dogs are fed twice a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. If youre someone who free-feeds, it could even be more frequent than that. With this being the societal norm, it likely sounds like you are starving the poor dog if only one meal is fed daily.

Turns out, its actually not cruel at all.

The belief that one meal a day is starvation often comes from us naturally paralleling our life and behavior to that of our dog.

A person only eating once a day is usually seen as having some type of eating disorder, but animals dont function the same way. A dogs digestive track and nutritional needs differ tremendously from a humans, which is why they cant eat the same way as us!

As such, some dogs (dependent upon breed, age, and overall health) are actually very happy, only eating once a day. This is especially common in more primitive breeds, such as the rare African Azawakh and Yakutian Laika.

Feeding once a day is known as a form of intermittent fasting, which is what a dogs wild ancestry (wolves and primitive canids) would experience in the wild.

Other breeds that are quite far removed from wild ancestors may not be so inclined, such as the Golden Retriever or the Great Dane. Still, the general consensus states that your dogs eating preference is not cruel - whatever it may be.

According to a recent scientific study that was released in 2021, feeding your dog once a day does actually have health benefits. 47,000 dogs were studied, and the results were rather fascinating.

For starters, once-a-day feeding (intermittent fasting) yielded beneficial outcomes in the cardiac (heart), dental, and neurological (brain) health realm!

The study showed that the signs of aging could be reversed, which meant that the heart continued to beat in the correct rhythm, the teeth were in good condition, and the cognitive ability was maintained well. The decline of various bodily functions slowed significantly. The dogs memory and spatial awareness were very much improved in older canines.

As the study states, After controlling for age, sex and breed, the team found dogs that were only fed once per day, rather than multiple times, appeared to have lower scores of cognitive dysfunction, equivalent to the difference between a 7-year-old and 11-year-old dog. They were also less likely to have a range of health problems, including gastrointestinal, dental, bone, kidney, and liver disorders.

Another benefit is digestive health - intermittent fasting helps reset the bodys system and gives the digestive tract a bit of a break to reset. This also applied to humans, probably one of the only real comparables there. It can be a decent way to resolve types of gastric upset.

Some dogs dont need a lot of food - and owners will often pressure their dogs to eat more than they want or need to. For the dogs that prefer lighter meals, a single meal per day can work a lot better than forcing them to eat more than once. The pressure surrounding food can be detrimental to their mental health.

On a practical note, some may state that single feeding is easier on a working persons schedule (although a dogs diet should not depend on this!).

Keep in mind that not all dogs can thrive on one meal a day. Many factors are involved in whether or not single feedings are a successful diet plan for your pup.

Some dogs can actually get ill from once-a-day feeding.

This is because a dog that needs a larger calorie count tends to thrive better on multiple meals per day than just one very large meal. Dogs can begin to vomit, have blood pressure drops, and be very lethargic. This also applies to very active dogs who need to eat frequently to maintain their body type.

Feeding a dog once a day is also not a feasible option for certain medical conditions, such as dogs with diabetes.

There is also a con of human error involved in single feeding.

You have to properly calculate how much the dog needs to eat, and once-a-day feeding can (unintentionally) begin malnourishing the pup if you havent portioned everything correctly. It may be something that isnt noticed at first but becomes dangerous over time.

Equally, single feeding can potentially have the same cons as scheduled feedings. Because the dog is hungry and anticipating the meal, this can cause dogs to have their own version of an eating disorder, such as gobbling down food way too quickly.

Eating too fast, as mentioned before, can cause bloat, which can be fatal. Once-a-day feeding can also lead to food aggression and resource guarding.

If you find that your pup would do well on a single meal a day, you have to transition gracefully (or risk causing gastric upset!).

Before making any sort of dietary changes, it is advised to consult your dogs veterinarian or a licensed canine nutritionist, as changes in food can impact overall health. But if given the green light, this is how you make a positive transition:

For starters, you cant do single feeding with a puppy. Puppies need much more food than adult dogs to maintain their growing bodies!

Its why puppies are fed three times per day, and adult dogs are not. Not giving a puppy enough meals throughout the day can stifle their growth and cause medical issues later down the line.

As such, ensure your dog is an adult and fully developed before considering single feeding. Dogs reach full maturity between two and three years of age but consult your veterinarian first.

Before switching your dog to this eating style, you should have all of your ducks in a row.

As such, make sure you understand how to portion the meals correctly. Consult your local specialist on how much your dog needs to eat per day based on their breed, weight, body type, and activity level.

Once you have the portions correct, it is suggested to meal prep for the week (that just makes it easier!).

Next, decide when the single feeding will occur.

You can choose from morning to mid-day, to evening. The best choice really depends on what your dog is like. I would suggest picking a time based on when your dog tends to be the most active and hungry.

For some dogs, morning is the best because it sets their day off right. Midday is perfect for those who like to sleep in and take it easy. Nighttime feeding is best for others who cant go to sleep on an empty stomach.

Like any diet change, you cant do it cold turkey overnight! A dogs stomach wont be able to handle it.

It is best to do so gradually - try single feeding only a day or two per week. Then gradually increase the number of days you do single feeding based on how your dogs stomach reacts.

If your dogs bowel movements are normal, your dog is not vomiting, and your dog isnt too lethargic, then you can definitely proceed forward. Eventually, you will come to a point where your dog is used to single feeding!