# Should I go down to once a day feed?



## sandooch (Jan 20, 2011)

Gigi is only 4 months and one week old, but she already seems to be eating way less than she was. I'm feeding her Fromm Puppy Food which at first she'd gobble up twice a day (about a 1/2 cup at each meal mixed with a teaspoon of plain yogurt for a probiotic). But, for the past week, in the morning she doesn't even seem interested in eating. She'll eat maybe a quarter of her food and leave the rest.

I don't get dogs sometimes. Gigi has no problem eating her poop and trying to down a AAA battery (yeah, I had to chase her around the house because she was trying to eat it when it fell out of the remote I dropped), but give her quality dog food and she doesn't go for it with half the enthusiasum as she would the poop, battery, tissue and anything else she can find on the floor.

I do notice that she has not been growing as much, so maybe that's part of it. So, should I just feed her once a day? I know some of you do, so I know that your dogs are thriving on once-a-day feedings and feel that maybe Gigi might prefer that as well.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Gigi's too young to feed once a day. I still feed my adult dogs 2x daily - they got very grumpy when I tried to feed them once a day - I'd be grumpy, too! Gigi may be slowing down in her growth temporarily, but dogs are like kids when they're puppies. She'll go through growth spurts and eat like crazy again.

For now, try cutting back on her 2 meals a little bit, until she eats it all. Also, dampening the food a little bit will bring out the aroma, which dogs seem to like.


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I also agree that she needs the 2 meals a day. She is too young and too small. It could be dangerous for her as she needs to keep her blood sugar up. Even if she eats more at one meal then the other, that is ok.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

While he was growing, my mini went through phases where he would refuse breakfast, which were usually followed by a phase of being ravenously hungry. I think it just depended on whether he was going through a growth surge or not. 

There are many opinions out there. I personally feed twice a day. I just think 24 is too long to go between meals. I do feed less at breakfast (1/4 cup) than dinner (1/2 cup).


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## sandooch (Jan 20, 2011)

Great advice. Thank you all. 

Georgiapeach, I gave her her Fromm tonight with about a tablespoon of the broth from our roast and she finished every last kibble. Before adding the broth she barely was nibbling at it, even though she barely ate her morning meal. I thought she'd be starved. The moistening really made a difference. Thanks for that advice. I will try the water next time.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

She is at the age when her mouth may be sore from teething, so moistening the food makes it more palatable and easier to eat. And I second what oters say about growth spurts - I swear there were times you could see Poppy's legs getting longer while she slept!


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## sandooch (Jan 20, 2011)

That's a great idea about moistening the food, fjm. Thanks! And, yes, before this last couple of week when Gigi's eating habits slowed down, it seemed like she grew an inch taller each week. I thought for a while there that I was going to have a standard on my hands in a few months. lol


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