It’s easy to get into a rut when feeding our dogs. Breakfast in the a.m., dinner in the p.m., and if you work from home, lots of treats in between. Or, we take the grazing approach, where set meal times go out the window and a bowl of food is left for them to nosh on throughout the day. One might call that last one “self-regulation”, unless you’re living with a dog who immediately wolfs it all down, then goes hungry for the rest of the day. And that leads us to how and why establishing the right dog feeding schedule can improve your pup’s overall health.
Convenient Isn’t Always Better
We’re a culture that loves simple, turnkey solutions. We once heard that feeding our dog with 12 hours between meals meant once in the morning, then again, a dozen hours later. Snap, we’d successfully ticked the food and nutrition box. I mean, what could be simpler, right? Well, grazing for one thing.
Also known as free-feeding, grazing was the silver bullet of convenience. You see an empty dog bowl, you fill it up, and you don’t have to think about it again until it’s empty. No surprise, this approach typically results in obesity due to overeating, and if you live in a multi-pet household where dogs have free access to one another’s kibble bowls, food guarding as well.
What dog owners fail to recognize is that 12-hour schedules and grazing are simply recommendations to help guide first-time pet parents in the care of their new family member.
Is there a best time of day to feed a dog? It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. What your dog actually requires to live their very best, healthiest life is quite possibly something entirely different.
Connecting a Feeding Regimen with Better Health
What’s in your dog’s food is just one of many factors impacting their overall health. Other factors include choosing supplements that support gut health, as well as portion size, activity levels, and frequency of feeding. While the first three may be obvious, that last one may have you wondering how it fits in.
You see, your dog’s age, size, and health may mean a 12-hour feeding regimen is no longer the right fit. For puppies up to one year, feeding three to four times a day is normal to help support growth. But did you know that senior dogs, smaller breeds, and those dealing with digestive issues also require frequent small meals throughout the day due to slower metabolisms and an inability to process larger portions? With a slower metabolism, weight gain follows, and those extra few pounds can result in joint issues, a change in blood sugar levels, and ultimately diabetes.
For large and giant breeds prone to bloat, multiple smaller portions throughout the day will pace your dog and help prevent a condition known as Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus (GDV) or bloat. This is a life-threatening emergency that can be caused by, among other things, eating large portions of food too quickly.
So, how often should dogs eat? When you decide to switch from the typical 12-hour approach to smaller, more frequent portions, there are a few “rules” to consider.
Let’s start with understanding that this doesn’t mean your dog now gets three or four full meals each day. You’re providing the same amount of food as you would in two meals, but in more frequent, smaller portions. So, determine what their daily caloric/consumption intake should be, then divide it by three (or four), and that’s the new portion size.
Next, allow your dog up to 30 minutes to finish their meal before removing any uneaten food. This eliminates grazing and encourages them to eat at the designated times.
Lastly, once your ideal dog feeding times are identified, stick to the plan.
Remember that treats can hamper their appetite and add unwanted calories, so dispense them sparingly, opt for low-calorie options, and remember they should never account for more than 10% of their recommended caloric intake.
Timing Meals with Exercise
Let’s talk a little more about bloat. While commonly associated with just the larger breeds, such as Great Danes, German Shepherds, and Dobermans, any deep-narrow-chested dog can also be prone to this life-threatening condition. That includes (to name a few) Boxers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Bloodhounds, Basset Hounds, and even, from the smaller set, Dachshunds.
Bloat happens when a dog’s stomach twists and traps gas along with any undigested food, blocking blood flow to the heart. Early warning signs include:
- A firm, distended belly
- Restlessness
- Retching
- Gagging
- Drooling
While there are no home remedies, if caught early, emergency surgery may save your dog’s life. But this life-threatening condition can be avoided if you sync your pet’s meals and exercise. Yes, while physical activity is always a positive thing, timing it in relation to his feeding is critical.
Guidelines suggest waiting at least one to two hours after eating before engaging in moderate-to-vigorous activity. For high-risk dogs, it’s between three and four hours. The “why” is because activity causes gas to build up, your dog’s stomach to swell, and ultimately to twist and turn into bloat.
Now, if a potty break is an absolute necessity right after eating, keep it short and restrained. Too much energy can result in a heightening of your dog’s sympathetic nervous system, which is better known as “fight or flight.” This is triggered by vigorous activity and increases heart rate, decreases blood pressure, and, in a bid to divert energy to his muscles, temporarily shuts down their digestion and elimination. So, you can see how that may correlate with bloat.
Avoid Night-Time Hunger
Can feeding time affect a dog’s digestion? It certainly can have an impact! For this reason, the timing of your dog’s last meal of the day is surprisingly important. By serving it two to three hours before they retire for the night, you allow for proper digestion and enough time for them to burn off some of those calories. But because dogs take just eight to ten hours to fully digest their food, consuming that last meal too early in the evening can lead to hunger pangs and restlessness… often in the middle of the night.
It can also result in something called bilious vomiting syndrome that occurs when bile leaves the intestines and enters your dog’s now completely empty stomach to cause irritation and subsequently, a yellow, frothy vomit. Lesson here? Ensure their last meal of the day and first meal of the next morning are no more than 12 hours apart.
Identify Your Ideal Dog Feeding Times
Your dog’s feeding schedule needs to be sustainable. Dogs are creatures of habit, and they thrive on predictability. Maintaining a consistent routine can help reduce stress, which can affect digestion. To find the best time to feed a dog, there may be unique circumstances to consider.
- If your furry family member is ill or receives ongoing medication or supplements (often with food), then identify what times work best and schedule their meals around that.
- If you’re living with a dog that’s recovering from illness and needs to put on a little weight, choosing multiple mini feedings may help boost their metabolism and can be as important as the nutrient-rich foods you’re providing.
- If you work outside of the home, consider introducing an automatic pet feeder to cover mid-day meals.
Each situation is unique. However, adhering to a schedule helps eliminate your dog’s worry about when their next meal is coming. It also helps you monitor how well they are eating and how often they are pooping, and that last one can impact their temperament and ability to sleep through the night.
Create the Optimal Food Schedule for Your Dog
Now, you realize that a 12-hour feeding regimen isn’t the one-size-fits-all solution you thought it was. So, what’s how do you decide when to feed a dog? Do your homework; research their breed, their size, and any past health issues. Assess your lifestyle to determine what type of schedule you can commit to. Then stick to it. And lastly, when in doubt, speak with your veterinarian about developing an ideal dog feeding schedule for you and your pup.
