I currently have an 9 month old GSD and I was wondering at what age I can bring him down to one meal a day. I've been feeding him twice a day for the last couple months but my job is about to switch to 12 on 12 off. I'm a medical resident and now work a long schedule and don't want to feed him in the morning and leave him locked up with the chance of an accident. My fiance can let him out after about 7-8 hours because she gets home from work at that time. Please, no advice about how good or bad it can be to have them hold it in. I'm asking at what age can they begin to eat once a day. Any advice and information is much appreciated. Thanks for the time.
2006-08-23 13:40:01 · 10 answers · asked by vail2073 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
It is always better to feed twice a day. That said, I wouldn't take a German Shepherd down to one meal till at least 14-16 months old, as they are still growing & filling out till 24 months. Be careful not to feed him his one meal a day & then exercise him till at least one hour to avoid bloat/gastric torsion. Large, deep-chested breeds are more prone to this, and feeding one big meal day increases the chances even more. Maybe a compromise would be that your fiance could give him 2-3 good quality dog biscuits (such as Iams) when she lets him out? Hope this helps.
2006-08-23 13:46:10 · answer #1 · answered by mustanglynnie 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
12 months of age is the general age at which you can go to one feeding; however, GSDs are large breed dogs which means it's actually more dangerous for them to ever be on one meal a day. One meal a day can cause bloat in deep chested animals, which is deadly within hours. That means you could leave a perfectly healthy animal and come home to a dead one. I would recommend maybe pay a neighboorhood kid $5 a day to come and feed him a second meal so you don't have to worry about that. Or just do a bunch of research on bloat and see if you're willing to take the risk. Good luck!
2006-08-23 20:58:04 · answer #2 · answered by Maber 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When they're puppies, they should be fed three times a day. I think at 9 months old they should be getting strong enough. You could try just leaving a food bowl in there. If you have a kennel that's just big enough to turn around and stand up you shouldn't have a problem with messes. I work at a Vet. so I hear the Vets talk about this all the time.
2006-08-23 21:24:23 · answer #3 · answered by theGODwatcher_ 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's still considered a puppy until it reaches about 12 months old or so.
Try gradually decreasing the portion of the morning meal to where the second meal will be the only meal.
2006-08-23 20:48:36 · answer #4 · answered by trusport 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Twelve months of age, is ok for 1 meal a day.(dog Breeder)
2006-08-23 20:42:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They must be a senior to have only 1 meal a day. My dog is an adult and eats 2 a day. puppies 12mon. or younger need to have two.
2006-08-23 20:44:52 · answer #6 · answered by Answer_Me_I'll_Answer_You 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you must feed him at least twice a day no matter what age
2006-08-23 21:01:35 · answer #7 · answered by Valerie H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can start once a day now. No worries.
2006-08-23 20:47:29 · answer #8 · answered by k9resq 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if your that worried you can buy an automatic feeder for water and food pricey but in your case needed
2006-08-23 20:43:38 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
wait for a few more monthes
2006-08-23 21:03:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋