Transitioning from 3 Meals to 2 - Upset Tummy

[Jaime + Oliver]

I posted this over on the puppy forum yesterday but wanted to check in here too.

On our recent vet visit we were told to start transitioning Oliver to 2 meals a day.  He's 11wks old now.  We started to increased his breakfast yesterday and dealt with "back-end" potty issues all day.  The vet said to watch and wait for 24hrs.  It seems like the recommendation to start the transition now was too much too early for Oliver's little system.

When did everyone start to make the switch to 2 meals?  How gradually did you do it?  Anyone experience issues from overeating as you increase the meal portions?

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Same - Luna was on 3 meals a day until about 6 months old.  We did it cold turkey and she was fine!

There are no issues with overeating as long as you're measuring the food and using the correct amount for your pup's age, weight and activity level.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

IMO, 11 weeks is way too young to switch to two feedings a day. Nutrition is a subject about which vets receive little to no training at all, and i would disregard the vet's advice on this. Go back to three feedings a day, your puppy's GI tract is not ready or able to handle more food at one time right now, or to go that long between meals. 

[KLN]

Hmmmmm. This seems way too young. Finley is almost six months and I'm just now moving to only bkst/dinner but also give him a pretty generous snack at lunch. I also give him as much as he wants (he is not an over eater) at each meal. I would go back to three meals until about six months.

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

We did all three of the boys around six months.  It wasn't really that we watched the calendar so much as when they started to lose interest in lunch.  When that happened, we knew it was time and they've never seemed to miss it.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is exactly right. When the pup starts to lose interest in a meal, that's a clue that it's time to switch to giving more food less often, i.e. two meals a day. Often it's the second or third meal that doesn't interest them, rarely breakfast, because their stomachs are empty from all night. This doesn't usually happen before 4 months of age at the earliest, especially with standards.  

[sandy b]

I'm curious, why is it necessary to switch from 3 meals to 2?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's not strictly "necessary", but most adult dogs do not require the shorter intervals and smaller amounts of food that splitting their daily calories into three meals necessitates, and do better with two larger meals spaced further apart. They're not hungry at lunchtime, as mentioned above. It's also a lot more convenient for people who work full-time, lol.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Yeah I was going to say, it's also a convenience thing.  Luna gets breakfast, then we're usually gone all day and she gets dinner.  A third feeding wouldn't really make sense and she's content without it.

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

S'funny, I asked the vet the same question and she hmmm'ed a bit and then replied, "You know, I've never really thought about that much. It's just what we do, I guess."  My guys get three because bile happens if their stomachs are empty for too long - they get a medium breakfast, light lunch, and then their heaviest meal in the evening. Fortunately for me it is convenient (their sitter gives them lunch when I'm at work) or I'd have to switch them to just morning and evening.

Lachlan doesn't seem to care either way, but Declan goes into high-anxiety mode when he starts to get hungry. He's a much calmer boy if there's something in his stomach.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Another way to get around the empty stomach/bile issue with adult dogs is to give them a small snack in the evening before bed. 

[Jaime + Oliver]

Thanks everyone - this is our first puppy and we're still learning the in's & outs.  After a rough 24 hours Oliver seems to be A-OK again.  I was surprised when our vet said we should start this early, and it's obvious Oliver couldn't handle it.  I'm going to listen to all the advice below and wait for him to give us cues that lunch isn't as important as it used to be.  Going from 3 to 2 wasn't a convenience thing for us, I'll still be going home every day during "lunch" regardless of whether he needs a meal or not.  It just seemed like one of those things that you're "supposed to do."  We'll revisit in a few months!

[KLN]

:0)