Changes in Eating Patterns

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

So, I was all set to start a new discussion about the fact that Jackdoodle has only been eating once a day. For the past week or two, his breakfast has stayed in his bowl until dinner time. I have been giving him his usual dinner on top of the uneaten breakfast kibble, and he's been eating all of his food for the day in one meal.

This concerned me, because it increases the risk of bloat, and because he also has a habit of "holding" it for too long, especially between his evening walk and the next morning's walk, which is not good for his kidneys or his anal glands. It's better for him to get smaller amounts of food throughout the day than to get everything in the evening. I had planned to discuss it and ask for ideas here.

Well, this morning, he was back to eating his entire breakfast shortly after he got it. Nothing different about his breakfast today than yesterday or the day before. For whatever reason, he just wasn't hungry for his morning meal over the past week or so, and today he was.

Jack will be 6 years old this month. I think we can say that changes in eating patterns are normal throughout the course of a dog's life, or at least some dogs' lives.  It's something to watch, but not necessarily something to be concerned about.

Anyone else see this kind of thing with their doodles?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Regarding bloat, eating one large meal does increase the risk; but there are lots of factors involved. Jack is very large and has an extremely deep chest, which also increases his risk.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

I have been dealing with this for the past 3 to 4 weeks. It started when they would only eat out of each others bowls instead of their own. Then it moved on to them lookin at me like I have given them a bowl of rocks to eat. I started mixing cheese and eggs and noodles but then they just ate that instead of their food. So now I changed the flavor and Rosey seems to be eating again but not Bandit. He will eventually finally give in to what he is fed but not gobble it up like he used too. It's really okay by me since he is a little pudgy. Rosey however is thin and I want her to eat. DH keeps tellin me to feed them once per day but I like them eating smaller meals twice per day.

[Sharon & Monty]

I've never owned a dog like Monty. Always had rather large dogs that ate lots, cleaned up the bowl. Monty used to eat the "recommened amount" but for the last several months he eats sometimes........... Sometimes he has a bit of breakfast, sometimes not, sometimes he eats late in the evening, sometimes not. He does get treats sometimes good stuff, sometimes junk treats, but I've never been able to figure him out. He poops every day, twice per day no matter what he seems to have eaten out of his bowl. He weighs 55 pounds, the vet is very happy about his weight. So........even tho i dont fill the bowl so much he doesnt seem hungry. I've started taking him to obdenience classes, food rewards of course. He refuses most of anything that is offered, especially from the trainer or other people? wtd? I told the trainer he loves salt free chips, she brought them this week, he spit them out! Tried to feed him liver which seems to be favorite of most of the dogs at training. Nope, he spit them out too! So, I've stopped worrying about it, he eats when he eats, what he eats. I should prob follow his lead? :P

[Camilla and Darwin]

When Darwin was about 8 months old (I think it was 8 months) he started only wanting to eat 2 meals a day instead of 3. I figured this was a normal puppy to adult change. Aside from that and a couple of illnesses, he has always wolfed his food down immediately.

[Gail+Kathleen,(Sydney+Olivia:)]

Karen, we went through this with our Doodles and were told by vets and nutritionists that our doodles need to eat more than one time a day. Our Sydney Doodle had anal gland problems, yeast in her ears and her coat was shedding. (You mentioned that Jack sheds too.) So, we changed their food from Ultra Premium Natural Balance (which they were on since puppies) to Canine Caviar. Since the change (for the past 7 months), both of our Doodles have been gobbling up both their breakfast and dinner. Their poo's have been great, our one "Shedder", Sydney's coat feels 100% better and looks better with much less shedding. We don't get anything for endorsing Canine Caviar but we are so happy we were exposed to such a great dog food. Sydney also is going to be six years old in January so we are so happy when both Sydney and Olivia eat great and poo great. We know that they are feeling healthy.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, shedding really doesn't have much to do with food. You could feed anything under the sun to a Labrador retriever, for example, and he is still going to shed. Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids can help improve coats and possibly decrease the amount of shedding, so changing to a better quality food can help in that area. Also, certain ingredients like beet pulp, which is in all Nutro products, can contribute to yeasts.
Jack eats Orijen & homecooked food, and his poop is great. He is also under the care of a veterinary dermatology specialist, and Orijen is what she recommends. With him, it really isn't an issue of changing his food, or something else possibly appealing to him more. He's a picky eater, period.
Changing eating patterns doesn't necessarily have to do with the food itself, I think. But I'm glad the Canine Caviar is working for your doodles.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I give my guys a small breakfast and a much bigger dinner. That seems to work for them. They're never too hungry in the morning, but usually VERY hungry at night. Even so, once in a while they'll refuse any breakfast. I don't let them "free feed"....if they don't eat I pick up the dish and they wait until dinner. I think they're like me. There are some days when I don't feel like eating anything until lunch (so I don't), and other days I seem to wake up hungry.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Gracie Doodle is not a food motivated or obsessed Doodle. Also, she will only eat when there is a tennis ball in the bowl. It is very important. She takes a bite, chews, picks up her ball, squeaks it, sets it back down and takes another bite. She only eats a few bites and leaves the rest of her breakfast. My DH insists on breaking up a chicken jerky strip on top of all of her food. I don't!!!! She always eats the jerky. Then her breakfast sits there all day and around 4:00 in the afternoon she sometimes decides to eat it. Then when we give her dinner it is the same routine again but she has been playing and running after her ball for an hour and she has more of an appetite and usually eats all of her dinner. She just isn't a big eater and doesn't get treats during the day unless my DH is home. He is so bad about offering treats even when she isn't even asking for them!!!

[Carol and Banjo]

Oh my gosh! That is so funny!!! That's a very unusual way to get your doodle to eat slowly!!! Love it!! Gracie you are too Funny!!

[Linda and Murphy]

I have a question about Murphy. I free feed him and usually he doesn't eat much in the morning.
He has gained about 6 lbs and is acting like he is starving to death. He is now on a "diet" meaning I am monitoring everything he is getting. (I've had some one around that may be feeding him more than I am aware of.)
Any ideas about what is going on? Thanks

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack started putting on weight when he was four. I mean, significant amounts of weight in relatively short periods of time. His metabolism just slowed down. When he hit 90lbs last spring, I took a hard look at how much I was feeding him, and I realized that the one cup measuring cup I use actually holds a cup and a half if you fill it to the top of the cup instead of to the "one cup" line. An extra cup of food a day (extra half cup at each meal) is 485 extra calories above the suggested feeding amount. So I started measuring carefully, and he is down to 82 lbs. I cut back on treats, too, and only give him grain-free treats like chicken or duck jerky, too.
But Jack rarely acts like he's starving or looks for food. If Murphy seems hungry with less food, you can add green beans or carrots to his meals, or use baby carrots or apple slices as treats to help him lose the weight.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

We had a Labrador who started gaining weight at 2 years old. A quick blood test showed he had a thyroid problem and they put him on Synthroid and he went from 107 back down to his lean 84-47 lbs. He had to stay on it for life but that was no biggie. We lost him to Lymphoma at 11 years old :(