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Originally Posted by happygolucky Wow, you guys are lucky! I can't free feed Happy. She just doesn't know when to stop eating. Last night I accidentally left the 5 mos old yorkies (puppy sitting) food out and instead of moving Happy away I turned to get my son a glass of milk. By the time I looked she had eaten almost half their food and started vomitting. I hate having to put a puppy on a diet/restriction of food but she just doesn't know when enough is enough. I hope with time she gets better and I can free feed her too!  |
I can fully understand how you feel. Mine is the same too and there's no way to free feed him. I feed mine twice a day (one in the morning and one in the evening, and snacks in the afternoon). My vet is strongly against free feeding. When I first got my puppy, that was his 1st warning-don't free feed. Each dog is different and you understand your dog the best. If you over feed Happy by free feeding, it is actually a harm. So you're doing the right thing and I don't think it is cruel to feed them twice a day as long as they're healthy and getting the right amount of food.
In regards to when you should feed the dog once per day, the best is ask your vet and also observe your dog. I feel it is not so much of how often they eat per day but how much they should eat per day.
Based on my understanding, those people who free feed their dogs do not just leave any amount in their bowls. They measure the quantity they need per day and leave it out in the bowl. For e.g. if a dog needs 1 cup of food per day, they measure 1 cup and leave it out.
If you want to feed your dog once a day, just put the 1 cup in his bowl and see if he can finish it, if he can, that means he is ready to be fed once per day. If he can't, that means it is better to feed him twice or 3 times a day. I notice if you feed too much at one time, the dog tends to have a big tummy.