[Birdie]

I feed Orijen puppy, and it says that a dog Desmond's size/age should be fed 3 cups a day. That's what I fed him on Blue Buffalo, too, so it was pretty easy when we were transitioning foods. Thing is, he would pick out the Orijen (he really likes it lol) then eat some of the Blue (which he also liked), and would leave a good bit of food left. The Orijen pieces are a lot bigger, and I hear that Orijen is good for putting on weight, so it may be heavier than Blue and fill him up quicker.
We're now on Orijen completely, and he still leaves food in the bowl, doesn't eat it all at once like he did with Blue. Should I feed him less? He never comes back to it until next meal time, and then still leaves some food. :\

OR, what I was wondering about, was when/if to switch him to 2 meals a day, instead of 3? I know that feeding meals more dispersed in smaller amounts will help prevent likelihood of bloat (or so I've heard?). He's only 8 months, so I may be getting ahead of myself but I'd like to know for future reference if anything.

 

[Olie]

Two of my 3 dogs eat less than it calls for. I now have them eating twice a day versus three and I get them to eat much better now. My dogs are all at great weight. They are all on BB. It would depend on the dog. As long as there are no other health issues or risk factors feeding twice a day is pretty common.

 

[Mandycasey'smom]

Casey can not eat the amount on most food bags or he gets the runs.
mandy at 32lbs eats the same as Casey 55lbs for the most part but about every other day she skips a meal
They are both fed one cup in morning and one at night. Casey is definatly not skinny or loosing weight. Mandy is not gaining and is super skinny LOL

 

[Fluffyspoos]

I asked the vet what amount I should be feeding my dog, they gave me a cup and said one in the morning, one in the evening. ^^b

 

[KPoos]

Harry gets one cup in the morning and one in the evening. He's on the lower end of the weight for his size so that works out well for him and even then he won't finish a meal sometimes.

 

[Fluffyspoos]

Harry gets one cup in the morning and one in the evening. He's on the lower end of the weight for his size so that works out well for him and even then he won't finish a meal sometimes.

Man I wish it worked like that here.. my dog's been on a specific diet like this for months now, on a high grade diet, she won't finish her food sometimes too, and she still looks like a sausage. =/ Maybe it's her breed *shrug*

 

[AgilityIG]

You have to remember that dog food companies are there to make money. The more your dog eats, the more food they sell. :biggrin: We have found that most dogs do not need to eat the amount listed on the bag.

Judge by how your dog looks - if they are getting a little large/soft, cut back on the food and vice versa. You can usually find a nice middle ground.

 

[Birdie]

Oh alright guys!! Thanks, I was worried I wouldn't be feeding him enough, but it seems like 2 cups or so a day would be about right for him. I just put his breakfast down and he has absolutely NO interest in it. :\ (oh but the cat did, lol. She won't leave it alone!! Both of my cats seem to love the Orijen haha) He had a really heavy dinner last night cause he had to miss lunch, so he got about 1.5 cups at once so that may have thrown him off. Oops!!

So, do you think I should just go ahead and move to 2 meals a day and see how it goes for him? I've always been told to feed puppies 3 times a day, but I don't know how long they are considered "puppies" in that sense.

 

[Spencer]

The leaving of the food? It doesn't go like that at our house. Wish it did!

Everyone happily eats their entire meal, and would happily eat more if provided. (Well, TheQueen is a terrier mix, and would eat herself dead if she could, but she would die happy!)

We fed ProblemChild just twice a day when he was a puppy, because TheFiance and I were 21/20 (respectively) at the time, and didn't know any better. The vet never told us any different, either. He is fine now, and is probably the most polite eater we have. (He also HATES human food, interestingly enough.)

 

[desertreef]

At 8 months old Desmond can go to 2 meals a day... if you want to but I like the idea of 3 smaller meals if you can work it out in your schedule.
Origens is a fantastic food, richer and more nutritionally sound for him so he shouldn't 'need' to eat a lot. You are really doing good by him, by the way!

Question about your cat... is he not also getting Origen's? Or at least a grain free food? Cat's more than dogs, need a diet without grains. That might be why he loves the dogs food.

My daughter and I have a natural pet food store, so I really care about pet nutrition. Another great 'grain free' food, (out of Canada) is Horizon. Instead of potato they use pea flour. If you ever come across it, give it also a try someday. I bet Desmond would love it!)

 

[KPoos]

Man I wish it worked like that here.. my dog's been on a specific diet like this for months now, on a high grade diet, she won't finish her food sometimes too, and she still looks like a sausage. =/ Maybe it's her breed *shrug*

And he's NEUTERED too! I just don't think he's got the genetics to be fat but I might be eating my words when he's older.

 

[Birdie]

Desertreef, yeah I like the idea of 3 meals better too but he just doesn't seem to eat it. Even now, he still hasn't touched his breakfast and hasn't acted hungry all morning (don't worry he's still active and healthy, just not hungry I guess). I guess he'll just eat it for lunch then. *shrug*

I WISH the cats were on Orijen!! I tried to get my dad to put his two cats on Wellness, but he kept saying "They won't touch it! They don't like the Wellness!" So, he went back to feeding Meow Mix. :doh: I'm going to try and get them back on track onto something better than that at LEAST. He also feeds Fancy Feast wet food twice a day, which is alright but I don't like Fancy Feast. I'm gonna try and see if he can buy a better quality canned food instead, since that's where the cats get most of their meals. But since I don't pay for their food, it's ultimately not my decision. :\

I've gotten my other cat on Wellness at my mom's house (the Orijen cat food is way too expensive for my mom, and the cat likes Wellness just fine). She's really overweight but eats healthy amounts, is losing weight and looking a lot healthier since we switched her! Mom didn't believe me when I said that getting her on a better food will make her healthier, but it shows!! So we're happy.

 

[desertreef]

That's great she will eat the Wellness... a decent and less expensive dry (canned is better for cats, differently than dogs) is Taste Of The Wild. It's our 'best selling' cat food right now.
It's so nice to have choices out there... cats are so picky!
I'll hold my tongue about Fancy Fiest and Meow Mix. LOL!

 

[Birdie]

LOL Yeah we've tried to feed the fat kitty wet food. She's a snob, turns her nose up at it every time! She won't eat anything other than dry cat food, chocolate, salt off of chips, and butter. Don't worry we don't actually feed her that stuff, she just always wants to get at it if we're eating it! xD

I think we might have TOTW around here. I'll look for it and see if my dad will switch to it.