# How many meals does a 5 month old pup need a day?



## tinypoodleand2cats (Mar 14, 2009)

We feed our almost 5 month old pup 3 meals a day. He seems most interested in about 2 of the meals and will leave about a bowl's worth collectively during the day. He doesn't eat much (he's 7 pounds and each meal is about 1/4 cup kibble with a sprinkle of boiled chicken). 

I am wondering if I can remove one meal, the afternoon one, and feed him only 2 meals at 7 am and 4pm. Maybe this way, he will be more motivated to actually eat all his food when the food is down...

*Do you think he is still too young for such a move??? At what age can you start feeding a dog 2 meals a day?*

Also, even though he doesn't seem too interested in his food, he seems very hungry for whatever we are eating. Is that a sign of hunger (that he is not getting enough food during the day) or just normal dog behavior?

Thanks in advance for your help!


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## Westhighlander (Sep 28, 2007)

tinypoodleand2cats said:


> We feed our almost 5 month old pup 3 meals a day. He seems most interested in about 2 of the meals and will leave about a bowl's worth collectively during the day. He doesn't eat much (he's 7 pounds and each meal is about 1/4 cup kibble with a sprinkle of boiled chicken).
> 
> I am wondering if I can remove one meal, the afternoon one, and feed him only 2 meals at 7 am and 4pm. Maybe this way, he will be more motivated to actually eat all his food when the food is down...
> 
> ...


What kind of dog is he? What do you feed him? Do you ever give him your food? Some dogs just like to scavenger all day.


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## tinypoodleand2cats (Mar 14, 2009)

Oh, our pup is a toy poodle, almost 5 months old now. He is about 7 pounds. He likes people food and we've had a lot of issue with his kibble. He won't eat his kibble straight. He can go all day without touching his bowl if it's just kibble. He will eat it though if there is a little bit of chicken crumbled into it -- just a pintch makes all the difference. We are feeding him Royal Canin for little puppies now. We try not to give him our food and have him sit and stay while we are having dinner but we do boil chicken for him every few days to add to his food to "rev" him up to eat. 

I think he is still too young to be only eating 2 meals but I am wondering when the normal time to switch dogs to two meals is... 6 months, a year. I just noticed that he seems not too interested in his lunch so wondered if I should take this away entirely one of these days.

Thanks for your help!


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## iSaidNoSprinkles (Apr 4, 2009)

I think your best bet would be to ask your vet and see what they say.


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## StardustInVegas (Apr 11, 2009)

That's true, I would ask your vet. Many people follow what's stated on the bag. If it says that the dog gets 1 cup daily. You can spread it out between 3 meals. That's up to you. I've been feeding my pup (6 months now), two meals a day twice daily for two months. She does need some encouragement to eat the kibble (I feed her Caindae). I suspect that she doesn't get that hungry because she chews on bully sticks (which is like GUM to us, if you chew it long enough, you don't get hungry), and gets treats every time she goes out due to Potty Training. Other times, she'll wolf down the food. I'm not sure why she does this weird behavior when she eats...she seem to be afraid of the bowl (and I've replaced it twice!!). 

So, if I were you, I would ask the vet, but if you're doing the training at the same time and giving treats, you may see a decrease in food intake.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

I think that toy breeds need to be fed more frequently because of blood sugar levels getting dangerously low. I have the big guys - Standards, and they're fed twice a day, with two snacks, and a mini snack right before bedtime (my male will vomit bile if he doesn't have something before bed), which is usually a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt, or low fat cottage cheese. My Shih Tzu has 3 meals, plus snacks (all of which are figured into their daily diet/caloric needs). 

I wouldn't worry about the kibble - mine prefer it with something added, too, and I can't blame them! LOL Doesn't have to be much, but something! I poach ground meats (sirloin, bison, lamb) and chicken breasts to add to their kibble for one meal daily. Snacks are hard boiled eggs, or maybe sardines in olive oil, that sort of thing.


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## Westhighlander (Sep 28, 2007)

Normally I would suggest the 15 minute down pick up rule and some tough love for picky dogs but since your dog is young and a small breed it is important he eats. How is his weight does he excercise much? 

He could be just eating all that he needs. I would keep the treats down to a minimal for training only and skip all table scraps. I would continue with the 3 meals a day until he hits close to adult weight. Once he gets older, I would go the tough love route.


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## aokisweet (Apr 17, 2009)

Westhighlander said:


> Normally I would suggest the 15 minute down pick up rule and some tough love for picky dogs but since your dog is young and a small breed it is important he eats. How is his weight does he excercise much?
> 
> He could be just eating all that he needs. I would keep the treats down to a minimal for training only and skip all table scraps. I would continue with the 3 meals a day until he hits close to adult weight. Once he gets older, I would go the tough love route.


I agree on this. Although I have 2 dogs one is 6 lbs the other 8. They eat to meals a day. I put their food out in the AM - and they do eat well in the morning, I leave out and assist sometimes for about 15-20 minutes and them I pull it up. PM - I leave down for about an 30-30 - 45 minutes. 


I asked the vet about this, he told me their weight was great and they were healthy and he seen no reason to feed three times unless they needed it.


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## emily445455 (Apr 8, 2008)

I feed my 4 month old puppy twice a day. But she gets treats, peanut butter, and people food throughout the day.


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## FourIsCompany (Apr 18, 2009)

By the time my puppies were 4 months old, they ate 2 times a day. If I were in your situation, I think I'd remove the mid-day meal. 

I would bet that him wanting your food is just because it smells good and isn't a sign of true hunger.


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## semper83 (May 6, 2009)

I think an almost five month puppy should be fine with twice a day feedings. Since he's been ignoring his midday meal he's kinda telling you he doesn't need it. As long as he is at a healthy weight I wouldn't worry about it. 

As for my 5 month old (20 lbs) he's on twice a day, and also not too interesting in the kibble. I've been doing the "tough love" route and he does evenutally eat when he gets hungry. But as others have said you need to be a bit more careful with the toy breeds and their bloodsugar.


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## Snuggles (May 1, 2008)

I feed my just turning Pom two times a day.


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