Do Greyhounds Eat Less As They Get Older?

[fsugrad]

Toby is now 8 1/2 yrs old and Robin is 7 1/2. We have always divided their daily kibble allotment up into 3 meals....breakfast around 6:30 a.m., "lunch" around 3:00 p.m., and dinner around 7:00 p.m.

They have always eagerly inhaled their food.

 

For the last couple of weeks, I have noticed that they're just not into eating their lunch meal anymore. They will sniff it and walk away from it and it will actually sit there, untouched. So I pick up the bowls until it's time for dinner, and then I feed them , which they eat right away with gusto and clean their bowls. I should mention that at dinner I always mix in a couple of spoonfuls of canned food.

 

My husband says since they're getting older and less active it might just be that they don't need to eat as much kibble as they used to. Neither of them is sick, we haven't changed their food, and they are both doing this routine of turning up their snouts at their mid-afternoon meal.

 

Do you think I should just skip the mid afternoon meal and feed them only at morning and in the evening?

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Yes. I do not think three times is needed.

[TheFullHouse]

Mine usually cut down on the amount they eat but usually around the age of 10 or so. How much are you feeding them daily? You could try separating their total intake to just two meals a day and not reduce the amount they are getting and see if that works.

[FiveRoooooers]

Rita, my campers have definitely cut back on the amount of kibble they consume. I got tired of throwing it out. Now, if they clean up their meals right away I'll give them another 1/4 c. of just kibble, no extras. Sometimes they eat that, sometimes they don't. My youngest just turned 12.

[IndyandHollyluv]

This post makes me smile. All of my (angel) hounds were fed three times per day (at approx 7am, 1pm, 7pm) until the day they died and they licked their bowls clean at each and every meal. No leftovers or crumbs EVER! Age of death: almost 11, 12+, just shy of 13, and 13-1/2.

 

I didn't plan to feed three times per day but, years ago, my first hound was on antibiotics 3x/day so that's how we ended up on the 3x/day meal plan.

 

Honestly, my hounds were serious Hoover vacuum cleaners when it came to food.

 

So I guess it depends on the dog and its level of (in)activity??

 

I now have an almost 13 year girl on a kidney diet and she also eats three times per day. She was a picky eater before I adopted her; but overall, she still likes her food!

Edited August 15, 2012 by IndyandHollyluv

[Guest bernadette]

Vinnie, since we have had him (more than five years) has always had one meal in the morning, one in the evening. Every now and then over the years, he would go down to once a day- maybe weather related (too hot), sometimes stress (my fiance leaving for work for a few days). For the last couple of months though (Vinnie is now nine), he has gone down to one meal a day most days. His morning meal will sit until he is ready to eat. He is dealing with stenosis issues, this may play a part. He is holding his weight, so we're not too concerned and he still is very enthusiastic about his after work treat and the occasional scrambled egg.

[fsugrad]

Thanks everyone. The reason we were dividing up their kibble among 3 feedings is because Toby would inhale his food so fast, he'd puke it right up, so someone had suggested frequent, smaller meals.

 

They are eating a little under 4 cups of kibble a day each.

I think I'm going to try what Judy said and divide the regular amt into 2 feedings (am and pm) and see how they do.

[DonnaBehr]

Unless you have really large greyhounds, 1-1/2 cups at each meal should be sufficient.

[FiveRoooooers]

Thanks everyone. The reason we were dividing up their kibble among 3 feedings is because Toby would inhale his food so fast, he'd puke it right up, so someone had suggested frequent, smaller meals.

 

They are eating a little under 4 cups of kibble a day each.

I think I'm going to try what Judy said and divide the regular amt into 2 feedings (am and pm) and see how they do.

With a meal-inhaling pup, you can try putting a large rock or two in his feed bowl. He'll have to push them around to find his kibble. Worked with my horses every time

[GeorgeofNE]

Thanks everyone. The reason we were dividing up their kibble among 3 feedings is because Toby would inhale his food so fast, he'd puke it right up, so someone had suggested frequent, smaller meals.

 

They are eating a little under 4 cups of kibble a day each.

I think I'm going to try what Judy said and divide the regular amt into 2 feedings (am and pm) and see how they do.

 

"Under 4 cups" is twice as much as George eats! He gets a cup in the AM and a cup in the PM. Granted, he's a smaller fellow at 67 pounds.

 

My former dog ate 5 cups when was young and tapered down to two cups when he was an old fella. I don't think eating less as they get older is exclusive to greyhounds. I think it's pretty typical.

[fsugrad]

Toby and Robin are small ponies.

Look how much bigger Robin is than a bunch of average size greyhounds at our greyhound group gathering. And Toby's almost as big as Robin is.

[winnie]

Our oldest, Darcy, absolutely LOVES to eat. We've had her since she was around 6 y/o. She is 11.5 y/o and always licks her bowl clean. She'll even growl when she is eating to let her sisters know not to mess with her kibble. So, we haven't experienced this. We feed our pack 2x per day. The morning is about 1.5 cups of dry kibble left out all day. Sometimes they eat it - sometimes not - but this has always been the case. We give another 1.5 cups of kibble at night with water and something extra added (fresh chicken, canned food, etc.) Dinner always gets eaten.