Why Does She Eat In Am And Not In The Pm?

[Patclara]

Anna always enjoyed her meals til about 6 months ago. She barely eats her breakfast, but is always anxious for her afternoon meal. No matter what I add or don't add, she eats in the pm only. I have to put her breakfast with the afternoon meal, cause she cannot afford to eat one meal. She is 12 now and I don't know if her age makes a differrence or not.

Anyone else have a Greyhound who eats only once a day and you don't know the reason or you have found the reason. I don't have a clue.

Thanks

[greysmom]

I don't think there's much of a reason beyond aging. Nearly all of my dogs have self-selected a single meal once they reach a certain age. Either they're not hungry, or a bit queasy in the mornings, or just don't need as much food.

 

If she needs more food than you feel comfortable giving her in one sitting, perhaps break it up into a dinnertime meal and a right-before-bed meal. Or try feeding her at lunch time and dinnertime. If one meal is all she will eat, try upping the calorie content with puppy kibble/canned food, or a higher quality food.

[Busderpuddle]

Ruby is like this also but I never know if she will eat breakfast or dinner, or neither. I tend to fuss and worry over it all the time and have tried all kinds of mix ins to make her meals more appealing, but it no longer works. She is only 7.

This weekend I had a major breakthrough with myself.........I am going to let her eat when she wants. If she's not hungry I am going to not fret and let her wait until the next meal. She is on the thin side but basically healthy.

Good luck, I know it is frustrating.

[DocsDoctor]

I do think their digestions change with age, and it is worth a bit of experimentation to accommodate this. Doc was always a bit 'meh' about breakfast, but ready to eat by lunchtime. So for years his regime was a small lunch in the middle of the day, and a large dinner around 6 p.m. But now he is 13 he prefers equally-sized portions at those two meals, and may not always finish his dinner - in which case I keep the leftovers, and offer them to him for breakfast - when they will get gobbled up! That is fine by me, on the principal that more, smaller meals add interest to his life and seem easier for him to digest. So it might be worth experimenting a bit with portions/timings for your girl too.

[FiveRoooooers]

I don't think there's much of a reason beyond aging. Nearly all of my dogs have self-selected a single meal once they reach a certain age. Either they're not hungry, or a bit queasy in the mornings, or just don't need as much food.

 

If she needs more food than you feel comfortable giving her in one sitting, perhaps break it up into a dinnertime meal and a right-before-bed meal. Or try feeding her at lunch time and dinnertime. If one meal is all she will eat, try upping the calorie content with puppy kibble/canned food, or a higher quality food.

This. And, as she is aging is Anna sleeping later in the morning? Like some people, she may not want her breakfast first thing in the morning after she gets up. I'd try to feed Anna as close to her normal amount of food as you can, just spread it out over several meals/snacks during the day, if that's possible given your schedule.

[Guest normaandburrell]

At our track, I know they only feed the dogs once a day. So I wonder if as they age they revert to what they originally were used to.

[Hubcitypam]

I've had/known lots of dogs that weren't crazy about breakfast. The neighbors 3 year old Boxer will eat anything in sight after around 11 a.m. but won't eat in the early a.m. He's an only dog so they just leave his food down for a few hours. As suggested maybe try more for lunch and dinner if possible.

[nessa]

yes yes and yes. My Shana at 14 is sleeping later and eating later and not eating as much. I think about it all day and it feels like I spend a lot of thought on what to get her to eat. I hope it is what the others have said, age, not as active, not as hungry. I do try to give her treats or small amounts of food throughout the day ( she does not want to start until 10-11:00am). I find she is a new fan to canned wet food ( the smallest of cans because what she likes today she does not like tomorrow??!!). How are her teeth and her mouth? I do not think I can get enough calories in with just one meal at the end of the day??!!

[Guest chickenpotpie]

I honestly don't know the answer, because when Lucky started not eating in the morning, I had gotten all kinds of tests to see what was wrong. Lucky just turned 5 but she's been this way since about 6 months after I got her (when she was 3!) She hasn't lost weight eating like this and she's pretty active and also, she's extremely healthy. Its just her deciding when she wants to eat.

 

Lucky will sleep until 9am (heck longer if you let her!) I'm at my desk at 9 so I try to feed her before then but it doesn't always work that way. Thankfully I work at home so I have more leeway than most. She doesn't like a full meal too early, so I've broken it down into 'snack size'. A breakfast snack (which is just a small breakfast really), then a lunch snack, then she has a regular sized dinner. Before bed she gets a couple of cookies because otherwise, yellow bile in the a.m. All told, 3 cups of food plus a couple of snacks.

 

At 12, maybe your pup is getting a bit picky and only likes what she likes? If she checks out fine at the vet, maybe a change of food (or maybe a change in add-in's if you use them?)

[XTRAWLD]

Kasey (nearly 12) has started this behaviour more often lately. Won't eat much, if at all for brekkie, but gobbles everything at dinner.....no wonder fool, you didn't eat all day! While this has happened before (he's really not big on eating altogether) what I find breaks the spell - is to walk him. He will eat brekkie after he does a full elimination, and a bit of a walk. Sometimes he'll pick at brekkie, and then we go for a walk, and he's right back at his food dish to continue to eat some more. It's like he knows he can now refill or something. Try that?

[nessa]

Kasey (nearly 12) has started this behaviour more often lately. Won't eat much, if at all for brekkie, but gobbles everything at dinner.....no wonder fool, you didn't eat all day! While this has happened before (he's really not big on eating altogether) what I find breaks the spell - is to walk him. He will eat brekkie after he does a full elimination, and a bit of a walk. Sometimes he'll pick at brekkie, and then we go for a walk, and he's right back at his food dish to continue to eat some more. It's like he knows he can now refill or something. Try that?

totally agree. this weather makes that hard to do, but that has been very helpful here as well.

[Patclara]

Lots of interesting replies. At least i know that this is not so uncommon.I do fret and worry about getting enuf calories in her, because she has lost a few lbs. in the last year or so. The Vet agrees that she is basically healthy for her age, even if she has lost a bit. Basically her sole physical change is in her back, even tho she does run every now and again. I stand in the yard and cover my eyes up since I don't want to see her to fall or trip. Not that hiding my eyes will keep her from falling! Guess I will try and feed her at noon and late afternoon (closer to evening). Perhaps since she is less active she prefers less food, but I still have to try and keep up her weight.Thanks for the info every body.

[Hubcitypam]

With my underweight dog that was pawned off on me some broth (beef or chicken - low sodium is fine) and a few teaspoons of canned mixed in made an amazing difference from picky eating to cleaning his bowl.

[winnie]

None of our four pack are big breakfast eaters. They all line up and demand dinner each night though. So, we give them only a small amount of kibble in the morning and save the rest for a big meal at dinner.