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Old April 30th, 2007, 05:08 PM
barkley21 barkley21 is offline
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Feeding Once/Day vs Twice/Day...What Do You Do?

Hello fellow raw feeders.

I've been toying with the idea of switching our pup's feeding from twice a day to once a day and I was just wondering what the other raw feeders here did in that regard?

Basically, the reason I'm thinking of switching to one meal/day is because lately I've noticed that Barkley's getting a bit of discolouration/plaque build up on his molars as well as his canines. During some research and questions on the yahoo raw feeding group, I have come to learn that this is a result of Barkley's meals not being "complicated" or "challenging" enough. For the bone content of his meals we are using primarily chicken (bone-in breasts, drumsticks, chicken quarters) as well as turkey necks and pork riblets. We stay away from beef bones and any wreck bones. I learned that I should be feeding big rmbs to give his teeth a good workout and cleaning and the stuff we've been giving him is just not cutting it. He needs big meaty pieces with some bone inside and this will force him to rip the meat from the bone and work through the sinew attached to the bone and apparently this is how they get a really good teeth cleaning and flossing. Since he is not a giant breed or anything (he is a golden retriever), I'm feeding him approx 1.5 lbs per day which means it is difficult to give him a challenging rmb if it is divided into two meals. Yesterday I went out and bought a nice pork shoulder roast which was the size of a whole day's food for Barkley (maybe even a bit more). I can't exactly cut it in half and feed it in two separate meals because it has bones in it and I don't want to cut the bones so as to avoid creating any jagged, sharp pieces. So, to make a long story short, through my research on this, I learned that many prey model raw feeders feed a big rmb only once a day. A lot of them even feed gorge meals and then fast the dog for a day or two afterwards. Apparently this mimics how a wolf would eat in the wild and it has the added benefit of giving the dog a chance to actually feel really full as opposed to just getting by from breakfast to dinner. I don't think I would feed gorge meals and then fast for a day or two, but I could get on board with the one meal a day if it will help his teeth.

The other alternative is that I go back to brushing his teeth myself.

Any thoughts on this?
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Old April 30th, 2007, 06:15 PM
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Scott_B Scott_B is offline
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Feeding kibble, i would have kept him on twice a day.

The whole reason i went to once aday was for the very reasons you speak of. I found divinding two pounds down to one pound, it left his meals too small. So now i feed once a day, & larger meals. Much better!

As for the gorge/fast thing, I'm not quite there yet. I feed 1.5 - 2.5lbs a day. Some meals like half a duck, id rather not cut into 1/4s, so i leave it at halfs. It works for me & Rosco.
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

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Old April 30th, 2007, 06:20 PM
barkley21 barkley21 is offline
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Interesting...thanks Scott. I had no idea you fed once a day. For some reason I thought you fed two meals per day.
Have you always fed Rosco once a day since he's been on raw or did you start out with twice per day and gradually decrease one of the meals until you were feeding just the one?
Should I expect loose poops as a probability since he is digesting a larger portion all at once?
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Old April 30th, 2007, 06:36 PM
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technodoll technodoll is offline
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some days the beanies get two meals per day, sometimes only one. sometimes they snack on pork ribs (roast attached), sometimes not. it's never the same here... you can feed barkley a huge chicken, and take it away after he's eaten his fill or an amount you deem appropriate, and keep the rest in the fridge for later... big workout there ;-)

as for the poop, it really depends on the dog, and what is eaten. again... experiment!
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Old April 30th, 2007, 06:43 PM
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I've been feeeding once a day for maybe two months now. I switched him just before he turned a year old.

As for the poo issue. Kinda a know your dog. You can work up to the single meal. Just keep making one meal smaller and increase the size of the next. Rosco never had any issues though. And like Techno, i feed any time throughout the day. If i feed something thats gonna go quick, I may feed in the AM or on my lunch break with him. If its gonna take longer, i may feed at night. Keeps him guessing since he never knows when I'm gonna feed him, so hes not stressed if hes not feed in the AM or at lunch.
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense.

-J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938
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Old April 30th, 2007, 06:58 PM
barkley21 barkley21 is offline
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Scott and Techno, how are your dog's teeth as a result? Do you notice a difference in how clean they are when fed single large/complicated meals as opposed to small simpler ones? Do either of you still brush your dog's teeth or is the diet doing a great job on its own?
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Old May 1st, 2007, 06:01 AM
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Scott_B Scott_B is offline
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Well, Roscos been on raw for geeze, 9 months now? So his teeth have always been white & clean. I just hated splitting that 2lbs down to a 1lb meal. Took him no time to eat it. wasnt nearly as complicated for him to eat. So the 1 meal a day to me is better.

As for brushing his teeth. I've never brushed Roscos.
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Please please please give Maggie the steak! Its not too big for her little mouth!

Their impression of power is remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense reserves of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet, good sense.

-J. Wentworth Day, from The Dog in Sport, 1938
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Old May 1st, 2007, 12:16 PM
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Lissa Lissa is offline
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Dodger's been fed once a day for almost 2 years now, which is how long he's been on the raw diet (I was suprised it had been so long)!!!!
There is never a set time although he is most often fed between 3-10pm.... Somedays he'll get an RMB in the morning or if he has agility/flyball I will feed part of his meal in the AM.

Dodger is also fasted quite often so he's not really equipped for numerous feedings a day.
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Old May 1st, 2007, 01:12 PM
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teeth are fine here, but i do brush them once or twice a month since the kids are force-fed their mush meals once per day (it's a long story ). sometimes they will munch on leftover bones for fun, mostly pork ribs or neck, sometimes turkey or chicken. so they never get to have long, leisurly raw meals of crunching, tearing, etc - they just don't like the meat, and they get too bored. they'd rather starve
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