[rona]

There seems to be a lot of dogs with digestion problems

Do you think it could be linked to the fact that most people feed their dogs several times a day? Not necessarily with "food" but treats, tidbit, chews and stuffed kongs etc.

Is a dogs digestion set up to handle the constant intake of food and the variety that we inflict on them?

 

[Guest]

Good questions.......and I have no idea

 

[pogo]

Good question, i have no idea either i only feed once a day and have never had any belly problems

 

[Kinjilabs]

I think we do overdo the feeding ie titbits etc, not me personaly but my OH is a pain for feeding Bertie titbits,

 

[rona]

It actually shocks me what some people on here give their dogs in one day

Even those with tummy issues, when you ask them what they feed, many only the dog food and when you dig a little they say oh! only a few treats and their stuffed kong with 3 different fillings

I know they aren't wolves or wild dogs but surely their digestive tract is the same and those would normally only eat once a day and generally only one type of food at a time

 

[SixStar]

A valid point, but on the other hand - my dogs are raw fed and they have to eat frequently because raw food digests so quickly, and leaves them with an empty stomach, which makes them bring up bile, otherwise.

They have a small biscuit before their walks in the morning, then breakfast afterwards, a small snack at lunchtime, their dinner in the evenings, and another small biscuit before bed. They might also have a chew in the evenings, and are always left with a stuffed Kong if I'm going to be leaving them for more than a couple of hours (so twice a week maybe).

They also eat a vastly varied diet and they rarely have the same thing two days running - their diet includes beef, chicken, lamb, mutton, duck, turkey, goat, pheasant, venison, pork, rabbit, all kinds of different fish - as well as organs and bones from all these animals. They also eat vegetables, fruits, whole eggs, yoghurt, goats milk and occasional suitable leftover scraps.

Five of my six dogs eat the above diet - and not one of them has any kind of stomach issue or upset. They produce one, small, odourless stool a day and I can't remember the last time one of them came down with a dodgy tum and they're all lovely and lean!

It's all down to what suits each individual dog!

 

[Gemmaa]

Since I've been feeding the adults once a day, Pip hasn't had any troubles with his stomach.
They do get a few biscuits throughout the day, but not silly amounts.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

I feed mine a small breakfast and a larger evening meal, I found when I got the mals they did better this was maybe being large breeds. They do have a chew or bone some evenings for teeth. Kongs they get about once a week now they are older and thats only to make grooming easier as they couldnt care less what Im doing if they have one. If they are easy to groom and dont fidgit and let me finish without it then they dont get one then.

Not really had tum probs apart from Nanuq now and again and thats only if there is extreme temperatures.

 

[Mum2Heidi]

It's a fine line between not causing upset but providing as much good quality variety as I can to ensure all essential nutrients are covered. Whilst I believe a balanced food does this, I feel a variety of proteins is the best option.

My food cupboard is full of a mix of good quality wets which I rotate and after weaning Heidi onto each one carefully can now chop and change among them problem free. Going by output, she seems better suited to a higher meat content with less veg/fruit/carbs. She is fed twice daily.

Treat wise, she has a large airtight container with a mix of dried tripe, fish skins etc. I like to keep things as natural as poss. These come out when we leave her and occasionally at lunchtime or when the need arises. Def not a regular thing.

She has a chicken wing in the eve twice weekly for teeth and anal glands.

At bedtime she has half a dozen kibbles. Altho she cant tolerate kibble as meals, it works well keeping night time sickies at bay.

In order to incorporate all of this and keep her weight stable, I reduce her RDA slightly.

She's never had a kong but if she did, I would class that as a meal.

Not sure if dogs were made to graze. Probably more likely to glut and starve but I suppose if available their ancestors wouldnt have passed up the chance to graze. Years ago, our dog's missed a meal each week but that doesnt seem to be popular anymore.

Heidi's delicate tum has certainly taught me a lot with a helping hand from a few here to begin with

 

[Sarah1983]

Spencer has problems if he goes too long without food. He gets a small breakfast (rabbit leg, sardine, veggies or something), training treats throughout the day and his main meal around 10pm. Works for us.

 

[catz4m8z]

I think its more the quality of the food and treats then the amount (assuming you arent feeding them tons of extras!). Mine get 2 meals a day (raw) and a bedtime biscuit everyday then a natural chew about once a week and a tiny biscuit when they go back on lead at the end of a walk.
They never have upset stomachs, infact I can tell by their poops if yesterday was a bone day or a muscle meat day!!