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This blog post was originally published in February 2015. It has been updated with new information and republished in September 2020.

How many times a day do you feed your dog?  Once, twice, three times?  And why?

In this blog post, I share how often I feed my dog and why along with guidelines offered by Dr. Cathy Alinovi, a proponent of raw food for dogs.

When we brought home Rodrigo and Sydney, I didn’t think about how often they needed to eat. I’ve always fed pets in the morning and in the evening. I didn't know that puppies need to eat more often (three to four times a day). And when my dogs grew up, I didn't realize that it was an option to feed them once a day – in fact, that sounded cruel. But today, I know better. I'm updating this blog post to share what I've learned over the past five years as a raw feeder.

How Many Times a Day to Feed a Raw Fed Puppy

We've had several puppies over the years, and all of them were fed twice daily without any obvious ramifications; however, I've learned that due to a puppy's fast metabolism, they need to eat more often. If we were to bring home a puppy today, I would feed the puppy at least three times daily until they were 10 to 12 weeks of age, making sure that I was balancing their diet daily and not “over time” as I do with our adult dogs.

Keep in mind that this is for medium to large dogs. Giant breed puppies may have different criteria.

How Many Times a Day to Feed an Adult Raw Fed Dog

We're currently raising four adult dogs, and they eat twice daily within a 8-hour period: 9 am and 5 pm. They get treats, but not a ton, and their treats are primarily single-ingredient protein treats with a few exceptions. Once a week, I fast our dogs; it's a modified fast that looks like:

  • my dogs have raw goat's milk or kefir instead of their regular raw meal for the day
  • my dogs have bone broth instead of their regular raw meal for the day
  • my dogs eat one large meal at the end of the fasting day

I have alternated between a modified fast (with raw goat's milk, kefir, or bone broth) to avoid hunger pukes and a full fast once weekly, when I feed the dogs at 2 pm, allowing for a 21-hour fast. Digesting food takes a lot of energy, and feeding light meals or fasting gives the gut a break and allows a dog's system to focus on detox and healing.

The choice to fast a dog is a personal choice. While my dogs have benefited from fasting (healthy weight, stronger immune system, healthy gut), I understand that fasting isn't for everyone. So if you're not fasting your dog and don't yet feel comfortable doing so, please don't feel pressured to do this with your dog.

What the Veterinarian Says

I contacted Dr. Cathy Alinovi, DVM of Healthy Pawsibilities, to get her thoughts on this question. Dr. Alinovi was kind enough to get us started on a raw diet and consulted with us when we were lost. According to Dr. Alinovi, how often we feed our dogs depends on our dog's age and lifestyle.

Puppy and Toy Breeds (feed 2 – 3 times a day)

A young puppy or toy breed can be fragile and doesn’t do well without being fed a few times a day. Puppies especially are known for being hypoglycemic, as they don't usually have a lot of fat reserves. Therefore, it's good to feed them two or three times a day.

Adult Dogs

Once the dogs are older, it's really a matter of convenience. Certainly, dogs in the wild would eat when they could get food. Some days that might be once a day if they were lucky. Most dogs can stand it. The choice of feeding an adult dog once, twice, or three times a day is largely driven by lifestyle and the dog’s health.

Benefits of Feeding Once Daily

If you’re raising a healthy dog, then feeding once a day will allow you to control when they go poop; it’s easier to develop a system. If your dog has access to an outside yard or you have a flexible work schedule (or work from home), feeding twice daily may make more sense.

If you’re raising a dog with any health issues, I’d recommend seeking the counsel of a veterinarian whom you trust.

Learn More About Fasting Dogs

How many times a day do you feed your dog?  Once, twice, three times?  And why?

In this blog post, I share how often I feed my dog and why along with guidelines offered by Dr. Cathy Alinovi, a proponent of raw food for dogs.

Read More About Raw Feeding for Dogs

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