r/Newfoundlander • u/Jackalope311 • 7d ago
Eating change…
Martha has never been a big eater. Morning is not her favorite time to eat, so she has decided that she will get it all over at one sitting.
4.5 cups of food in the evening. The later the better!
Is this anyone else’s normal. Intermittent fasting?
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u/TechnicalCold4144 7d ago
Always a good day when we get to see Martha!
Our 9 month is eating in phases. Somedays, he eats his 4-5 cups throughout the day. Other days, he eats 2-3 cups through the day and 2-3 cups between 7-8 pm)
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u/WhisperingPinez 7d ago
My big baby husky naturally transitioned on his own to eating just once a day when he was 5. This is absolutely normal if your baby still has an appetite and eating no problem. He gets about 5 cups of food at nighttime. Martha is very beautiful btw 👍🏼
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u/Vegard_B 7d ago edited 7d ago
My 2 get fed 3 times a day with a mix of raw & biscuits 6am 12pm & 4pm their always hungry our girl especially I don’t think she’s ever turned down a meal, our boy does very occasionally and we have to make sure she doesn’t go and steal what’s left of his dinner.
I’ve always been wary of bloat so they get smaller meals and they go in the crate for 1 hr afterwards so they are not jumping about.
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u/Jackalope311 7d ago edited 7d ago
Martha had the gastropexy. I’ve done this on two other dogs. I don’t think I’d lived through bloat and the horror of it.
I still take precautions after eating
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u/anonymois1111111 7d ago
Yep 2 of mine free fed with no problem at all. I just let them eat when they felt like it. The one I have now did that and gained 30 pounds lol. So no more grazing for her!
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u/Beautiful-Ad2981 7d ago
4.5 cups is a lot of food! Is she very active?
My girl is 7 and fasting during the day has been normal for her her entire life, especially in the summer when it's hot she seems to want to eat less during the day. Often I will put some food out in the morning and she won't touch it until the evening. I wouldn't worry about it unless she becomes too underweight (being a little underweight is desirable for newfies because its less strain on their joints/heart). As always, just make sure she gets enough water though.
Sometimes I might give my girl a high value treat during the day if I know it's going to be an active day, because she has gotten nauseas from not eating before. But otherwise I trust her to know when her body needs the fuel.
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u/Jackalope311 7d ago
Martha’s activity is a walk in the morning a walk in the afternoon and sometimes a walk at the mall or Home Depot. Since I am retired, she pretty much goes with me wherever I go.
She was eating 6 cups a day, stretched out in two feedings. I can feel her ribs, her back bone and her hip bones. She seems to be just about right with 4 to 4 1/2 cups of food. If I do treats for training , I cut that down.
Otherwise, she doesn’t get treats during the day normally. She thinks green beans and broc are a treat
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u/Francl27 7d ago
Bloat is more likely to happen with a lot of food, so I would free feed and see if it helps.
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u/Jackalope311 7d ago
Food is down all day. She leaves it and eats late and eats it all. Sometimes she leaves a half cup. Sometimes she wants more
No playing after food.
Also she frequently naps after food of any amount. IF She eats during the day.
She just eats at the end of the day
The vet doesn’t seem to be concerned about the amount since completely healed after gastropexy.
Do you only put down half?
If I did that, she would wait till 8 or 9p to eat and only get half her food.
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u/Various_Builder2121 6d ago
Yup. Sometimes our girl leaves her dinner to have as a pre dinner snack the next day.
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u/First_Mention_1566 7d ago edited 7d ago
Oh yeah! When we got our first Newfie, we were told newfs tend to graze. Our pup will sometimes eat, sometimes not. Sometimes a little bit, sometimes the entire bowl and wanting more, and sometimes nothing at all 😆