Hi everyone

I am new to the forum and I would like some help/advice if possible. I have a male whippet "Teddy" who is a year old. I am wondering how many times a day he should be fed
Everywhere I look for advice it is saying twice which is fine and I am obviously happy to do. However he has no interest in eating his breakfast at all. I am unsure whether to just feed him once (in the evening) but don't want to do this until I am sure it's the right the to do.
On the day he goes out on his group walk with his friends he comes in at lunchtime and gobbles down his food (which should have been his breakfast) and then he the still wants his tea. Other than that he isn't interested other than his evening meal.
It therefore seems to me he isn't interested in breakfast as he hasn't exerted himself between evening meal and brekkie to feel hungry.
I wonder what you guys think. I am going to ask my vet but I just felt I would get get some invaluable advice here.
Many thanks in advance
Teddysmum

Whatever works for you and the dog really but ideally all hounds should be fed twice a day, 12 hours apart. That way they are eating less at one sitting so less likely to bloat. If he won't eat twice a day then feed him once but you may find he starts to bring up a little bile when his stomach is empty, would he take a biscuit or some meat only at breakfast?

As already been stated, it is far kinder on the stomach to be feed twice a day. I have only in the last month or so cut my 24 month olds from 3 to 2 meals a day. 2 of my older ones have a small breakfast at 7am then 2 main meals at roughly 12 & 5, other adults have the 12 & 5 times.
I always advise my puppy buyers to feed twice a day as adults.

>2 main meals at roughly 12 & 5

Gosh wouldn't they eat one main meal in the morning? Those are so close together it's almost not worth having two meals ;-)

Mine are fed at midnight and midday, the times aren't exact as it really depends what we're doing that day. If I'm going out for the whole day with them I feed them before I go out, could be 9am, as long as there is an hour before any running. If we're only out for a few hours they eat when we get back, latest would be 4pm and by then they're really starving (or so they say!).

It is only rough time it can be any time between 11 & 6 depending on what we're doing. We certainly wouldnt be feeding at midnight, as we are both in bed then!!! NO I wouldnt feed in one meal, for reasons I have already said!!!

Both my two, my main one a breed (hound) prone to GDV (Bloat) are fed two meals a day, splitting the daily amount into two - they have breakfast around 7 am, and the second meal no later than 5 pm to allow it to be at least partially digested before bedtime.   I have always fed our main breed adults two meals a day, be even still, have had 4 cases of GDV over the years.

With our Whippet, who is now 6 (where have the years gone), she doesn't eat very much in terms of the size of her meals these days but what she does have gets eaten up quickly!!   Up until recently they were both on the same Arden Grange Sensitive which my Basset needed and which I gave my Whippet as it was easier to have them on the same food.  I've just switched them to Pooch and Company Tripe and rice which costs less, and comes in 15 kg bags which is a considerable saving since AG reduced their bags to 12 kg and kept the price the same!!

By a year, I'd suggest your Whippet only needs two meals a day, but again I'd keep him on 2 smaller meals.   And I don't do free-feeding - always impossible with numbers!!

Rather than ask you vet for advice, unless he happens to be familiar with the Whippet specificaly, I'd ask his breeder who should know what works for the breed, and her bloodlines.   And always remember not to feed for an hour after exercise, and not exercise for 2 after a meal.   To allow the system to rest and hopefully avoid the risk of Bloat.   Much as we had one we found surrounded by white froth in his crate at 7 am, before breakfast or exercise.   What caused that I have no idea - happily he did survive, minus his spleen which had ruptured.  He was 8 at the time.

It looks as if the majority feed twice then.  I have a toy breed that couldn't possibly go 24 hours between meals as there is a very high risk of hypoglycaemia.  My Border Collie would be bringing up bile if he went 24 hours so still needs something in the evening, even if it's just a few biscuits.

Twice

When do you walk him?  Some dogs simply need to (and want to) toilet before eating again so won't eat breakfast until after their morning poo!  If you have one of these types you possibly also have one that needs a walk to get his bowels moving.

It's a bit of a dilemma really as to when you feed and when you walk but it's certainly kinder on his digestion (and reduces risk of bloat) to feed twice a day.

What time are you currently feeding him his evening meal?  Perhaps you could bring this forward a bit to ensure he toilets properly before bed and you could always take him out for a play and a poo before breakfast.  Don't over exercise before food or walk too soon after food either.  Perhaps a review of his eating and toileting times might help you decide what to do for the best

I need to clarify I am feeding him twice but he is only wanting to eat one meal, never wanting his breakfast. No problems with bile so I guess that suits him. Thanks for all your replies

I still think feeding two smaller meals is better ....... if you split what you'd manage to get him to eat into two small meals, maybe with less for breakfast than for the second meal, perhaps he'd eat up?    Both of mine will normally have a pee and a BM first thing, before coming back in for their breakfast, but occasionally they don't, having the first BM when they get put out again immediately after breakfast (that BM isn't breakfast in any case).   If we know one hasn't had a BM first thing, that one gets put out again after they finish breakfast.   My Whippet refuses to empty off her property but the other lad has another BM on his morning walk.   She will have a second BM around lunchtime and both will empty again at some time during the afternoon/early evening.

By contrast my three all different breeds happily have one meal a day with no issues. Its just something I have always done. Mine would would also happily eat all day too and as much food as I would give them the reedy piggies  . I have a toy breed and medium sized gundog breed and gsd. so quite  variety
As far as bloat is concerned from what I have seen the jury is still out on that although I am not disagreeing with what has been said as I can only say what I am reading. Kibble fed dogs also seem to have a higher risk of bloat than raw fed but the reason for bloat generally seems to be multifactorial.

I have lost a dog to bloat but that was nothing to do with food I am sure in my case. She had a serious operation to remove a tumour from her jaw and the day after she came home for the vet having been separated from me for the first time, drank copious amounts of water, I thought this was a result of being in hospital and not being able to drink properly away from home  and was highly stressed and on rymadil 24 hours later she was dead . A great shock to all of us.

In the op position I would delay the first meal to when the dog wanted it even if that means the gap between the two meals is less and not worry. If the dog is happy with that and will eat like that I would be happy too and then she is sticking to the advice of others of two meals
.

In the end Breakfast only means the first meal of the day.

Nothing to stop it being fed at Lunchtime and then second meal a couple of hours before bedtime, say 9pm.

agree brainless

I writing this on the basis that it's a torsion (bloat) predisposed breed & not on the basis of its breed.

At 12 months I would feeding no more than 1 third (less usually) of its daily one meal ration no less than 2 hours prior to exercise.

I would feed the rest no less than 2 hours after the main exercise was finished.

At appx 10 years old I reduce the am portion to appx 1/4  of main meal & reduce that as time goes by.

My dogs are high drive & high levels of activity well into old age, I think those type dogs which are predisposed to torsion are more vulnerable if they are active all throughout exercise time & get to much am food.

Nothing stops torsion, some things might decrease the risk or they might make no difference at all.
.