A Question Of Timing

[05whippet]

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It's very interesting to see how everyone's feeding routines differ.....most of our lot are fed ad-lib as this seems to suit them best and is something we have done now for years,we do have a few "fatties" who are only fed one meal a day but the majority of them are "grazers",so after they get up in the morning and go out to the back paddock for a run their food stands are filled and then topped up as & when needed during the day then lifted again around 7pm. ALL of ours including the oldies & the pups (from around 5/6mths) are quite capable of going thru the night without asking to go out (unless of course they have dicky tummies) & I think that it is perfectably acceptable to expect an adult dog to do so...ours can easily go 8hrs or more.

 

[Suerose]

Thanks everyone for the replies. It sounds as though it probably isn't anything to do with the timing of feeds that is causing the problem.

I'm wondering if it is her digestion or her diet. She does have a lot of poos a day - usually 4 or 5, and that is without any upset tum! I'm feeding her Naturediet, which I noticed some other people were feeding too. She has 1.5 packs a day (about 600 gms). Is that too much? It is in line with the feeding guidelines the makers give but it could be that she doesn't need that much. Or could it be that she isn't assimilating it as she should and it a lot of it is passing straight through? Just guessing wildly here! She is in good condition so I can't believe there is anything very fundamental going wrong.

I'd be grateful for any more thoughts that anyone has on the subject.

 

[Nicola]

Fred has the same quantity of Naturediet. He tends to go every time he's taken out, even if it's just a quick trot out. maybe avoid the lamb one, as this definitely gets Fred moving. :-

If the smaller, more frequent meals worked recently, keep trying it for the time being. Who knows, it may do the trick....

 

[~Annie~]

It's unlikely to be the Nature Diet I'd have thought. Try feeding her a small quantity of unsweetened goats yoghurt every day for a while ... maybe she needs the good bacteria in her gut topping up ... all sorts of things can cause them to be in short supply :thumbsup:

 

[meddling]

When I fed Blue nature diet while on a weeks holiday last year I noticed how much more she produced than sahe does on raw, I got through SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many poo bags that week, and she needed to go out during some nights and early mornings...she was on one tray of the stuff a day...never again!

 

[~Annie~]

Clair do you think you'd have got the extra whatever food you fed after raw ... Nature Diet is pretty good stuff. Mine eat it most evenings and it doesn't seem to have that affect on them. But then they are all different these poocjes of ours.

 

[meddling]

Clair do you think you'd have got the extra whatever food you fed after raw ... Nature Diet is pretty good stuff. Mine eat it most evenings and it doesn't seem to have that affect on them. But then they are all different these poocjes of ours.

I don't know, I have some different pouches of food...Natures:Menu... which seem to suit her better.

 

[jakers]

Clair do you think you'd have got the extra whatever food you fed after raw ... Nature Diet is pretty good stuff. Mine eat it most evenings and it doesn't seem to have that affect on them. But then they are all different these poocjes of ours.

I don't know, I have some different pouches of food...Natures:Menu... which seem to suit her better.

For what it's worth mine 'go dicky' when/if fed natures diet - as clair said they need to go out much more than 'normal' - Natures Menu/Raw/skinners kibble suits ours in the main. There was a rumour a little while back that natures diet had changed there production, a friend of mine even had to send quite a lot of food back as it was 'off' when it arrived.

For info: We feed normally between 8am-9am and again between 5pm - 6pm at around 11.15pm our gsd tells us it's time for bed! they are all let out and are not allowed back in until completely emptied out - they are supervised. We have two liars who tell me they are 'done' when I know they are not so they have to stay out longer! Then they come in straight to bed with two bedtime biscuits each. This tends to lead to a peaceful nights sleep for everyone.

 

[Suerose]

It's unlikely to be the Nature Diet I'd have thought. Try feeding her a small quantity of unsweetened goats yoghurt every day for a while ... maybe she needs the good bacteria in her gut topping up ... all sorts of things can cause them to be in short supply :thumbsup:

She already has a couple of good dollops of live natural yoghurt in the morning before anything else. Cows not goats, but she seems to tolerate it OK.

 

[Suerose]

Clair do you think you'd have got the extra whatever food you fed after raw ... Nature Diet is pretty good stuff. Mine eat it most evenings and it doesn't seem to have that affect on them. But then they are all different these poocjes of ours.

I don't know, I have some different pouches of food...Natures:Menu... which seem to suit her better.

I might try switching her to Natures Menu once we are through the current supply of Nature Diet. Will look into it - thanks for that thought. I know a lot of people say that raw food results in less 'output'. I did have her on our local butcher's raw pet mince for a while but unfortunately she got bored with it.

 

[belle]

Another vote for Nature's Menu. Our three get three- meals a day, that is!

Have always divided hound dinners into three events during the day, figuring that whippets' metabolic rate is high and that they need to space out their energy source for easier digestion and use.

Sounds a bit scientific but it isn't really- it just works for us

As for waking you in the night- grr! Annoying for you and your girly! Try just a small supper for her, and perhaps, let her have an 'accident' or two; yuk to clear up, but she'll hate messing her bed. Which might get her into a new way of 'getting rid'?

This has worked for our newbie from Wales, and for various newcomers over the years !

 

[Suerose]

As for waking you in the night- grr! Annoying for you and your girly! Try just a small supper for her, and perhaps, let her have an 'accident' or two; yuk to clear up, but she'll hate messing her bed. Which might get her into a new way of 'getting rid'?

Since her bed is also my bed, maybe not (w00t) . Yes, it is rather trying. I think we will try a change of diet to Nature Menu first and see if that helps.

 

[Nicola]

Clair do you think you'd have got the extra whatever food you fed after raw ... Nature Diet is pretty good stuff. Mine eat it most evenings and it doesn't seem to have that affect on them. But then they are all different these poocjes of ours.

I don't know, I have some different pouches of food...Natures:Menu... which seem to suit her better.

For what it's worth mine 'go dicky' when/if fed natures diet - as clair said they need to go out much more than 'normal' - Natures Menu/Raw/skinners kibble suits ours in the main. There was a rumour a little while back that natures diet had changed there production, a friend of mine even had to send quite a lot of food back as it was 'off' when it arrived.

They did change their recipe (took out the tripe and added some more herbs) which didn't go down well at first. I got rather disillusioned with them as it did seem to upset the dogs stomachs intermittantly, but stuck with it and the dogs have settled down again with it. Their packs lids are easier to pull open now and I understand they were experimenting with the seal on their lids and quite often they were 'blowing' and the contents were rotting. All seems well again now thank goodness. I swear by Naturediet but Fred does go quite regularly it has to be said.

 

[Rosie]

Don't forget whippets can be manipulative little darlings :- o Mine can tell me they need to go out when actually they want me on my feet to rearrange their blankets/ give them a cuddle/ give them a biscuit (w00t)

Skye went through a stage of getting us up in the night and we bit the bullet and beat her to it by setting an alarm and sending her out in advance of her waking - hard work for a week but got her out of the habit of waking up.

:luck:

 

[melissa_richards]

Hi - I feed mine a handful of biscuit in the morning @ 7.30, then meat at 12.30/1pm and finally a handful of biscuit at 6. I have had no problems with her what so ever. Little but often seems to be the key for her.