If your dog or cat currently has free access to food, here’s why you might want to make a change to a feeding schedule instead.
Free-feeding creates picky pets.
When dogs and cats have access to food whenever they want it, they can become more picky and less food motivated.
Instead, create short 15-30 minute feeding windows, if they don’t eat it, pull it up and try again at the next meal. Healthy dogs can safely go 48 hours or more without food. While kitties do need to eat daily, don’t wait them out too long.
Appetite can be an indicator of health
If your dog or cat starts avoiding their food, you may not know it, especially in a multi-pet household. You could be missing a key indicator that your dog or cat isn’t well or that there’s something wrong with their food.
Freshness
As kibble is exposed to air, the fats in the food begin to oxidize and become rancid. When food sits out all day, it’s no longer fresh and we definitely don’t want our pets eating rancid fats. Keep your kibble in its original bag, sealed in container for optimal freshness.
Chonky isn’t healthy
More than 50% of dogs and closer to 60% of cats are overweight or obese. Free feeding can make it difficult to monitor how much food our pets are eating.
Studies show that dogs who are overweight live 2.5 years less!
I don’t know about you, but I want as many years as possible with Felicity.
Potty Training
Potty breaks might be unpredictable. Especially for puppies and newly adopted dogs. If you don’t know when your dog is eating, it’s harder to time potty breaks accordingly.
Need some help with a picky dog?
Download our Picky Dog Guide Here
You can use the picky dog guide for cats although they can be a bit trickier.
Just remember cats should eat daily.