[magicre]

we've been feeding our dogs twice a day, since we went to scheduled feedings.

that's worked out well in the past...now? not so much.

they were fed at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m.

now that they are on raw....and they are doing better than the first time, thank you everyone, especially rfd....it will still take a bit before they make the transition...

which leads me to this situation:

for the past few nights, malia has been waking us up around 1:30 - 2:00 a.m. to go out.....urgently so....bubba, of course, sleeps on...until last night, when he had to go out...

do i switch to one meal a day? having them have to go out is annoying...mainly because we live in an apartment, which means getting dressed and walking them. we do not want to do that.

so.

if we were to go down to one feeding a day, what time would you suggest?

or

do you think this will pass, because malia did not wake us up last night...it seemed to be bubba's turn...i wonder if this is a passing thing, as part of the transition....or do we need to go to one feeding a day, since both of us need our sleep...as we get up at 4 a.m. which comes very fast....

seems the older we get, the faster 4 a.m. rolls around.

 

[RawFedDogs]

for the past few nights, malia has been waking us up around 1:30 - 2:00 a.m. to go out.....urgently so....bubba, of course, sleeps on...until last night, when he had to go out...

I'm not real sure this is a raw feeding problem as much as a scheduled feeding problem. I have never heard of this happening to a newly switched dog. I suggest taking them for a good walk shortly before your bedtime. Walking stimulates the need to potty. Another thing you could do is feed the evening meal later. In theory, if they are feed 3 hours later, they should need to potty 3 hours later which would be pretty much on your schedule. :smile:

do i switch to one meal a day? having them have to go out is annoying...mainly because we live in an apartment, which means getting dressed and walking them. we do not want to do that.

You could do that. I would wait until they are further along into the switch. I like keeping meals small in the beginning to prevent digestive problems. After they have had a couple of months of good stools, you can switch to one feeding a day if you wish.

if we were to go down to one feeding a day, what time would you suggest?

In the wild, wolves will eat then sleep for several hours while their food digests. So, going by that, I would feed the evening meal.

do you think this will pass, because malia did not wake us up last night...it seemed to be bubba's turn...i wonder if this is a passing thing, as part of the transition....or do we need to go to one feeding a day, since both of us need our sleep...as we get up at 4 a.m. which comes very fast....

Yes, it will pass. You can help it pass by waiting a little longer each night before taking them out. For example, if they wake up around 1:30, wait until 2 to take them out. Gradually wait later and later and it will work out. I think it will pass pretty quickly if you do nothing to help it.

seems the older we get, the faster 4 a.m. rolls around.

I could stay up til 4 am easier than I could get up at 4 am. :biggrin:

 

[magicre]

and here i thought if i fed them earlier with their two feedings, they would be done by the time we went to bed.

they do get walked several times per day, especially before bedtime....although, admittedly, the one right before bed is a shorter pee/poo walk than it is an invigorating one...

and i can honestly say that is never going to change because it's so much easier to stay UP until four than GET UP at four LOL

it's killer to get up that early, but it is what it is....

i fed them their first meal today at 6 a.m. instead of 7....and i gave them their meatier bone instead of the chicken back.

my thinking is that the bonier chicken back meal will let them sleep through the night....

although i think you might be right..that this is a passing thing and we just need to buck up for the next few days.

their stools are not right and i don't expect them to be right for a bit longer....

it never occurred to me to feed them later, rather than earlier....

from what you're saying is that their final meal should be around 6-7 p.m.....rather than the 4 p.m they've been getting....and the 3 p.m. i was thinking of doing.

i'll try that tonight and see what happens....

or

i could just keep things as is and wait for them to adjust...there is no wait when they get up....my dogs love to sleep. they sleep with us in the bed. if they get up, it's for a reason.....sleeping is their finest talent....

trust me, getting up at 4 a.m.....blech!

 

[magicre]

i switched the order of their meals, so they are getting the meatier of the bones first thing and then their chicken backs last meal.

they did not wake us up last night, so we'll see. keeping fingers crossed..

this could, coincidentally, be a sign they are transitioning...and doing a great job, since their stools are very firm.