Is it bad to really change around meal times for a day?

WildFlower2350

Holidays and dogs oh my.  Trying to plan ahead for a holiday party we have to go to this weekend.  Our regular dog sitter is unavailable and we don't want to board overnight if we don't have to.  Normally the dog gets breakfast around 5:00 am and dinner around 4:30ish...is it terrible to shift meal time considerably (either several hours earlier or later for dinner) b/c we wont be home to feed at regular time?  She will get the same breakfast and morning exercise....what if I gave her half her dinner around lunchtime and the other half later at night?  Its a family gathering and its not the best scenario to bring her, my cousin has a 2 year old and 2 cats...bad mix for a 75lb hyper american bully.   

SURFERxGIRL

When I have to, I've done what you're suggesting, and my pets don't seem to mind all that much. On days when I know I'm going to have a crazy day I'll try to give breakfast at the normal time, give a little more around lunch time and then the rest later at night. Aside from the fact that my dog tends to stay up later and be more hyper at night, it works for us in a pinch (our cats are indifferent). We have tried those automated feeders that dispense food at a certain time each day, but each brand we have tried has broken within a year or less. We were using them each day though, so you may want to look into purchasing one for occasional use.

aggiebug

It will be fine. If you feed early they may pester you earlier the next day but it will be ok.

Caz1221

I don't see any problem with it - I'm actually surprised you haven't had to change up the schedule before! Our dog's dinner time is totally dependent on when we get home from work - sometimes he eats at 7; sometimes not until 9:30. If we're going out and will be out late, we feed him as early as 4:30 or 5. His breakfast is more consistent since we're up around the same time every day.

chrisnjay05212010

It should be fine. Our guys eat dinner when we get home from work or the gym and breakfast when we get up, which varies on the weekend.   If im going out on the weekends for dinner and i know i wont be home til late. i give them dinner before i leave, even if its alittle earlier than normal. we've never had any issues

MariaBend25

Honestly it shouldn't matter. Dogs (and cats) are animals naturally used to starvation and binging periods because of their hunting backgrounds. This sounds horrible, but to the dog the difference in a few hours won't matter, especially since it is only for a day. If you are really worried, stuff a Kong toy full of treats and peanut butter and then freeze it for 24 hours (or more). It will take them a lot longer to lick through it to the treats and give them a little snack if you are really worried. You can even feed them just once a day (but using a serving for the whole day not the usual half-serving).

The only difference this change will make is with their bowel movements, so if they are not reliably house-trained you might want to consider putting them outside or in a room without carpet flooring.