I've been thinking about changing the way I feed my "big dogs" and the cats to just once daily. Currently, I give them only dry food in the morning around 8:00 and then around 5:00pm more dry food with a little canned food on top. I have to go to my house next door to do this and it usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes each time. It would save me a little if I could cut it down to just once daily, but I'm not sure, should I feed morning or afternoon or does it really matter or should I keep the schedule they are on? The dogs are both mixed breeds and each weigh about 60 lbs. I usually take Daisy over to play in the afternoon before I feed and sometimes she eats a little with them.

I'm having such a problem with finding something that Daisy will eat I'm also wondering if maybe I should just feed her once a day. She's 8 months old and weighs about 9 to 10 lbs. She spends a lot of the day "resting" or napping inside with Mom, but she does run around a lot in the afternoon and before bed. At the present time I leave some Natural Balance dry food out all the time. In the morning I give her some canned food (right now Canidae) but she is not eating it. I think I will have to cook her some more chicken. I just don't have any right now. I can only go to the store when I have a sitter for Mom and the sitter I had scheduled for yesterday didn't come, so my groceries are getting kind of low. I really hate having to depend on someone else in order for me to take care of my family. Mom has not been doing good these past few days. Wants to sleep all the time and not get out any. Hope it's just a phase.

Anyway, please give me your opinions on feeding once a day - for the big dogs and also for Daisy. I think she's too young, but if she's really not interested in eating, what difference does it make?

I feed once a day. In the evenings. I do it cuz my dogs are crated while I'm at work about 9 hours a day, and if I feed them in the mornings, I worry that they won't be able to hold it if they have to go potty during the day cuz they ate earlier.

I think as long as they are getting enough at the one meal a day (ie you don't notice any weigh changes etc.) then once a day is fine.  As stated here lots of people feed that way and have no problems.  My Ratties get fed twice a day as I work from home and am here to let them out during the day.. Our outside animals Buddy (Rott/lab mix) and Hoss our cat get fed once daily around 5:30pm. So We do both.

Boogie eats (wolfs it down actually) quickly and wants more and Bunny eats a bit and walks away.  She probably eats half of what Boogie will.  I take her food up after about 10 mins as I dont' want her protecting her bowl all day from Boogie.  I have always taken food up for my house dogs as it makes their poop schedules more predictable... free feeding never worked for me.  JMHO