meal feeding vs free feeding pets

It's a common debate among the pet community. Should you feed your pet twice a day at a determined time or leave food out for them 24/7? There is no straight answer to this question so take my advice with a grain of salt. However, it's important to know the facts to weigh the pros and cons of each option.

Meal Feeding (2x a day)

Pros:

• Your dog or cat will know when to expect food
• Your pet will be more likely to be food motivated
• You can turn feeding time into an opportunity to teach self control or another behavior
• Considering you feed a reasonable portion, your pet won't be prone to overeating
• You'll know exactly how much your pet is eating
• Your pet won't be eating around times of exercise, lessening the chance of bloat
• Housebreaking will be easier because dogs defecate around 30 minutes after eating

Cons

• You could possibly be overfeeding or underfeeding your pet
• You'll have to take time out of your day to prepare your pet's food
• You'll have to make sure to feed your pet at roughly the same time each day
• Your pet might feed forced to eat even if he isn't hungry

Free Feeding

Pros:

• You won't have to worry about underfeeding your pet
• It's convenient for those with unpredictable and/or busy schedules
• Some say it reduces food aggression, but this has not been proved

Cons

• Your pet could overeat and become overweight, leading to illness and shortened lifespan
• If your pet stops eating, you won't notice and can't get him immediate medical attention
• Some pets in the household could be eating too much, others too little
• Multiple pets could become aggressive over sharing food
• Your pet could overeat and bloat, which could happen when you aren't home
• Your pet could have little interest in food rewards, making training difficult
• If your pet is boarded somewhere where food is provided twice daily, your pet might not eat
• Your pet could take longer to become potty-trained due to no schedule of defecation

...

It's easy to see the pros outweigh the cons in meal feeding and the cons outweigh the pros in free feeding. I don't know what works for and your dogs and cats, so like I said, take this advice with a grain of salt. I know animals who are food motivated and are the ideal weight who are fed meals. I also know meal fed pets who are overweight and not aggressive with food at all. I know a free fed dog who are the perfect weight and will do anything for a treat, but I also know a free fed cat who's overweight.

Again, I don't know what works for you, but I definitely think meal feeding is the better option and I personally use it with my dog. I find mealtimes are a great time of bonding anyway. Whichever option you choose, you should still monitor your pet for changes in health and behavior and give him all the love he deserves.