Feeding mature labs

Question
Lane, we have (2) 7 year old male chocolate labs. Both are lean (67 lbs for one and the other is about 80 lbs) and act like puppies; however, we recognize that their diet might change as they age. They are active (we have a farm and they never stop moving) and a full part of our family. We currently give them 2 cups each of their food; once daily. They both get plenty of water. I would like to know if we should increase their feedings to two times per day and what their serving size should look like. We do not feed them scraps unless they are fish skin (maybe once a month as a treat). I look forward to hearing from you.

Mother to Montana (AKA Moose) and Kodiak

Answer
Hi Mealnie,

Well first of all I always feed 2 - 3 times a day and believe strongly that twice a day is minimal. So yes, it would be great if you could move to twice a day - digesting two smaller meals instead of one large one is easier on their digestive system, kidneys and liver...that would be great!  I suspect these dogs have slow metabolisms as two cups of food is quite low for them - at 67 pounds, the suggested caloric intake per day is between 1300 and 1680; for an 80 pound dog the rnage is between 1478 and 1920. (My own 75 lb dog eats about 1900 calories a day, which in terms of kibble would mean about 4 cups a day.)

So I suppose the next step for me is to ascertain what type of food you're using? how many calories per cup, how much protein? I like to see higher protein for seniors, and a few supplements can add quality of life to the later years too.
Let me know what food you use and I'll be able to make more suggestions. Sounds like you are doing well, I see far too many overweight Labs, but my concern is to meet their nutritional needs on such a low intake. If feeding more quantity will mean weight gain, and it likely will, some supplementation may be in order. Overall it's much healthier to see dogs on the lean side, so that part is great. :)

Hope to help more, Catherine