Help your pet adjust to Daylight Savings feeding schedule

Daylight savings can be difficult to adjust to, particularly when it comes to getting up in the morning, but did you know it can also be hard for your animal to adjust, too? If your furry friend has a strict and reliable feeding schedule, moving their mealtime by one hour when the clocks go ahead can make a big difference.  

Keep reading for some more tips! 

Adjusting to the Daylight Savings time difference 

When helping your animal adjust to the time difference, it’s useful to look to the example of dairy farmers. When the time shifts, not only does the feeding schedule for cows change, but also their milking schedule. 

To help deal with this problem, farmers will start adjusting their milking time by small increments over the course of a full week ahead of the time change. 

With companion animals, you can make the change over a shorter period of time. Try starting on the Wednesday or Thursday before the time change. This way you can change the feeding time by 15 minutes each day, creating a gradual change that will make it easier for your companion animal to adjust. 

What if you don’t prepare in advance? 

If you realize late Saturday afternoon that Daylight Savings starts tomorrow, consider splitting the difference. 

On the day of the time change, if you haven’t made gradual changes, you can at least split the time in half and feed your animal 30 minutes earlier than normal. 

You can also do this process backwards. This would mean ignoring the clocks Sunday morning and feeding your furry friend at their regular time and then changing their feeding time by 15 minute intervals over the following four days. 

With these tips, you should be ready for the Daylight Savings time change with your furry friends! 

If this information was helpful, please help us continue to educate about pet health and well-being by making a donation. As a registered charity that does not receive annual government funding, the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society depends on the generosity of donors to change the lives of animals in need.