[sweetlee]

I would feed 2x per day. I have never seen any other recommendation for any dog.
Nutro isn't a great food. Lots of grains.
Alot of people here use Canidae, Wellness, Evo.
I have found Canidae to be the best priced premium food, but I don't think Petco carries it.
Check at feed supply or farm supply stores. Or the smaller mom and pop type pet stores. I have a lady who orders mine in for me from her regular supplier and she doesn't charge me any more than anyone else is paying.
You can feed less of the premium brand foods than you do the others so price per bag doesn't really cost more.
There are alot more calories in the better foods and you can use less.
If your dog seems extremely hungry,and who wouldn't with the food being cut in half, maybe you could add some vegetables to her food. No salt added green beans, shredded zucchini are good choices, they add bulk with few calories.
I would look at the calorie content in the Nutro per cup and compare to the calorie content in the better foods. If your dog is getting more excersise now that the weather has changed, maybe cutting in half isn't really necessary, as the long walks will burn off more calories also, just don't make the dog lose too much too fast,especially if you have upped the activity level just recently.
Good luck,and let us know how your girl does.

Sharon