Feeding a puppy

[Sue R]

For some reason, I still am not able to use the "search" function or I would not be asking this oft-repeated question.

 

Feeding a puppy - wow, it's been a little while since I fed a "normal" pup, as Bute had many digestive issues to contend with and I basically fed Skye and Celt all they wanted three or four times a day.

 

Dan is just 10 weeks old now and seems to have no digestive problems (well, unless he's overdone it on his favorite deer poop, and then he gets over it just fine). I've been feeding him a little over half a cup of kibble (right now, it's half and half CA Natural and Diamond Natural, both Chicken and Rice) three times a day. He gets a little raw meat (so far it's been beef) in the morning with his breakfast meal (he's hungry and he loves his meat, and you can see the enthusiasm) and a home-grown egg with his dinner (my hubby is a huge believer in raw egg for pups, and we have friends with free-ranging chickens).

 

He's putting on weight well (although I don't want him to grow too fast) which I can tell by the scale at the vet office (I take him each week to check), and he's also growing a bit in "shape". His little legs are lengthening a bit and he has a little puppy waist showing from both the top and side, not quite like the little puppy roundness that he had when he came at eight weeks of age (and beautifully grown, thank you, Anna!). And, I had to loosen his collar an inch this morning.

 

I've always just kind of "winged it" in the past but, after reading many threads pertaining to feeding correctly and not over-feeding, now I'm full of doubts and worries about whether or not I'm doing it right, feeding enough, too much, or too little, and so forth. He cleans his plate for most meals, and maybe leaves a kibble or two in one meal a day - but I'm noticing that he's cleaning up more and more and leaving less and less.

 

He does get tiny, healthy training treats when I'm working with him during the day, but they are minimal (string cheese, fish snacks, and kibble - he's very food-oriented) and maybe just a tablespoon or two tops.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

It all sounds fine Sue! Overfeeding a puppy comes from offering food that's too supercharged, something inappropriate for their age like a performance feed or one of the grain free super premiums labeled "One year and up."

 

All my dogs get their eggies too - the only down side is that they've discovered that the eggies lie around outside, under bushes, etc and will get to them before we do now if we are not careful!

[desertranger]

Jin gets a large tablespoon of canned food, right now puppy food, mixed with a cup of puppy kibble and hot water twice a day (In fact he just ate his first full bowl of food since coming home from the vet). Along with that he gets training treats of various kinds ranging from the freeze dried beef liver (very small amounts) to lo-cal (3 calories) training treats. Of course he also gets a few bites of people food here and there but I try not to over do it. I give him just enough food to fill his belly so he doesn't feel full. That's a hard call on how much since a puppy will try to eat everything you put down. The tough part of the call is top make sure he doesn't get too much to eat.

[MaggieDog]

This is one area where I use the feeding guidelines on the back of the dog food bag as it at least gives me a reasonable starting point, then I feed to ideal body condition, adjusting as needed.

 

Any pups I get here are put on an "all life stages" food to avoid super fast growth; right now Laddy is eating Premium Edge Salmon, last bag was TOTW High Prairie, next will probably be Canidae Lamb since Prairie went way up in price. Laddy is about 20lbs, 16" at the shoulder, and 4.5 mo and gets 1 cup of food twice a day. He's still a bit too far on the skinny side for my taste, but I'm just gradually upping the amounts until I get him where I want him.

[Pippin's person]

Hey Sue,

 

We fed our pups about the same amount you're feeding Dan and then we upped it if they started looking too skinny (and cut back a little if they started looking too round--which I don't remember ever happening with puppies--it's only in the dogs 3 and older that we find that happening).

[juliepoudrier]

^^I agree with Robin and Becca. It sounds like you're doing fine. Just judge by how Dan looks whether you need to adjust feed amounts up or down.

 

J.

[Sue R]

The little guy has a largely unending appetite. Other pups I've had have gotten full and stayed full a while with a meal. Dan eats his meal and is ready to eat again pretty shortly, so I having to be careful and not overfeed.

 

Thanks for all the reassurances - he's in that fast-growing stage of life when his body keeps changing so quickly!

[stockdogranch]

...and his sister is just the opposite. She is as finicky as her mother was when she was young. She'll eat, particularly if there's some raw mixed in, but I've yet to have her "clean her plate"!

 

A