How Much to Feed??

[Sunflower77]

My puppy is 24 weeks old. She weighs about 15 pounds and is 14.25 inches tall. She eats about 1.25-1.5 cups Orijen/Acana All Life Stage kibbles each day, divided into three meals. I also occasionally give her some treats. The feeding guide on the bags says I should drop to 3/4 to 1 cup per day after she turns 1 year old if she has an inactive life style, 1 to 1 1/4 cups if he exercises more than 2 hours a day.

My puppy eats super fast. She gobbles every thing down within one minute then sits there and begs for more. It is supper hard for me to resist the urge to feed her more because she looks so cute. But I have to in order to keep her healthy. So far by adhering to the feeding guideline printed on Acana/Orijen’s bag, I haven’t seen any excessive weight gain on her. But each dog is different. One should evaluate based on their dog’s weight gain situation to make adjustment.

 

[Sandy in CT]

Brodie is not a big sheltie. I have been scooping out 2/3 of a cup twice a day. I fed him 4 times a day, then 3, now 2 at 18 weeks but he does get extras when he goes in his kennel. Brodie eats SUPER slow, so I had to feed him more often, he is doing much better now.

I was on Merrick Grain Free puppy, then tried to mix in Wellness puppy with the thought I would go with it 100% at some point, but he was occasionally throwing up whole food. I have started adding in Merrick Classic Puppy and it's MUCH smaller kibble. Brodie is actually picking all that food out and leaving the other two behind. He seems to love the Merrick Classic, I have bought Merrick for YEARS with my other dogs so it looks like he may have chosen his preferred food.

I use Zuke's puppy treats cut in 1/2 for training and am now using the Mother Hubbard mixed tiniest biscuit/dog bones for potty treats but only 1/2 of a biscuit at a time.

 

[Sunflower77]

WOW, just looked at the Stella & Chewy food

Stella & Chewy's Dandy Lamb Dinner Patties
Freeze-Dried Raw Dog Food
25-oz bag: approx. 50 patties @ $50

8 patties per day for 25lb dog
4 patties per meal

8 patties per day x 3 dogs = 24

1 $50 bag would ONLY last 2 days!
That means I would be spending $750 a month for that food!

OMG - Who could afford that? I would be spending more on dog food than I spend on my human food per month!

Pound for pound, this is more expensive than USDA Prime Filet Mignon.

 

[ghggp]

Pound for pound, this is more expensive than USDA Prime Filet Mignon.

Good point!

 

[Katie’s Mom]

Your puppy is beyond cute! How much does she currently weight and what is her expected adult height & weight. My girl is 13 1/2 pounds now and as a puppy I fed her 1/3 cup of food 3x a day. As an adult, when she ate kibble, she ate 1/4 cup 2x a day. Much, much less than what the bag recommended. She is also a dog, who no matter how much she ate, will constantly look for food.

She currently eats Stella and Chewy's freeze dried patties. The recommended amount for her weight is 5 patties a day. She gets 3.



It is very expensive and freeze dried is the most expensive one, but it is much more convenient than the frozen patties. I wouldn't be able to afford it if I had multiple dogs or a large dog. The suggested amount for my dog is 5 patties a day. She actually only eats 3, so a bag lasts me about 10 days. It costs about $40 a bag, which means I spend about $120 a month. When she ate kibble, I think one $20 bag lasted 4-6 weeks. So a huge difference. But with all my dog's health issues, it is worth it.

I use the raw coated kibble for treats. She probably gets about 1/4 cup a day of treats.

Thanks so much for your input!

 

[SRW]

My puppy is 24 weeks old. She weighs about 15 pounds and is 14.25 inches tall. She eats about 1.25-1.5 cups Orijen/Acana All Life Stage kibbles each day, divided into three meals. I also occasionally give her some treats. The feeding guide on the bags says I should drop to 3/4 to 1 cup per day after she turns 1 year old if she has an inactive life style, 1 to 1 1/4 cups if he exercises more than 2 hours a day.

My puppy eats super fast. She gobbles every thing down within one minute then sits there and begs for more. It is supper hard for me to resist the urge to feed her more because she looks so cute. But I have to in order to keep her healthy. So far by adhering to the feeding guideline printed on Acana/Orijen’s bag, I haven’t seen any excessive weight gain on her. But each dog is different. One should evaluate based on their dog’s weight gain situation to make adjustment.

When I first got Devon he was simply ravenous and crazy when I got his food ready. When I went to put the bowl on the floor he'd bite at my hand and try to snatch the bowl before I could get it on the floor (he tipped it over a couple of times), and then he would just inhale it all in about 20 seconds. I was worried that he could grow up to have some behavior issues regarding being fed.

When I told the vet about it he suggested that I fill a bowl far fuller than what Devon could ever eat at once during a single feeding and then let him eat all he wants until he either gets full and walks away or 15 minutes have passed, at which point to pick up the bowl. I tried it and after about a week of that Devon stopped with all the crazy behaviors when I went to feed him. In fact, it worked so well that now, at nine months, he just grazes like a cat. I simply put a big bowl of food down and when it's empty in a couple of days, I fill it back up. Devon doesn't overeat or scarf it all down at once because he's been conditioned to know that food will always be there when he wants it.

The vets only caution was to tell me not to try this technique with labs because they will eat until they burst no matter what.

 

[Sharon7]

When I told the vet about it he suggested that I fill a bowl far fuller than what Devon could ever eat at once during a single feeding and then let him eat all he wants until he either gets full and walks away or 15 minutes have passed, at which point to pick up the bowl. I tried it and after about a week of that Devon stopped with all the crazy behaviors when I went to feed him. In fact, it worked so well that now, at nine months, he just grazes like a cat. I simply put a big bowl of food down and when it's empty in a couple of days, I fill it back up. Devon doesn't overeat or scarf it all down at once because he's been conditioned to know that food will always be there when he wants it.

The vets only caution was to tell me not to try this technique with labs because they will eat until they burst no matter what.

Hmmmm. I think you are losing nutritional value by letting the kibble sit out for days exposed to air and light. I believe in feeding distinct meals, so that you KNOW if they are not eating. This is important information if he ever gets ill. Good observation by your vet about labs, but in my experience (6 Shelties) ALL of mine would eat until they popped as well.

 

[SRW]

Hmmmm. I think you are losing nutritional value by letting the kibble sit out for days exposed to air and light. I believe in feeding distinct meals, so that you KNOW if they are not eating. This is important information if he ever gets ill. Good observation by your vet about labs, but in my experience (6 Shelties) ALL of mine would eat until they popped as well.

I never heard of kibble losing nutritional value by sitting out for a couple of days. I always fed my cats that way (just making sure they always had food in their bowls) and they never seemed to have a problem. I guess if one left kibble exposed in a humid environment it would get stale pretty quickly, just like crackers and cookies do, but

Hmmmm. I think you are losing nutritional value by letting the kibble sit out for days exposed to air and light. I believe in feeding distinct meals, so that you KNOW if they are not eating. This is important information if he ever gets ill. Good observation by your vet about labs, but in my experience (6 Shelties) ALL of mine would eat until they popped as well.

Maybe it's something you have to get them accustomed to when they are young. My first Sheltie Baron (avatar photo) also gradually became a grazer by the time he was a couple years old, although in his case it was by accident rather than design as he never exhibited any aggressive behaviors regarding food, even when he was a tiny puppy. It might have had something to do with the fact that I usually fed him right before I ate and he was more interested in what I was eating than what he had, and thus wouldn't eat his own food until after I was finished when he realized that there was no more use trying to weasel some of my dinner.

 

[Piper's mom]

I never heard of kibble losing nutritional value by sitting out for a couple of days. I always fed my cats that way (just making sure they always had food in their bowls) and they never seemed to have a problem. I guess if one left kibble exposed in a humid environment it would get stale pretty quickly, just like crackers and cookies do, but



Maybe it's something you have to get them accustomed to when they are young. My first Sheltie Baron (avatar photo) also gradually became a grazer by the time he was a couple years old, although in his case it was by accident rather than design as he never exhibited any aggressive behaviors regarding food, even when he was a tiny puppy. It might have had something to do with the fact that I usually fed him right before I ate and he was more interested in what I was eating than what he had, and thus wouldn't eat his own food until after I was finished when he realized that there was no more use trying to weasel some of my dinner.

Piper used to be a very picky eater and I would also let him graze ( it was just easier than trying to make him eat) so when I started to do obedience with him it was incredibly difficult to get him to work for treats because he figured meh...I don't have to eat it now, food is always there.
So I then had to change the way I fed him and make him eat. I would give him his 1/2 cup of food in the morning and he had 10 minutes to eat then I'd take away what was left. Took about a week but now he refuses nothing. Before he'd turn his nose up at expensive freeze dried chicken or liver but not any more.

 

[Sunflower77]

My breeder said she bred into her line "ferocious eaters". They all eat like hungry wolves. I used to free feed my previous dog. But my breeder told me not to do it with my girl, as she will overeat.

One good thing is that she always gobbles down her kibbles like they are the best food in the world. It doesn't matter I gave her raw beef, cooked chicken breast, freeze dried fish, lamb treats etc., she never gets tired of her kibbles. I did find several things that she doesn't eat: Interceptor Plus and biscuit dog treat. Her Valentine's day treat given by her daycare was inside her crate intact for three days, until I threw it away. She also refused the treat her vet gave her during our last office visit. She wouldn't eat these things even when she's hungry for whatever reason.