Hi, everyone… What a great site. Our Labrador puppy, Salvatore, is 9 weeks old, and weighs 3,5 kg. He was alarmingly skinny when he came to us about two weeks ago, having been fed, it seemed, with only his mummy’s milk and with some meal leftovers or simple food prepared at home. We thought Salvatore needed a good deal of protein to catch up, and bought three days ago Orijen’s Six Fish for all ages. Yet, the feeding instructions are far from clear. I’m attaching the link for the chart on the packaging. And here’s my understanding of what is on it: (1) “Feed puppies 1,5 to 3 months,” the chart states in small type in the column to the right, “twice the adult amount.” (2) According to the chart, the adult (dogs between 20-30 kg, which is the weight scale of a Labrador) amount daily is 160-240 g. (3) “Twice” this amount, as per (1), is over 400 g. Does that mean Salvatore should be fed around 400 g daily? Since we thought this amount would be too much, we have been feeding Salvatore daily about 150 g Orijen Six Fish, plus canned wet food (lamb), served about four times a day. Ideally, we would like to feed the puppy Orijen Six Fish alone, that is, dry food. Yet, is this possible? Second, if it is possible, what amount of Orijen Six Fish should we feed him daily? I’m writing from Ankara, Turkey, where unfortunately veterinaries do not seem to know much about Orijen Six Fish, although the food is available commercially, if rare. I would very much appreciate possible explanations by those who are able make better sense of the Orijen Six Fish instructions.
I'm not exactly sure about feeding amounts since all dogs are different. Puppies do need to eat significantly more than adult dogs. For a 5 kg dog it states 3/4 cup daily. So I would suggest start with 3/4 cup three times a day if you feed just dry food. Keep an eye on his poop and if it's too soft cutback on the food a bit till his poops are solid.
Many thanks, Jade (if I may)... The chart does indicate 3/4 cup daily. Yet, I suspect this is for "adult" dogs of this weight, as the column to the right clearly states that puppies of 1,5-3 months should have twice the adult amount. While the adult amount for Labradors seems to be 160-240 g daily, in turn to be multiplied by two for a puppy, amounting to more than 3 cups daily. As you can see, it's a huge cleave between 3/4 cup and over 3 cups. Incidentally, the puppy's poop looks normal, not at al loose, even a bit too shapely and solid perhaps
I know it's a bit confusing. Just go by your pup. As long as the poops are solid and pup is gaining weight it should be fine. You can always adjust the amount of food more or less of needed.
