Hi are you asking because he is not eating enough or too much? The vet could also advise you. Feeding is very confusing
Well I feel like I'm not feeding enough. I give him 1\3 cup Fromm puppy twice a day. He still seems hungry though.
He could be having a growth spurt you could add a little more and see how that goes. I have added a bit of chicken, sausage and cheese to Masons food he really likes that
Hi Jade, Our puppies are fed Purina One Focus Chicken and Rice...the bag states to feed about what you are feeding however, my puppies are on 3 cups (spread throughout the day between bowls, Kongs and training) of that food per day. There are 463 kcal per cup of the Purina One. At 16 weeks, I up it to four cups until they reach their adult weight and then begin to move it back to 3 or whatever their good "maintenance" amount is. Check the bag and see how many kcal per cup it has and adjust accordingly over several days. If he gets too fat, take it down (same if his stools become too loose or too frequent). If he grows too fast, put him on an all life stages food. You need to make sure they get all that they need and not more. Underfeeding can be as damaging as over-feeding. Labs always seem hungry but unless the dog food you are feeding is very high in kcal, my opinion is that he is being under fed.
Okay. Thank you so much. I'll feed a third meal and see if that helps. I forgot to mention that I crush a freeze dried raw meat bites on top.
Young pup's under 6mths should be having 3 meals a day..there daily allowance divided. Read the packet on regard how much, as a guide but also look at the physical look of your pup..if he looks too fat or ribs clearly showing through... Apparently it's actually healthier for them to be not overweight, almost underweight is better (I don't mean extreme but just saying better that direction then towards fatter), as it's easier on their joints.
okay thanks. I've increased it to 1\2cup three times per day with a few freeze dried raw bites on top. I'll see if that helps.
Hope you don’t mind me hijacking this thread but I think it’s a good one for a guide for everyone. I’m feeding buddy on raw natures menu puppy nuggets. We were going off volume from the breeder, 9 nuggets 3 times per day. 9 nuggets weighs 130 grams, so 390g per day. Buddy is 7.7kg/16.9lbs. He is 9.5 weeks old and from working stock. I had a look online and from what I see he’s about right for his age, he’s quite a big boy, noticeably the biggest of the litter, what does everyone think?
All puppies are different - at 9 weeks mine weighed 1.9kg. He was teeny tiny. Still perfectly healthy. He was fed 4x a day until about 20 weeks then 3x a day until he was 9 months. He’s now about 2 and a half and weighs around 26kg - he has a nice waist and tuck and a lot of muscle on his legs. He gets fed around 100g of kibble a day in his bowl.. hardly anything. The rest of his allowance goes on his walk and in his kongs but he still only ends up with about 200g. A bigger built dog would need more. If they look a bit tubby, reduce their food. If they look a bit thin, up their food. If they’re getting too much their poos will be soft so you’ll soon know. It’s a bit of trial and error. A Labrador will always make you think it’s half starved - Stanley has never refused a meal and if he did I would be straight to the emergency vet thinking he was on deaths door.
Using the 2 lbs per week of life rule - he sounds perfect. As a rule of thumb with my pups, I add the two pounds per week of life to his/her weight at 8 weeks (the Vet). If they continue to add approximately 2 lbs per week then I continue what I'm doing - along with the "see a waist, feel the ribs (with a bit of pressure) as a guide. In other words, an 18 lb 8 week old puppy who weighs 22 lbs at 10 weeks when he should weigh "according to the rule of thumb" 20 lbs" is following his own growth curve and as long as he is not rotund, I'm happy. An 8 week old who weighs 13 lbs may be 20 lbs at 10 weeks, which simply means that she had to fight for her share of food in the litter and once a single, was able to get what she needed or she may be only 15 lbs - again she is following her own weight curve.... as long as I can see her waist and not see her ribs (for the 15 lb girl) or see a waist and feel with a slight pressure her ribs (for that 20 lb girl!). Sooo, each puppy is an individual, the rules of thumbs are guidelines, just as the feeding amounts on the back of a dog food bag are guidelines. Adjust amounts when combining all the knowledge at your fingertips - a fat puppy who is 4 lbs over the rule of thumb for weeks of life probably needs a bit less while a thinner puppy who is following her own growth pattern is getting enough food as long as she doesn't look too thin and is thriving.
