Hi, I am wondering how much food I should give to my puppy Aslan. He is currently 9 weeks (and 3 days to be pedantic ) and he weighs about 8.2 kilos. At the moment we are just giving him as much as he wants to eat, as he is a growing boy , but I am worried that at times we are not giving him enough, and at other times we are giving him too much :-\ What are the recommended amounts to feed him, and how many times a day should we feed him? (currently three times a day) Thanks
Re: How much food??? I think that young puppies should gain around 1 kg per week and also go by how he looks. If you're feeding kibble there should be a feeding guide on the bag, though most people seem to feed less than this. It also depends on how much you're feeding as rewards - when my dog was little I gave her quite a lot of high value treats ( chicken, cheese etc) for training so decreased the kibble. I fed 4 times a day until 12 weeks. Hope you enjoy your pup!
Re: How much food??? Thank you He is currently on a mix of wet and dry food as he really enjoys the wet stuff and isn't fussed about the dry.
Re: How much food??? As Joy said, the feeding guide on the side of the bag should give you an idea of how much to give Aslan each day. Remember that he has a very small stomach so a little and often is better than big meals. When Holly was 9 weeks we had her on four meals a day. We dropped it to 3 meals at around 3 months when she'd grown a bit, and down to two meals at about 6 months. Also, is he on a puppy food? I see in another thread that you're having problems with his stools. Rich food, and changes in food, can upset a puppy's disgestion. When you see the vet about stools it might be useful to mention what you're feeding Aslan. Pippa has a useful article on puppy feeding http://www.thelabradorsite.com/feeding-your-labrador-puppy/
Re: How much food??? [quote author=kathrynr link=topic=7404.msg102880#msg102880 date=1408436574] At the moment we are just giving him as much as he wants to eat, as he is a growing boy [/quote] Hello there I don't think it is a good idea to feed labrador puppies all they want to eat. Labradors are greedy dogs, and it is important to keep a careful eye on their food intake - even as very small puppies. Some people believe that too rapid growth from overfeeding can contribute to joint problems such a hip dysplasia. Others have given you good replies about how much to feed - I feed less than 60% of the volume recommended on the food bag. Best to feed less, and up it later, than too much. Best of luck with it all, I hope you are enjoying your puppy.
Re: How much food??? Hi, it's very confusing isn't it? I feed Maisie about 60% of the recommended amount, and she's done very well on that amount.
Re: How much food??? Thank you Phil and Julie I'll make sure we give him four meals a day with less in each, and I'll have a look at what the bag recommends. In answer to Is he on a puppy food? Yes he is, he's on a puppy large breeds kibble, mixed with some tinned food that the vet gave us to help his stomach.
Re: How much food??? Hi Kathryn, I agree with all the others, small feeds 4 times a day are important when they are very small. Too much food at one meal can actually cause too much poo, and make it soft as well. I know when Lilly had a bad stomach, she was given special tinned food, but just that on its own with no kibble. We only used it for a couple of days. I think kibble is a lot more popular, and I think gives (on the whole) a better formed firmer stool. I do hope things settle down with the feeding/pooping
