Dog food guidelines and how much to feed

Comments

• dlroberts

  November 2008 edited November 2008

  I think most manufacturers suggest feeding more than is necessary. Being a little on the skinny side is desirable. My vet always says "heroine chic is in".
  
  How much exercise do they get? Lucy and Joey average 1:15-1:30 minutes a day, which classifies them as 'active" according to most manufacturer's guidelines I've read. For Joey, feeding the upper end of the suggested amount was too much and I've had to scale back a bit. Lucy is tough to tell because her ability to digest food changes depending on IBD flareups so I'm constantly tweaking her food intake to try to keep up with it.
  
  Ultimately, I think it comes down to how you feel about your dogs. If they look too skinny to you, then add a little bit more food. 1/4 isn't so much extra food they are likely to get sick from it or rapidly gain weight. So if you do want them to put on a few pounds, that's probably a reasonable plan.
• Leonberger

  November 2008 edited November 2008

  See if this helps, Romi.
  
  http://www.mycockerspaniel.com/mer.htm
  
  I started calculating the how much food I give Kuma bases on the caloric value instead of what the manufacturer says. I factor in the oil I add to his food (9 calories per gram) and the salmon oil pills. Also, since I leave him a Kong stuffed with kibble to play with (he destroyed the ball he had) I try to factor that in too in his daily intake.
  
  Kuma lost a bit of weight when I changed him to Orijen (which has more calories than the Acana he was eating before). Nothing special, a bit less than half a pound. I suspect the high protein might be helping him burn some fat he might have, it looks like he has a thinner waist now. Haven't weighed him in a while, maybe this Sat I'll pass by the vet to have him weighed.
• lindsayt

  November 2008 edited November -1

  Second what was said above. It's trendy and believed to be healthier to have skinny slightly underfed dogs. Also, dog food companies want you to feed more food so they can sell you more, and therefore recommend sometimes double or triple the portion sizes that I feel is appropriate given that most dogs are not active enough to burn the extra carbs. SciDiet and Iams prescription diets, for instance, will recommend 1+3/4 cups per day for a shiba sized dog for some of their diets (whereas I feed 2/3 cups per day tops of a grain free diet). Then the owners come in wanting a weight loss food because now the dog is, suprise, fat, so the owner then buys that companies version of a weight loss formula and the cycle is started. It's all a scam to get you to buy more of the cheaper brands or prescription foods.
• starry

  November 2008 edited November 2008

  Hey, so my 10 week old shiba is 10 lbs and I am feeding him a four star dog food called Natural Balance. I feed him probably 1 1/2 cup to 2 cups a day, and I was looking at him the other day and was wondering if he was getting fat. He is very active, we let him run inside the house multiple times a day playing ball and what not till he is tired (he does not have all his parvo shots so we haven't taken him too far outside, they are coming up this week, so excited to take him walking)
  Anyway, I put the food in his bowl and leave it out most of the day and just refill when it empties. should i have scheduled feeding times morning and night and put away what he doesn't eat (like how it is done for fish) its been awhile since I had a puppy and I've forgotten most of what goes on
  here are pictures
• starry

  November 2008 edited November -1

  eh thats a bad picture
• starry

  November 2008 edited November -1

  okay that one is better, but here is another one anyway, sorry for the spam
• dlroberts

  November 2008 edited November -1

  He doesn't look overly chubby to me. As puppies have growth spurts, they will thin out and then pump back up when they go through a slower growth period. I wouldn't worry about it at this point. I would, however, put him on an eating schedule. At 10 week sold, he should probably be eating 3-4 times a day. Its easiest to get him used to a schedule when he is young like this.
• CrimsonO2

  November 2008 edited November -1

  Schedule makes crate training and potty training easier. The dog knows when he's going out, when he's eating, and when he needs to sleep. I'm amazed your dog is 10lbs at 10 weeks because mine is 10lbs at 15 weeks. Then again, each puppy is different and I happen to believe that a fat pup is a healthy, happy pup .
  
  Jesse
• lindsayt

  November 2008 edited December 2008

  It was easier for me to do 3 schedualed feedings (I don't recommend people to free feed, maybe except for a medical reason as an exception in a dog with cancer or something or a bitch in whelp). You want to know how much and how often the dog eats. Puppy food is rich and they can get fat on it. You will want to see a little tuck up at the belly and a little waist on a pup within reason (they should still be plump and fat everything), so he looks ok from the pictures.
• starry

  November 2008 edited November -1

  ya, sorry I missed calculated his age, he is 12 weeks
  and with scheduled feedings, do I put a lot and remove the remaining dog food after he eats what he can in one sitting? or do I only put a set amount 1 cup? and just have him finish it all and not give him more?
• tsukitsune

  November 2008 edited November -1

  look on the bag of food you are seeing. It should say a certain amount for daily intake or amount per meal. If its daily, split it up into 3 sittings. Just put that amt in the bowl and when he's done he's done until his next feeding. Pups should eat about 3 x's daily.
• ShikokuSpirit

  November 2008 edited November -1

  Puppies are suppose to be nice, round and plump! I feed my puppies 2-3 times a day. Normally I just do mornings and evenings (x2 a day) and do a little snack inbetween for lunch (I make it into a training session).
  
  Romi - For my dogs knibble feeding varies, I also feed the Evo Chicken and Turkey large bites. When Shoushuu was a pup, he got 2 1/2 cups a day (plus raw chicken wings). At a year of age he went down to 2 cups then 1 cup and now he is up to 1 1/2 cups a day. However much he eats is about how much I give him because he really isn't a big eater. He has had a very good appetite lately though - I'm so proud!
  
  I use to feed Lynxiene about 2-2 1/2 cups a day but lately I've been feeding her 3-3 1/4 cups a day. And she is a BIG eater. I average feedings according to activity and weight with Lynx and Kei just however much he will eat, since again he is a very delicate eater.
  
  I also will throw in a few raw chicken legs, thighs and wings every now and then. On ocassions a can of sardines each. I will then lessen the amount of knibble they consume though.
  
  Go ahead and feed them their normal meals, add a bit more knibble if they are still hungry. Give them some raw chicken wings to snack on. Or if you aren't comfortable feeding raw (or perhaps they aren't accustomed to it and therefore do not eat it) then cook some chicken for treats to fill them up. Every so often I will cook eggs and then mash up the egg shells, mix the shells in with the cooked egg and then feed it to my dogs.
  
  I know it sounds horrible (especially since I purposely buy Evo because it is "grain-free") but when I'm trying to put weight on Lynx, in addition to a few extra raw chicken legs and thighs...I'll feed her some bread and left over foods!!! I never feed left overs to Shoushuu unless it's cooked chicken, meat or fish. Lynx is my active garbage disposal -grins-.
  
  I hoped I've helped!
• Sabrina

  November 2008 edited November -1

  Natural Balance recomends 1 cup a day for a 5-15lb dog so I would give him 1/3 of a cup three times a day. Also include any treats you have given him in that amount so say you gave him a ton of training treats at puppy class, you should reduce his dinner a little so that he doesn't eat to much. I wouldn't worry about it to much with a pup, they have great metabolisms. But an older dog you should watch their weight a little bit more.
  
  Romi - If you really think they are getting thin then maybe you should up there food a bit however It is much better to have a thin dog than a dog that is a little overweight. Also you are home interacting with them all day so they are probabley up a bit more and not lounging around and sleeping as much as when you where gone.
• Calia

  December 2008 edited November -1

  I know this hasn't been active in a while, but figured I'd mention this anyways.
  
  If they are eating more, and losing weight, you should take a fecal to the vet to make sure there aren't any intestinal parasites. When I got my pups, he wasn't gaining as much as he should and started to look a little on the skinny side. The fecal results showed that he had round worm and hookworm. After two rounds of dewormer he started to plump up and have a healthier look about him. Worms are contagious between dogs, especially if they use the same area to relieve themselves. It doesn't hurt to check just in case