How to know if Im feeding too much or not enough?

[nachothebulldog]

Does anyone have a general rule when it comes to feeding? I been feeding nacho 1 1/2 cups of Merricks puppy food a day since he was 8 lbs. Now he's 14 lbs and I'm sure he needs more, I just don't know how much more. Is there a general rule of thumb to feeding by weight? The one on the bag seems to be a bit too much in my opinion. It says at 14lbs I should be feeding 2 1/2 cups... He just seems to always be hungry even after eating lol... Help appreciated!!!

BONUS! Picture of Nacho trying to steal my sandwhich!!

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[helsonwheels]

You're not feeding him enough. BUT.... is kibbles the only thing he gets all day or does he get snacks? What are his snacks if you are giving any and how much?

Kibbles at that age is like 2 cups per day plus a few veggies or healthy snacks like dry liver, fresh fruits. Nothing with grains or fillers.

 

[nachothebulldog]

You're not feeding him enough. BUT.... is kibbles the only thing he gets all day or does he get snacks? What are his snacks if you are giving any and how much?

Kibbles at that age is like 2 cups per day plus a few veggies or healthy snacks like dry liver, fresh fruits. Nothing with grains or fillers.

I give him stuffed Kongs. I give him treats etc... Never given him veggies


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[helsonwheels]

I give him stuffed Kongs. I give him treats etc... Never given him veggies
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Start slowly with veggies. Frozen is the best. Like give him a couple of frozen green beans for a week. Then try raw carrots, then zucchini etc. One kind a week so like that you can monitor the stools. If stools stays normal, then hes good with that veggie. Watch zucchinis as they can get soft stools. A couple slices is enough. After a month start with fruits. Frozen strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas one a week. By doing that, Nacho will be getting natural vitamins via real food.

Oh and btw check your kongs treats if it contains Xylitol. That will kill your dog. Real ALL treats!!!

 

[Cbrugs]

I would definitely feed more. And I think it also depends how active a dog is. Louie is 7 months old and is eating 3 1/2 to 4 cups a day as he is quite active and burns a lot of calories and even at that amount, he’s not filling out yet. Poop is a good indicator of when you’re feeding too much...if it starts to get too soft, might be too much.


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[helsonwheels]

I would definitely feed more. And I think it also depends how active a dog is. Louie is 7 months old and is eating 3 1/2 to 4 cups a day as he is quite active and burns a lot of calories and even at that amount, he’s not filling out yet. Poop is a good indicator of when you’re feeding too much...if it starts to get too soft, might be too much

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You give 4 cups plus snacks? Duke is same age as Louie. Very active as you know but pups has a bottomless pit as stomachs. They will eat till they drop dead. He now weighs 38lbs. So hes growing nice n steady. He's always hungry. Would eat 24/7. They both get about 1 cup or so of raw and 1.5 cups of acana grassland cause the move alot. I think they both eat enough.

 

[Cbrugs]

You give 4 cups plus snacks? Duke is same age as Louie. Very active as you know but pups has a bottomless pit as stomachs. They will eat till they drop dead. He now weighs 38lbs. So hes growing nice n steady. He's always hungry. Would eat 24/7. They both get about 1 cup or so of raw and 1.5 cups of acana grassland cause the move alot. I think they both eat enough.

Yup! And his poops are perfect. I can see Duke is nice and filled out. Louie? Still tall and lanky. If I fed him 2.5 cups a day, I think he’d be super skinny. I’ll have to try to get some pictures from above. When I look at other puppies his age, they’re all much plumpier than him. All this boy does is run around from the time he wakes up to probably 3ish or so, he’ll take a nap, wakes up to eat dinner, and then runs around more until he goes to bed. Jax eats about 11 oz of raw every day and if eats too many snacks, you can tell cause is poop will get loose. The breeders think I should feed Louie more to start plumping him out.


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[Vikinggirl]

When my guys were puppies, I fed them 1 cup three times a day, morning, afternoon and evening, then when they turned 7 months, I switched them to an adult formula kibble, and reduced their feelings to 1 cup twice a day, 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup in the evening. They are 5 1/2 years old now, and still on this schedule. They both weigh between 45 and 48 lbs.

 

[2BullyMama]

The gang gave great info.... here is also a nice chart as a guideline for the first year

8 weeks	1/2 cup 3 times a day
12 weeks	2/3 to 3/4 cup 3 times a day
4 & 5 months	3/4 cup 3 times a day
6 months to 1 year	1.25 to 1.5 cups twice a day