Are we feeding enough?

[TacorisBulldogs]

This is something we go back and forth with...we are feeding raw, she eats one cup in the morning and one cup in the evening. We also give her a snack in the middle of the day, yogurt or cottage cheese. She doesn't search for food but I just want to make sure she gets everything she needs to grow big and strong!

She is 11 weeks and just over 10 pounds.

 

[aprilemari]

This is something we go back and forth with...we are feeding raw, she eats one cup in the morning and one cup in the evening. We also give her a snack in the middle of the day, yogurt or cottage cheese. She doesn't search for food but I just want to make sure she gets everything she needs to grow big and strong!

She is 11 weeks and just over 10 pounds.

what kind of raw are you feeding? normally with commercially available raw you don't need to supplement with anything but with puppies you need to feed more than an adult. i think 2-3% of desired adult weight is what is normally feed with a prey model raw. we feed raw nvi Patties so our volume is a little different. we don't give Lola anything but her raw food and some heathy treats.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, a lot of members, including myself feed our puppies 1 cup of kibble 3 times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening until they are 6 or 7 months old, and then switch to adult food, and reduce the feedings to 1 cup of kibble twice a day. You can gage if they're getting enough by the quality of their poops, they should be well formed, soft, but not mushy or soft serve, and they should go 2 to 3 times a day, plus by how much they are gaining. You should see a well defined waist, and be able to feel their ribs, but not see the ribs.

 

[Redsmom]

Puppies can eat 5-10% of their body weight, so your 2 cups (16 oz) is at the top of that. We were advised to have ours eat 3 meals a day until at least 6 months of age. Maybe try splitting that amount over 3 meals to see how that affects her energy? I also alternated some higher (10%) and lower(5-7%) food quantity days to see how much he really needed and to ensure I wasn't feeding him too much. About 7% is what seemed to work well for him and allowed some flexibility depending on the sizes/cuts of meat I had available.

 

[Scueva]

Puppies that age need to eat 3 meals a day at about 10% of their current body weight. At 6 months you can drop down to 2 meals per day and go to 3% of their ideal adult body weight. I weened duke at 12 weeks from kibble to raw. He did great. He will be a year next month and he is about 60LB. Granted I am doing a trial run back with kibble I commend you on raw

 

[Davidh]

I don't fed raw, but we always feed our pups that age 3 times a day until around 6 or 7 months of age. I want to make sure our pups have plenty of nutrition to develop properly.

 

[Lisabear123]

I'm not sure about the feeding ratio w raw, but w Brie we fed her a cup of kibble 3 times per day from 8 weeks until about 7 months, then switch to 2 times per day. She eats about 3/4 cup 2 times a day now in order to keep her weight at about 40 pounds. (40 is perfect for her Based on Her frame). She does get treats here n there, lil yogurt, banana etc. raw would prolly gives more protein etc tho, so you might be good w the amount you r giving.

 

[Baxter Tiberius]

I would be aware of the puppy getting all the various nutrients it needs. Puppies need more than adults do. Significantly more.

I tried doing just raw with baxter as a puppy and he ended up bone-thin. I didn't feel comfortable with his body weight (always 10-15 lbs less than all the other english bulldogs his age). I realized he basically was getting absolutely nothing but protein from the meat and that was it. Some calcium from the bone portions. But that isn't enough, especially for a puppy. They need a wide spectrum of nutrients and even fats, and (my opinion) some safe carbs. Vitamins. etc.

If you insist on raw I would consider some of the online sites that ship raw pre-made meals.

You will see very quickly that they dont just put a bunch of meat and bones in.
They add vegetables,
healthy fats,
omega 3's,
probiotics,
oils,
minerals,
and a full spectrum of vitamins.

You wont get that kind of nutrition from doing raw yourself unless you are a serious expert (i tried, and gave up).

Baxter is now on a pre-made lightly cooked whole food dog food calld Farm Fresh Pet Foods. Its amazing. But he also needs some kibble with carbs, because even that stuff is just protein, and he was so skinny you could see his bones. So I give him a half cup of kibble with a half pound of the whole food stuff. He's *finally* filling out like a normal english bulldog and everyone is commenting that he looks so much healthier than before.

I just wish I could find a kibble that has safe carbs, instead of these grain products. Even if he tolerates grains well (which he does) its long term bad for his health (promotes intestinal permeability and gluten sensitivity which leads to systemwide inflammation, autoimmune and heart issues). There's a whole new research field on the topic.

 

[Scueva]

I would be aware of the puppy getting all the various nutrients it needs. Puppies need more than adults do. Significantly more.

I tried doing just raw with baxter as a puppy and he ended up bone-thin. I didn't feel comfortable with his body weight (always 10-15 lbs less than all the other english bulldogs his age). I realized he basically was getting absolutely nothing but protein from the meat and that was it. Some calcium from the bone portions. But that isn't enough, especially for a puppy. They need a wide spectrum of nutrients and even fats, and (my opinion) some safe carbs. Vitamins. etc.

If you insist on raw I would consider some of the online sites that ship raw pre-made meals.

You will see very quickly that they dont just put a bunch of meat and bones in.
They add vegetables,
healthy fats,
omega 3's,
probiotics,
oils,
minerals,
and a full spectrum of vitamins.

You wont get that kind of nutrition from doing raw yourself unless you are a serious expert (i tried, and gave up).

Baxter is now on a pre-made lightly cooked whole food dog food calld Farm Fresh Pet Foods. Its amazing. But he also needs some kibble with carbs, because even that stuff is just protein, and he was so skinny you could see his bones. So I give him a half cup of kibble with a half pound of the whole food stuff. He's *finally* filling out like a normal english bulldog and everyone is commenting that he looks so much healthier than before.

I just wish I could find a kibble that has safe carbs, instead of these grain products. Even if he tolerates grains well (which he does) its long term bad for his health (promotes intestinal permeability and gluten sensitivity which leads to systemwide inflammation, autoimmune and heart issues). There's a whole new research field on the topic.

didnt mr you feed natures logic at one point? Why did you switch? How did Baxter do on it? How long was he on it?