How much food? 1/4 Cup twice a day?

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Hi there!

I'm a Newbie. We have a 10 week old mini named Charlie. He's been great. :flower: However, I'm not sure if I'm feeding him too much or too little. I've been giving him a quarter cup in the morning and a quarter cup in the evening with 2 treats/approx. a day. It's dry kibble from the Vet's office (Medi-Cal). Should it be more? He seems a bit hungry? He is already almost 4 lbs. He was only 1lb 4oz when we got him 4 weeks ago. Isn't he getting too big too fast?

About how much per/day should he get based on his weight and that he's a fairly active puppy? Is there a range?

Worried Mom.

[blazeman]

You might get a bunch of different nswers to this one. I feed my 16 week old about the same you are. If I gave him 1 cup twice a day... he would eat it all! These little ones are machines when it comes to eating. Don't let the L@@K get to ya :D

[lotsadox]

I think that's probably about right. Depending on how active he is, it can vary a little. I'm sure he does act hungry. It's a genetic trait. Dachshunds are always hungry, even just after they've been fed. I have two that would probably eat until they popped if I kept feeding them.

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Thanks for responding! That makes me feel much better. I guess I do have to remember that he'll keep eating if I would let him!

[Cindi]

Is there anything cuter than a baby????? Your baby should probably be eating 3 times a day still which is why he is probably looking at you like he is hungry <g> You got him REALLY young (and for my kids normal size he was REALLY small) and he would have been nursing much more frequently during the day if he could have been if he had stayed with his mom. His little body burns lots of calories and each little body will grow differently. Eventhough he is of miniature breeding there is no guarantee as to what weight he will be when he is done growing so to say what he will weigh at each week is impossible :(. So, if he were mine, I would judge how much to feed him by what his body weight looks like rather than what his eyes were telling me. Does he have a light layer of fat covering his ribs? Can you see his waist well? Yes, you should! He shouldn't be rolypoly but he shouldn't be skinny skinny either and they can add weight and drop weight very quickly at this age. I would probably add a light lunch to his daily meals until he is at least 3 months of age (2 cookies at lunch are probably equal to 1/4 cup of food if they are good sized cookies) and you can still give him small treats during the day if you using them as training tidbits. Just make them smaller. If you see him getting pudgy, then cut back a bit on the amount at each meal but I would continue 3 meals a day for a few weeks. When you see him start to slack off and not wanting to eat one of the meals, that is the time to take away that meal (or the meal that is the most inconvenient for you).

Hope this made sense. For those who don't know me, I've been raising these little kids for over 22 years; I have wirehairs.

Cindi

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Hi Cindi -

Thanks sooo much for your advice. I think I'll give him two cookies at lunch-time. The reason we cut out the lunchtime meal was because he would only eat a few kibbles. He looks really healthy and has gained weight steadily but he's not chubby. We did get him early but he and his siblings had actually stopped nursing 10 days before. Maybe it was because the Mom at 3 years old was quite small even for a Mini (just 5lbs).

They sure do love food!

[Cindi]

No wonder your child is so small. The mother was teensy. Would have scared me to death to breed a girl so small - actually I wouldn't have done it. Scares me everytime I breed a 10# girl.
You were doing it correctly then when you took away lunch :) If he wasn't eating it rapidly then he wasn't needing it as much but as many calories as his teeny body burns the cookies will help tide him over. It is amazing how many calories it takes a baby's body to exist and grow at the same time. Many, many more than an adult's body to just maintain.

Cindi

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Hi Cindi -

Charlie is doing just fine. He just started sleeping through the night a few days ago (such a 'lil bladder!). He sleeps from about 10:00pm until 6:30am when I take him out to do his thing. Then he goes back to bed for about another hour. :flower:

[jfender]

I've been wondering about this myself. Hermione is 4 months old and currently weighs just under 7lbs. I hadn't really "measured" how much I was feeding her. She didn't always eat what I put in her bowl all at once. Then I noticed her belly was getting quite round, and when you compared it to her abdomen area, it looked pretty silly (the difference). So, I re-read the food label and now I measure out the amount per day allowed, less about 1/4 cup. I give half of the kibble in the morning and the other 1/2 in the evening with a tablespoon of wet food.

I can already see a difference. Her body's line is now straight, as opposed to apple like. For the record, I'm feeding her Pro Plan's small breed puppy formula (2/3 cup a day) with Eukanuba's wet food (1 tbsp per day). Now she completely empties the bowl within 5 minutes. In fact, she's taken to taking the bowl and carrying it around like a toy. I'm trying not to be con'd by this behavior :raz:. She's gaining weight steadily and appropriately, so I don't think I'm starving her. She, on the other hand, has a different opinion, apparently.

[Meemoo]

consider in the future, changing foods. These foods you are currently feeding have lots of grains and fillers which dogs don't utilize. You ultimately want to get a food with NO byproducts, fillers, and MEAT sources in the first few ingredients. THere are MANY foods that fit this criteria, both canned and kibble.

Here's a great site that tells you how to choose a kibble and canned food and also mentions the top ten according to the Whole Dog Journal.

www.bowchow.com

[Frzframe]

Dudley to much! I started him out with a little less then a 1/2 cup in the am and the same amount in the pm. Then dad thought I was feeding him too much so I went down to 1/4 cup in the am and pm. He thought he was straving and started eating poo. :afraid: I kept him at this for awhile but he kept on eating the poo so I've went back to what I was feeding him. I'm not sure but he weighs 7.5 pounds and looks good to me for now. I just don't want to have problems on down the line - oh what to do!? :D

~Shonda, Mitzi and Dudley

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Is Dudley a Mini? How Old?

Meemoo - Are you saying I should change from Medi-Cal? I didn't see this brand on the site you referred me to ~ but I'm in Canada. Charlie seems to be doing just great. Two Dog Biscuits at lunch now with a couple of treats each day plus the Dry Kibble in the morning and at night.

I'm taking him to the Vet tomorrow for his 3rd shot and I'll have him weighed at the same time. He is 12 weeks tomorrow!

:flower:

[Rusty's mom]

Forever a daxie - I live in Innisfail which is north of you. We go to Calgary to buy our food for the boys. There's a store on 16 ave. called Especially for Pets. It's great there and they carry some really great dog food. We use the Wellness Fish and Sweet Potato - our Duffer has severe allergies. They also have a plan where if you buy so many bags you get a free one. They carry some really nice doggie shampoos too. They're open to 7 p.m. on weekdays and also have a doggie day care there. You might want to check it out.

Kathy - mom to Rusty, Duffer, Hobbs and little girl Holly

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Thanks Kathy! I didn't know there was a store there. I live up in the Westhills area (close to downtown).

[Frzframe]

Dudley is 4 months and a few weeks old. He's very active and on the go until he crashes on the sofa :D for a few mintues then he's right back on the go.

[Meemoo]

I'm not sure what the ingredient list is in Medi-Cal..but my hunch is (that since it's from a vet) (no offense to vets!) that it probably isn't one of the better kibbles. I know Canada does have quite a few good kibbles out there, not sure though what's available in your immediate area. You basically want a kibble with as few grains as possible with MEAT as the first few ingredients.

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Thanks for the answer regarding the food. I don't have the ingredient list now because I emptied the bag into an air-tight storage container. However, I'll search a bit and see what I can come up with! FOREVER

[Meemoo]

the best way to store kibble is in its original bag, and then into an airtight container. Once you take it out of its original packaging its more liable to spoil more rapidly, especially if it's put into a plastic container as plastic can harbor bacteria easily.

[FOREVER A DAXIE]

Thanks for the Tip about keeping it in it's original bag!! I wish I knew that before I threw it out - oh well, the lessons we learn. Thanks again.