first timer Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Bella is 5mths old now (lab) and Im feeding her a cup of kibble 3 times a day as well as other stuff mixed in for her night meal....I sometimes feed her a bone etc instead of the kibble... Now Im unsure if that is enough for her and if it is then when do I increase the amount? And when do I drop her lunch time meal? TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Is she a healthy weight for her age and breed? Is she growing steadily, active healthy and NOT FAT. I don't feed dry but... What sort of dry food are you feeding? Generally people will say take what it says on the packet and subtract 1/3 or more, but that depends on the individual dog and on what "other stuff" are you adding. As for lunch, I would rearrange her meals and give her two bigger meals morning and night and a snack for lunch instead of a meal, but this is with smaller dogs than a Lab. What advice is in the breeder's diet sheet? Usually I say they'll loose interest in one meal, but with a Labrador that's hardly likely to happen any time soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 Is she a healthy weight for her age and breed? Is she growing steadily, active healthy and NOT FAT. I agree with the above. Watch the dog rather than the food bowl (or those liquid brown eyes that always seem to be imploring you to give more food ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joan of Arc Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 I agree with Erny about not watching those big brown eyes... If Bella has a nice waist, then I should think you are doing ok, but I would like to know which dry biscuit you are feeding. COme and visit us again in the Lab thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs tornsocks Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 FT, there's more recent posts on the lab forum on how much is good to feed. Archie is a bit on the lean side (even for a lab), we feed him 2 big cups of Royal Canin, twice a day, he also gets (additional) bits of sardines (we bought fresh ones the other day he loved em), RMBs including lamb flaps, plus chicken frames etc. etc. He weighs about 23kgs now at 6 months old and is developing his muscle nicely although could still perhaps be a bit heavier - we are happy right now erring on the side of caution though, rather have him a little slim than a chunkles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
first timer Posted October 20, 2009 Author Share Posted October 20, 2009 23kgs!! I think Bella must be underweight then she is about 19kgs at 5mths Im feeding her Advanced, and at night it varies from fresh veges,sardines, pet mince, rice or pasta.... The Vet said she looks perfect but for some reason to me she just seems to little....god I dont know I worry more about her then the kids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 23kgs!! I think Bella must be underweight then she is about 19kgs at 5mths Im feeding her Advanced, and at night it varies from fresh veges,sardines, pet mince, rice or pasta.... The Vet said she looks perfect but for some reason to me she just seems to little....god I dont know I worry more about her then the kids first timer - IMHO at least for medium sized breeds as they're growing, keeping them on the lean side is a better option. Puts less strain on growing bones and joints - especially for breeds prone to elbow and hiip problems. I'm thinking 19kg at 5 months is plenty for a lab bitch (if you're comparing, remember a dog is likely to weigh more - and that there are lighter framed dogs and heavier framed dogs within breeds.) From reading I've done, overfeeding and overexercising are factors which can contribute to problems like HD and OCD - elbow. If your vet says she's perfect, and she looks healthy and is happy and active - then I'd say you wre doing great. (And treasure your vet - a lot of vets don't seem to like fit, lean dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 (edited) 23kgs!! I think Bella must be underweight then she is about 19kgs at 5mths Im feeding her Advanced, and at night it varies from fresh veges,sardines, pet mince, rice or pasta.... The Vet said she looks perfect but for some reason to me she just seems to little....god I dont know I worry more about her then the kids Don't go too much on weight. Males are generally bigger than females, and then you have different lines with different skeletal structure etc. etc. You are best to go by how the dog looks. You want some rib cover (ie ribs shouldn't be poking out) but you should be able to run your hand along them and not have to press hard to feel the ribs. Being able to see the last one or two rib bones is ok. There should be a bit of a waste which you look for by looking down upon your dog when she is standing. A good healthy coat also adds to the picture. My current boy who is 16 months old is, I would guess, somewhere between 37-39kgs. He's not fully physically matured yet, so he has some filling out/bulking up to do, so there's every likelihood he will become heavier, weight speaking. Yet my previous Ridgeback girl's ideal weight as a fully matured adult was 31-33kg. If she was anywhere near my boy's weight she would have been considerably over weight and appearance would have been some where between plump and fat. As it is, with my boy, you would class him as 'lean', to see him. Post a photo here, if you're still not sure. Not as good as any of us actually seeing your girl as photo's can be deceiving (light refraction etc. influences the appearance in photo's) but we might be able to shed our opinions as a bit of a help. If you do take photo's, taken them side on with as little angle as possible and also from above, with your youngster in a standing position. But overall, if your Vet is happy, then there's a reasonable guide. Save that I've noticed numerous Vets who consider 'good weight' whereas for the same dogs I would suggest 'too heavy'. Provided the dog is healthy, active and happy and not skeletal, then I'd say you're doing ok. Optimum weight is the best, but if you can't get that then to err on the side of lean rather than fat is the better of the two IMO. Edited October 22, 2009 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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