Hank DDB Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 I'm feeding my new puppy raw, and all info states to feed between 2 & 4 % of body weight , I understand this. My question is should I only allow him to eat a max of 4% in any given day or should I allow him to eat for a certain time frame, e.g let him eat as much as he can in 5 mins and then remove any food that he has not consumed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangwyn Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 Hi there, The 2% rule does not apply for puppies. They require a much higher caloric intake than adult dogs (as a % of their body weight). I've seen two schools of thought; one is to feed between 4% and 8% of the puppy's current weight (adjust depending on body condition) and the other is to estimate the pup's adult weight and feed 2% of the adult weight split over a few meals per day. I'm not sure I'd take the food away after 5 minutes but perhaps 15 minutes might be more reasonable. If he is regularly not eating his full meal then either cut back the overall amount or split into more meals. :-) JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 (edited) Its the first time Ive done this kind of feeding properly. Miahs lovely breeder gave us a diet sheet with lots of info and guidelines as to how much to feed etc. Of course it will start changing as she gets bigger and older. Its seems to be working fine atm, and the vet was quite impressed with her yesterday when she had her booster shot. Just remember when you take your puppy to the vets and they ask what you are feeding him, they may have their own opinion as well ;-) Miah eats her amounts within seconds, but shes a small breed of dog :) Edited March 23, 2013 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 (edited) The best option is to ask the breeder what they feed :) You said the breeder was fantastic - so they should have provided you with a diet sheet , etc to answer your questions. Feeding raw to large dogs is a bit tricky because of all the different mineral ratios needed to grow puppy bones slowly ... THIS THREAD may help .. esp. THIS PAGE Edited March 23, 2013 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted March 23, 2013 Share Posted March 23, 2013 (edited) I usually work on the rule of 10% of expected adult weight, spread across the day. In saying that though, just go by the puppy. If he is carrying weight feed him less the next day, if he is too thin feed him more. I like to keep puppies quite lean, so there is less pressure on growing joints. ETA: 2-4% of ideal weight is the guideline for raw feeding of fully grown adults :) Edited March 23, 2013 by DeltaCharlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank DDB Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 (edited) Awesome thanks everyone for the quick response, u have confirmed my gut instinct . :). Yesterday I gave him close to 7% of his current body weight simply because my gut feeling and experience gain from my previous puppies years ago was telling me that 2 to 4 % was not enough for him. Edited March 23, 2013 by Hank DDB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minyvlz Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 I usually work on the rule of 10% of expected adult weight, spread across the day. In saying that though, just go by the puppy. If he is carrying weight feed him less the next day, if he is too thin feed him more. I like to keep puppies quite lean, so there is less pressure on growing joints. ETA: 2-4% of ideal weight is the guideline for raw feeding of fully grown adults :) 10% of expected adult weight is way too much. 2% of expected adult weight is the way to go, and work up from there - usually 3-4% is for smaller breed puppies. If you have a mutt and don't know how big he will grow to, feed 10% of current weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 I usually work on the rule of 10% of expected adult weight, spread across the day. In saying that though, just go by the puppy. If he is carrying weight feed him less the next day, if he is too thin feed him more. I like to keep puppies quite lean, so there is less pressure on growing joints. ETA: 2-4% of ideal weight is the guideline for raw feeding of fully grown adults :) 10% of expected adult weight is way too much. 2% of expected adult weight is the way to go, and work up from there - usually 3-4% is for smaller breed puppies. If you have a mutt and don't know how big he will grow to, feed 10% of current weight. Oops, yes other way round. Should be 10% of current or 2-4% of expected. Shows how long it has been since I've paid attention to actual quantities and not the current appearance of the puppy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank DDB Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 (edited) No worries I figured u meant 10% of current body weight???? it looks like he requires approx 8% of his current weight at present. He seems content with this % Edited March 24, 2013 by Hank DDB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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