Feeding Quantity For Very Hungry Pup

[tommy15]

I have a 15 odd week old [bull arab] x [greyhoundxpitbull]. She is eating about 3/4 of the amount of food that my 30kg adult dog eats. This seems like a tremendous amount of food she is putting away, and yet in my opinion she looks as though she may be underweight. Its hard for me to judge, because im used to bullbreeds, so perhaps she is the correct weight for her type.

Regardless, is there some kind of rule of thumb i should be going by, or just feed her till she gets fat (as an indication) then cut it back ?

thanks

edit to add : she is healthy, and is wormed.

Edited July 11, 2006 by tommy15

[WreckitWhippet]

Feed her at least two if not three times a day, growing babies do tend to eat a huge amount of food. Go for quality rather than quantity.

Choose a good quality dry food, suitable for large/giant breeds ( I'm a sure a breeder with larger dogs could recommend one ) if that's what you would like to feed her. Also she can have chicken necks, wings and carcass ( I would watch her eat it though ), You can also add a little grated cheese, some sardines once a week and I'm sure that others will suggets some alternatives.

I would just watch that she doesn't get fat, that is one of the worst things you can do to a baby puppy , it puts stress on growing bones and joints. Keep her weight so that she is just covered on the ribs.

It's hard to say an exact amount of food for growing pups, you will have to monitor her weight and you will change the amount you feed her, quite often, depending on her growth spurts

[SparkyTansy]

Hi Tommy15

Are you feeding the puppy several meals a day, or just at the same time as your other dog?

As she has some greyhound in her as well as bull arab this would indicate she would have less weight than other bull breeds.

I cannot give you an indication of how much you should feed her, but I wouldn't reccommend giving her enough to make her put on weight. Hopefully some more experience people can help you but perhaps you could also contact a vet for a clearer indication based on her prospective size/weight...

[tommy15]

i have spoken to my vet, who iv been with for several years and is great, but with this puppy she dosnt appear to be very helpful, she appears to not believe me when i advise her of her "pedigree". anyway ..

yes, i feed her 2 times a day, a small(er) breakfast, and dinner. When she was younger i was feeding her 3 times.

I think what im feeding her is pretty good, other than the occasional treat ie chicken wing ect, she eats pal pedigree, which i feed her with milk and or eggs. at her rate of consumption, i cant afford to buy the super coat puppy food, which i prefer (not for myself, for the dog that is lol)

warley, your right about the growth spurts, i think thats something thats confusing me aswell !

thanks guys. in that case i might just keep going how were going and keep an eye on her. with the skin over the ribs thing, thats exactly her condition atm. her physique resembles a working dog more than a bull breed, i guess my eye just needs adjusting to a different type of dog

[Miranda]

Don't forget that far more food is needed for growth than for maintenance, therefore it's normal that puppies require more food than mature dogs. I have two five month old large breed puppies and they are still on three meals a day. For breakfast they each have 1 1/3 cups of Eagle Pack Large Breed Puppy with about 1/4 can of Advance Puppy Growth. Lunch is two chicken wings and for dinner they again have 1 1/3 cups of EP with a handful of beef mince and maybe a little cooked liver/mackerel/sardines/raw egg. Both of them are a good weight, you can easily feel their ribs and they are very active. I would say that they are probably consuming three times as much food as my adults. When they're six months old I'll cut out the midday meal and give them chicken wings/necks/carcasses for breakfast.

[Loopy Lola]

I too have a bull arab x and when he was a young pup eating at least twice the amount he does now. He is 18 months old now , not quite filled out properly , but still weighed 40 plus kilo's at his yearly booster check .

I would still be feeding your pup several times a day , better for the large breeds to be having a little and often than one or two big meals .

Do you have a butcher near you that makes good quality pet mince ? My local 5 * meats sells a kilo bag of fresh mince for 1 dollar which is excellent for helping to keep weight on my GSD .

Can we see some pics of your pup please ?

Sue

[Dogsfevr]

I would scrape that diet alltogether.

Pal puppy is great for small breeds & The intetional eating stage but once able to eat well we no longer use it.The milk is of no use.

The pal puppy would also cost a fortune.

I would get a good biscuit & use lamb flaps,frames,knecks,mutton etc.

My large breed babaies ate far more than now.

As a rule of thumb providing they are fully wormed the dog shouldnt be popping out more than it eats nor should it be overweight but if the diet isnt suitable it can affect adult condition

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Your puppy is considered to be a "Large" Breed Puupy and therefore requires a diet specifically designed to meet the different growth rates of other breeds. Whatever you are feeding you need to ensure that it contains slightly less fat levels, together with a reduced amount of phosphorous and calcium than in other foods but with added glucosmaine and chondroitin.

This is why it is a good idea to feed a commercial puppy food specifically for Large Breed puppies.

Your pup does not need milk.

[tommy15]

i used to feed pet mince in the past, indeed it did seem as though it was cost effective and good for the dogs.

Given these posts, i think from tomorrow ill sit down a re-evaluate what im doing with her feeding, try and include alot more fresh chicken, meat, and bones in her diet.

As with what showdog suggested, the last thing i want is for an ill-advised or incomplete diet now to affect her condition when she is older.

The reason i was/am feeding milk for the calcium content, and because ofcourse it makes the dry food more appealing. Also ... ummmm.. my ex girlfriend said it was "cute" so we fed the little tiny puppy milk out of the saucer, now the pup is big, shes gone, and the pups still drinking milk lol

pics ? um i have some pretty ordinary ones on hand ... i guess i may aswell most them lol

thanks everyone the advice is invaluable

[tommy15]

heres one from another thread, i might start a thread in photo section tomorrow

the one on the right is also puppy, by name, but his my 7yo staffxrotty.

[Miranda]

Also if you're using a cheap dry food with a high cereal content you will need to feed much more than if you're using a more expensive, super premium brand. Often buying cheaply is false economy.

[SALTWOOD]

Since converting to feeding my dogs a 'natural' diet my dogs, including the puppies, have never been happier.

Part of the diet is raw minced chicken frames which are naturally high in calcium (so no supplementation needed).

Add to this a vege mix, small amount of offal, fish oil, yoghurt, occasional egg, vitamin supplement and some muscle meat they are doing very well.

They also all get a raw meaty bone several times a week.

The best part of it is that their poos are so much smaller and dryer - not preserved forever more because they are eating commercial dogfood.

They look forward to their meals, polish everything off but at the end are content and not looking for more.

I feed all my dogs twice daily. If I had puppies younger than 4months old I would feed the puppies 3 times daily.

I sort of feel a bit like a reformed smoker now - ready to push 'natural' to anyone who will listen!

For me the proof is seeing how much happier my dogs are now!