Dutch Shepherd Forum

Another question. I picked up a bag of Wellness Core Puppy a couple of days ago, and Rufus seems to really like it. Transitioning him from the Pollux stuff he's on now. No diarrhea anymore since he's been on the better stuff, so we'll finish up the bag of his previous stuff then he'll just be on wellness. (Unless we can find Fromm or one of the other decently priced good ones at the feed store.)

However, we are feeding him just over 1/3rd cup 3x a day currently. His food aggression is dwindling rapidly, but he really scarfs his food down. I think he was starved as a young pup. We have a slow feed bowl for him, and that is helping.

With him being so large at 14 weeks (29.65 lbs), we don't want to overfeed him, but we don't want to under feed him either. He's extremely bony right now, but we don't want him to get sick by scarfing too much food either.

How much would you guys recommend us to feed him? Should we increase to 1/2 cup 3x a day or more?

I WOULD AT THE LEAST QUADRUPLE HIS FOOD PORTIONS IMMEDIATELY! 1 cup a day is barely enough to keep him alive. please read "WHY IS SHE SO SKINNY" in this same section - the comments by me and by Christie M.
regardless of other potential reasons there may or may not be, his lack of food is enough to completely explain why he is trying to inhale his food. give him the food he needs and hopefully he will slow down, but starving him will do just the opposite - he is desperate and will only get more so with so little food.

I didn't even see the portions amount until now. Typically I've fed puppies what they'd eat as adults, but in more meals, usually 3-4 meals depending on the dog and age. I mostly feed raw, but I feed Fromm kibble now when I have to go with a kibble. My adult DSs eat 4+ cups a day, or the equivalent raw mix. I spread that out over the day with kongs, treat dispensing toys, and training. Meal time is usually left with 2.5 cups. Elli only weighs 40lbs and Odin weighs 72, but she eats way more than him.

At this point, if your dog is skinny, don't worry about overfeeding. Spread the amount out over multiple meals and judge by how your dog looks and feel. If Rufus starts to get heavy or vommits from too much food, cut it back. I don't think overfeeding is going to be much of an issue at this point. You'll know if he's gaining too much weight.

If I had a puppy, it would probably all be coming from interactive toys. Why not combine meal time and mental stimulation? There are so many different toys and puzzles on the market now you could use a different one for every meal.

In the past I've fed Orijen and Acana as well as 4Health from TSC, but Fromm is really affordable for us now and they have a good line of regular and grain free foods. One I get the kennel going I might bring in some other brands to sell retail and then could go with a more expensive kibble since I'll get it at a discount, but we've been happy with our source for now. I was concerned when they appeared in Pet Supplies Plus as most small kibble companies can't handle the big demand of the box stores, but so far I haven't seen any problems.

Thanks guys. Will up his portions immediately.

@Lyons, we use some of his food as treats for training as well.

Knew what to feed as an adult but we weren't sure on how much initially to give as a pup at his age. Glad to hear we can't overfeed!

yes, let Rufus be more the judge. my 2 younger puppies have been consistently eating 5 - 7 cups a day and remain skinny without being boney or ribs showing, but still close to that too-skinny edge. but they are very active much of the day entertaining themselves when i am not fulfilling that role for them.

One cup is definitley not enough for a 30 lb puppy...here is a link to the feeding guidelines for weight and age with this food

\http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product- ... guidelines