How much to feed?

[sasha2334829]

My little guy is 15 weeks going on 16 and is around 3lbs. I was wondering how much to feed him. Right now I put about 1 cup of food in his bowl and I leave it out for him to eat on during the day. He starts eating around 8am and its usually gone by 3pm. Is this ok or should I put another cup in his bowl when it's all gone? Just wondering. Thanks for any information.

[Hrossen11]

Free feeding pups is fine with regular kibble you shouldn't have to worry about free feeding. They will eat as much as their bodies need. Some days more some less depending on their growth spurts. At 3pm I would probably give him about a 1/4 cup more just til bed time if the bowl is empty. I keep my boys food filled up most of the day and they eat when they want.

[sasha2334829]

Thank you Hrossen11! This helps.

[Marhcarter]

Just my opinion: I had a lab that we free fed and he ended up at over 100lbs, and should have been about 70 lbs. He had terrible arthritis and pain because of that, and that is why we had to put him down at 13 years old. If it weren't for the pain he was in, he probably would have been fine for a couple of more years, but we couldn't take seeing him in such pain for any longer. I am very strict on the amount of food Huey gets because of that. He gets a total of <1/2 cup kibble daily + snacks and weighs 8+ lbs. JMHO.

[Bentleysmom1985]

I think most people here agree that puppies should be free fed. Although, more than 1 cup seems like a lot to me, but I guess it depends on the food?

I feed my baby Orijen, I leave 1/2 cup for him in the mornings and by night there's a couple of kibbles left. He's 14 weeks old and 3lbs.

What kind of food are you feeding him?

[sasha2334829]

I am feeding him Pro Pac Small Breed Puppy food. That is what he was on when I got him and he is doing very good on it. He's definitely growing well. And I read some reviews on it and it is rated very well on dogfoodadviser.com (5 out of 5 stars). Sometimes he'll just go nibble on it and sometimes he eats a good chunk of it. But it's almost always gone by around 3. I didn't know if I should just give him 1 cup and that's it, or if I should top it off when it's gone. He's very active and he poops 3 times a day (8am, then again around 9:30am and again at around 4-5pm). And his times are always like this. I love it. I felt his sides (they say that's how you can determine if they are eating enough) and I can feel his ribs still (he's not got too much fat on him), but there is still a thin layer of fat over his sides. Which should be about perfect. This might be a little more helpful information.

[lovespandp]

How much does the food say to give him for his age/weight?

[Bentleysmom1985]

Originally Posted by sasha2334829

I am feeding him Pro Pac Small Breed Puppy food. That is what he was on when I got him and he is doing very good on it. He's definitely growing well. And I read some reviews on it and it is rated very well on dogfoodadviser.com (5 out of 5 stars). Sometimes he'll just go nibble on it and sometimes he eats a good chunk of it. But it's almost always gone by around 3. I didn't know if I should just give him 1 cup and that's it, or if I should top it off when it's gone. He's very active and he poops 3 times a day (8am, then again around 9:30am and again at around 4-5pm). And his times are always like this. I love it. I felt his sides (they say that's how you can determine if they are eating enough) and I can feel his ribs still (he's not got too much fat on him), but there is still a thin layer of fat over his sides. Which should be about perfect. This might be a little more helpful information.

Ok seems like he's doing pretty good! . Maybe he likes his food too much! lol... Mine also nibbles on his food, he only eats a lot from his bowl if I am in the same room, if he sees me walking away, he'll stop eating and follow me, sometimes I stay in the room just so he can eat enough lol

[sasha2334829]

The feeding guidelines for his food says (for his age and weight) he needs 80 to 125 grams per day. How much is that in cups? I can't really find an accurate answer online.

[Martinismom]

My dog food says 1/4 cup per Lb when martini was 1.5 lbs we were giving her 1/4 plus half of 1/4 and like your puppy with letting her free fed all the food was gone by 4/5pm and then we'd have to give her more well she ended up gaining 1/3 of her body weight in 2 weeks because she was "over eating" I know a lot of ppl encourage free eating and I did too until my dog was a bordem binge eater lol. The vet said to put the food down 3 times a day instead so we weren't over feeding her and she's been doing great on it. She actually lost a few ounces now that she's not eating twice the amount she should be lol. You just don't want the puppy to end up overweight with health problems or arthritis

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by sasha2334829

The feeding guidelines for his food says (for his age and weight) he needs 80 to 125 grams per day. How much is that in cups? I can't really find an accurate answer online.

I hate that. LOL Peanut’s food does the same thing- For his weight/ activity level he gets ¼ of a cup. I give him 1/8 in the morning and 1/8 in the evening.. why can’t they just have cups on there LOL

[sasha2334829]

Originally Posted by lovespandp

I hate that. LOL Peanut’s food does the same thing- For his weight/ activity level he gets ¼ of a cup. I give him 1/8 in the morning and 1/8 in the evening.. why can’t they just have cups on there LOL

I totally agree!

[lovespandp]

Originally Posted by sasha2334829

My little guy is 15 weeks going on 16 and is around 3lbs. I was wondering how much to feed him. Right now I put about 1 cup of food in his bowl and I leave it out for him to eat on during the day. He starts eating around 8am and its usually gone by 3pm. Is this ok or should I put another cup in his bowl when it's all gone? Just wondering. Thanks for any information.

Cups of PRO PAC ® Small Breed Puppy to Feed Your Dog Each Day says he should be getting 1/8 to 1/4 cup- for his size, age.

[lovespandp]

PRO PAC ® Dog | Small Breed Puppy

It has the graph on there-

[sasha2334829]

Originally Posted by Martinismom

My dog food says 1/4 cup per Lb when martini was 1.5 lbs we were giving her 1/4 plus half of 1/4 and like your puppy with letting her free fed all the food was gone by 4/5pm and then we'd have to give her more well she ended up gaining 1/3 of her body weight in 2 weeks because she was "over eating" I know a lot of ppl encourage free eating and I did too until my dog was a bordem binge eater lol. The vet said to put the food down 3 times a day instead so we weren't over feeding her and she's been doing great on it. She actually lost a few ounces now that she's not eating twice the amount she should be lol. You just don't want the puppy to end up overweight with health problems or arthritis

I might have to try feeding him 3 times a day also. I think he is a boredom eater as well. He will lay down for about a minute and go to his food and just eat. It's like he's thinking "Ya, why not." Lol.