how much food should I give my starving puppy?

Hi all,

My 7month puppy has developped quite an appetite. He used to be very moderate - he would eat what I gave him and not ask for more. Now, he wakes up and demands food, asks for his dinner at 2:30 and seems desperate and starving if I don't feed him. He's even taken to lying down beside his bowl while I'm in the kitchen.

Is this just normal dog/puppy behavior or am I not feeding him enough (I give him the recommended daily amount)? I've heard that if a dog is starving you can give him rice, is that true? Any suggestions?

thanks again
olive

 

Hi as puppy gets older they need to have there food increased.
He should be eating 3 medium sized meals per day adding puppy mixer to his food will not only help reduce teeth problems but will also suppress his hunger for atleast a couple of hours.

My 3week old puppies are eating small meals perday.

Free feeding is also a good idea as that way there is food availabel to him when he gets hungry.
i usually have a bowl for there moist food and a seperate bowl for the dry food that way they always have a supply down along with fresh water which i change every 2hours.

Mike

 

read the back of the bag of dog food...if you are following the label then increase the food Or try another food.

Carrots and greenbeans are good fillers to give your pup to make him feel fuller.

is he gaining weight?

Is he worm free? worms will give them a yerring for more food!

he should have atleast 2 meals a day at this age. And he still should be on puppy food. at 7 months i wouldn't give canned food, this can cause gas and loose stools! don't forget the treats!

 

Puppies can be fed a canned puppy food all mine are and me new litter is also on canned puppy food.
Puppies should be on 3 meals per day at 7months old and should then be dropped to 2meals per day when he is a year old.
Your puppy is still a puppy until he reaches the age of 2.

The guide on the back of the can or packet is only a guideline and should not be used as the amount to feed.

Weigh him twice daily and make a note of his weight this will tell you if he is gaining weight.

To many treats at his age can cause digestive problems, You can also give him a substitute formula used for bottle feeding and weaning puppies this will help put nutrients into his body you can purchase this from and good petstore or veterinary surgery.

What breed is your dog i breed german shepherd dogs so there food intake needs to twice that of a smaller breed.

Mike

 

How does he "demand food"? How does he ask for his dinner? Do you give in? Maybe he has just learned that if he wants food, he can get it? Is he gaining weight? Is he losing weight? My pup (also 7 months) will often go and lick her food bowl but she only gets fed at meal times. I use the chart on the back of the dogfood bag as a rough guide but mostly I would just keep an eye on her. If it looked like she was getting skinny, I'd up her daily food ration.

 

My dogs always seem to be asking for food, licking their bowls, jumping up when I enter the kitchen... but if you give in to this behaviour, as Loonyluna said, you are teaching them that when they do this they can get food whenever they like. You must be in control of your pup, not the other way round. It's hard to know how much to feed, but the best way is to look- is your pup to thin? To chubby? A rolly poly pup is bad, bad for their joints and such. I asked my vet how much to feed and he said to feed her as much as she wants each meal time, he said that she would stop when she was full. But she is a little guts and we also have another dog, so if she doesn't eat it all, the other will. After this vets advice we gave her what we'd normally give her, then she wanted more so we gave her more. She was really bloated and went to bed and we could hear her breathing really fast. We could actually hear her breathing and we never usually notice it. So I haven't done that again.
If your pup is a good weight then you've got the proportions right, if you don't know if his weight is right ask someone who knows.
(sorry about repeating most of the stuff everyone else already said!)

 

Olive, what kind of food are you feeding? That could be the problem. Maybe you should switch foods. :?:

 

With raw feeding, you start with a general guideline (2-3% of the dog's weight per day) and then observe the dog. I would imagine it is the same with kibble feeding - start with the instructions on the bag and go from there.

I am told that the ribs should not be visible, but should be easily felt. There should be a narrowing at the waist. If Nala starts to plump up, I cut back. If she were to start looking too thin, I would increase. It's amazing how short a time the adjustments take to have an effect, if you assess the dog regularly.

Pups should always be on the thin side rather than the fat side. A lean puppy is a healthy puppy as far as bones and joints go!


Jamiya