How much food?

[Flowerofthefen]

In grams how much food should a 2kg pup get? We will e changing her onto James well beloved soon and off the top of my head she needs around 160g a day . Seems a lot? I have weighed a bit of her current food, which may be lighter than well beloved , just seems aot of food!!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Then another site says 20g per 1 kg body weight. She is 2kg so 40g? Doesn't seem enough!!

 

[HorseyTee]

Tbh I've never weighed out food, because it depends on various factors.
Use the guide on the bag as a rough guide, then just add/take away as you feel she needs.

Simba has always needed a lot more food than bags say, because he struggles with his weight, his mom needed a lot less else she'd get fat.
Also depends on how active they are and breed ect.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

She is very energetic , jrt. She eats well. The only treat she has is chicken

 

[HorseyTee]

Use the recommended amount as a guide...if she seems to get a bit lean, up it a bit, if she gets a bit chunky, decrease it a bit.
Obviously it will need to gradually increase as she grows.

 

[AmyMay]

Yes, use the recommended amount on the back of the food as a guide and adjust accordingly.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Use the recommended amount as a guide...if she seems to get a bit lean, up it a bit, if she gets a bit chunky, decrease it a bit.
Obviously it will need to gradually increase as she grows.

She looks fine. I must admit I've always done it like with horses as you say above, just look at her condition.

 

[HorseyTee]

Ye I've always just done it that way, all my dogs have always had different requirements so if I was rigid with the guide on the bag I'd have fat and skinny dogs.

I also feed them a little less if they've had a few too many treats in a day, just to balance their calorie intake a bit.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Initially use the guidelines.
Then observe.

Dog too fat = feed less
Dog too thin = feed more.

It's wise to keep a little chub on a pup IMO as if they get sick they can go downhill/lose condition very quickly. But not so much as they will damage their joints carrying too much.

 

[rara007]

My tiny (600g) puppy is on ad-lib kibble. When they’re tiny they do need to eat very little very often!
My adult dogs have the same amount as each other and the same lifestyle, 1 is 18kg and BCS 5/9 the other is 7.5kg and bcs 4/9! They’re all different.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I tend to feed by eye, but have been quite strict with the youngsters, but am now worried they’re too thin. I see ribs every time they move and whilst I’d rather slim than chubby at a year old, I’m paranoid! They’re doing a lot more running round, so it’s to be expected that they’re skinny wretches. They get a lot more food than recommended.

 

[CorvusCorax]

My tiny (600g) puppy is on ad-lib kibble.

Your puppy is 50g lighter than an IGP1 dumbbell ??

 

[Umbongo]

For a puppy you should be following the guidelines on the bag to ensure she is getting the right amount of nutrients for growth etc.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Initially use the guidelines.
Then observe.

Dog too fat = feed less
Dog too thin = feed more.

It's wise to keep a little chub on a pup IMO as if they get sick they can go downhill/lose condition very quickly. But not so much as they will damage their joints carrying too much.

One of our vets has said ' you can't overfeed a pup, what they don't use just comes out the other end' but you need to be careful to adjust as they stop growing.
I would just use the guidelines on the bag, which will vary a little according to the specific ingredients and monitor the pups condition.
We got a rather skinny 5 month old and started to feed her on Arden Grange Giant Breed puppy food, which did her very well until she was about 9 months old, when her growth rate started to slow and her digestive system could no longer cope with the high oil content. She is not quite such a giant as we suspected but she is certainly bigger than the Lab we were told that she is.

 

[CorvusCorax]

One of our vets has said ' you can't overfeed a pup, what they don't use just comes out the other end' .

That has applied to all my adult dogs as well, TBH.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

That has applied to all my adult dogs as well, TBH.

We have mostly had Labs. It definitely doesn't apply to all adult Labs

Eta, the LabxGSD's that we had were not so easy to overfeed, always slim.

 

[windand rain]

I have always fed ad lib. I just put the bowl down full and keep it that way. It gets a good scrub once ready to fill again. I personally have never had a fat dog. The lab we have now is old and gets one sachet of meat with meds in she lives it but is getting a bit of a tummy even on that tiny amount. Vet was very impressed with her weight and teeth. Sadly is limpy now due to arthritis. She is still bouncing about so is still enjoying life.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

That has applied to all my adult dogs as well, TBH.

This is what the breeder said but I wasn't sure. We are feeding ad lib and she isn't bolting food just taking it as and when