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Old December 11th, 2008, 10:02 AM
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bendyfoot bendyfoot is offline
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Join Date: May 2007
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There are two types of eaters, IME. I have both. One kind of dog will hound you for food all day, scarf down it's meal like it's going to be it's last, then hound you for more food. It's every action screams "I'M STAAAARVING". The other kind of dog nibbles and picks and nibbles and sometimes doesn't even bother to eat, and seems to occasionally forget that food even exists.

The one who's STAAARVING...is not. They're lying. They just reaaaally are driven by food, and filling the bowl is likely going to result in the pup gorging himself, and probably bloating or vomitting, neither of which is safe or healthy. Do NOT cave into the sad puppy eyes and overfeed your pup, or you are going to end up with an obese dog, which is a far more horrible/cruel thing. Generally speaking, it's better to have structured mealtimes as opposed to leaving food out all day. It allows you to control how much the dog is eating (portion control) and allows you to quickly see if the dog's not eating as much as usual (a sign of illness).

Dry food (kibble) usually comes with a feeding guide on the bag, a recommended amount to feed (in cups/day) based on weight. This is a very good starting point for most dogs/puppies. The most important thing to base the amount you feed is not the feeding guide, however, it's the dog's body condition. For example, I have two dogs roughly the same size...one gets 1.5 cups a day while the other gets 4 cups a day. These amounts are based on their body conditions. If I feed one more than 1.5 cups/day, she gets chubby. If I feed the other LESS than 4 cups a day, she gets bony. I give my dogs a good appraisal with both my eyes and my hands at least once a week, and adjust their food as needed. If you're not sure exactly how to assess body condition, ask your vet at your pup's next checkup. In a nutshell, though, you want to see a nice tuck in the belly/waistline both from the side and from above, and you should be able to feel the ribs with just a small layer of flesh/fat. If you can't feel ribs the dog is obese.

As for feeding puppies puppy food...how big is your dog (I have two terrier mixes, and one is 55 lbs while the other is 25lbs...) As a general rule, it's better for larger pups to stay on puppy food longer, at least a year...this helps regulate their growth at a safe/healthy level. Smaller dogs (IMO) can be put on adult food faster, especially if they're starting to show signs of getting fatter rather than longer/taller.
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Solomon - black DSH - king of kitchen raids (11)
Gracie - Mutterooski X - scary smart (9)
Jaida - GSD - tripod trainwreck and gentle soul (4)
Heidi - mugsly Boston Terrier X - she is in BIG trouble!!! (3)
Audrey - torbie - sweet as pie (11 months)
Patrick - blue - a little turd (but we like him anyways) (6 months)
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Riley and Molly
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