How much food?

[Oakley's Mom]

My puppy is about 6 weeks old. I'm currently feeding him kibble for breakfast and lunch and then raw meat for dinner. He's enjoying it so far, but I'm wondering how much I should be feeding him. Right now, I'm giving him about 1/3 cup of kibble for breakfast and lunch mixed with a little milk or an egg (every other day) and then about 2-3 TBS of raw meat for dinner. Is this too much or not enough or just right for him? I'm not wanting to go to raw meats for all meals just yet.

[BigBrownDog]

I'll not comment on the raw part as I am not conversant - except to say that the different kinds of food digest at different rates.

Dogs do not need milk at all - I would cut that out. 1/3 cup is not much food - but if he seems satisfied and is growing I guess it may be OK - depends totally on the puppy.

6 weeks is very young to have left the litter. Is he a rescue?

[Oakley's Mom]

No, he's not. I've heard some people say 6 weeks is young to have left and others that say it's the right age. He's adapting well though. And 1/3 cup at each meal seems to be enough for him. If he eats through it quickly, I tend to add a little more.

[BigBrownDog]

Not to belabor the point - but it's really not a matter of opinion on leaving the litter. In many states it is illegal to home a puppy before 8 weeks due to the important behavioral learning that happens in the last 2 weeks when the puppy is still with the littermates. Obviously you have your puppy now and can't undo what has been done- but for anyone who reads this - they should know that an puppy buyer should wait til 8 weeks for the benefit of the puppy and his transition to being in a household.

Labs do tend to eat very quickly and some will eat well past the point of need (why you see a lot of them FAT). Your vet or breeder should be a good resource. It very much depends on the size of the pup.

[Belles mom]

Getting a puppy at 6 weeks aside (not good in my opinion), it seems like a VERY small amout of food to be feeding your pup! When I sent my pups to their owners (at eight+ weeks of age), they were eating close to 5-6 CUPS a day of kibble (divided into three meals). And no they were not (and have never been) fat! I have since converted evening meals to RAW, and even my adult dogs get 2-4 cups a day (total, raw and kibble in different meals...depending on age, activity and weight).

[Luvmydog2much]

You are not feeding enough. 1/3 of a cup of dog food twice a day wouldn't be enough to satiate a growing Pomeranian let alone a large breed dog. 2-3 Tbsp of raw? What is this, like half a chicken wing? How much does he weigh?

Cut out the milk, and give him either raw or kibble. Given his age, I hope he is getting vaccinated and wormed.

I'll agree with Karen, my puppies at 6 weeks old were getting about 5 cups of food a piece per day. Good food, not junk food.

[nicole]

What in god's name are you guys feeding that 6-8wk old puppies get/need 5-6 cups of food a day??

[Luvmydog2much]

I was feeding proplan, each puppy was getting 1.5 cups soaked in water four times a day before they left. Each puppy had a seperate dish, so I know who was eating what. My puppies were not in the least bit fat.

[myFirstlab]

My puppy has been getting around 1.5 to 3 cups total per day (eukanuba). 6 cups does seem alot, but i guess it just depends on the calories per cup.

I really have no clue as to say what is "fat" and "skinny" as this is my first puppy really, but judging from the picture above, that puppy seems a lil heavy? THe legs seem sooo much thicker than my lil maddy when she was that young. I try to follow the "you can't see the ribs but you can feel" rule it but i know that can be subjective really. Its hard to tell because it feels like my puppy will each 10 cups of food a day if i let her lol

[BigBrownDog]

My puppy has been getting around 1.5 to 3 cups total per day (eukanuba). 6 cups does seem alot, but i guess it just depends on the calories per cup.

I really have no clue as to say what is "fat" and "skinny" as this is my first puppy really, but judging from the picture above, that puppy seems a lil heavy? THe legs seem sooo much thicker than my lil maddy when she was that young. I try to follow the "you can't see the ribs but you can feel" rule it but i know that can be subjective really. Its hard to tell because it feels like my puppy will each 10 cups of food a day if i let her lol

What you see in the puppy's legs above is bone - not fat. It is desirable for a Lab puppy to have a lot of bone/substance. That puppy shown is not fat - remotely.