How Much Food? - Page 1

At handling class last night, the instructor commented that my 9 mo. old female looked 'a little thin'. I responded that' she's getting about 5 1/2 cups of premium kibble a day, which is close to twice what my 80 lb. male is getting!

She doesn't get a lot of exercise, just one walk a day. Her main exercise is tearing around the backyard with my other dog. She's on the small side for a female. I haven't weighed or measured her lately, but I think she's about 23".

How much kibble would YOU be feeding a pup this age? Maybe I should have another stool check done on her to check for worms? (Last was in April.)

I have one dog that, on the small side, that gets 3 cups per day and takes all day to eat it.  I have a large female and a large male that take 6 and 7 cups a day, eat it all  immediately,  and wants more.  I have a large male that gets 7 cups a day and takes all day to eat it, but does.  I have a medium sized female that gets 5 cups per day and is just right with how long it takes to eat it.  I have a female Bull Mastiff/Boxer cross that is old and on a diet, that gets 1 1/2 cups twice a day, and she is still overweight but not too bad.

They are all over the place with their eating habits and amount needs.  The weight on all is just right, except for my old girl, who is (whispering now) "Plump".

I find it funny how much the recommended amounts to feed are, as indicated on the food bags or on web sites. None show anywhere near the correct amound for most active dogs.  They do have the discalimer that the food intake should be adjusted for activity or individual dogs.  Most GSD's require more than 2 1/2 cups, IMO.

This particular brand (which is Performatrin Super Premium Puppy)  recommends up to 4 cups a day. I've been feeding her more than that almost since I got her at 14 weeks.

Just goes to show you, every dog is different, eh?

I think it all depends on the dog.  My 1 yr old female takes forever to eat but, needs a good 4 cups per day whereas my 9 month old female only needs 3 to 3 1/2 cups and gobbles it.  My 1 yr old seems to be getting very picky lately and I'm having a harder time getting her to eat.  I've been feeding RC 24 to both and have just this week started to get Nutro Natural Choice for her this week because she doesn't seem to want to eat the RC.  My younger girl of course would eat my sock if I let her!  And she will beef up quickly where my 1 yr old can look lanky fast.  I think it also has to do with the different growth spurts they will go thru and of course, activity level.  My 1 yr old is a lot more active than the 9 month old.

Of course you must be certain your female is parasite free. That being said, dogs just like humans have differen't metabolisms. I feed a lot of dogs. I can feed a uniform amount, and out of the dogs I have of the same size, some will get fat and others will look thin.  There are easy keepers and dogs who have trouble keeping weight on.

 The same goes for physical conditioning. There are some humans who can live in a gym, yet don't look like they have ever worked out a day in their life. Other lucky people have bodies that react to training in a dramatic way and make huge improvements.

 You have to adjust the caloric intake of each dog separately. Just like humans, dogs of the same breed and size can be either ectomorphic, endomorphic, or mesomorphic   and should be fed and worked accordingly.

We were accused of starving our Chessie when she was 7-months old.  You could feel, but not see, her ribs.  Too many people think bigger is better weight wise on dogs.  I would rather see a rib or two then not.  Our current vets, for general and x-rays, are very pleased to see ours dogs are the right weight, not what is considered the norm for most people.  Take somebody saying she's thin with a grain of salt, they may be used to fat dogs.  But do have her checked for worms.

A friend of mine has a dog like yours and uses "xtrabloom wate" from Dresslers Dog supply (I think, can check if you want). His female can't eat enough to keep the weight on. So this is like powdered animal fat he sprinkles on. Man you should see the coat on this dog; crazy shiny. He's only been using it a couple months but you can see a definate change already.

She's blowing her puppy coat right now, which may be one reason she looks skinny (not enough hair to hide the ribs!) I give her Dog Bloom as a supplement, but may try adding some extra fat to her diet. It will have to be done through extra food, though. I can't afford expensive supplements right now, and importing from the States costs an arm and a leg for shipping! 

I've increased her food to 6 cups a day, which is double what I'm feeding Ranger, who is maintaining his weight (approx. 80 lbs.) on just 3 cups.... I hate to think how much I'd have to feed her if she were doing really strenuous training, like schutzhund, or agility!

Sunsilver,
Too too many variables here. I think Abhay said it best. You have to consider a quality dog foods recomendations, your dogs lines, your dogs coat, ( not all dogs will show ribs because of the heavyness of their coat ) Your dogs metabolism, how much excersize they get, and ultimatly what seems right for the individual dog. Often I manipulate their food to find what I like best ( whats best for them ). It gets down to knowing your dog and going a little further to do what works best for them. There is nothing wrong with experimenting up and down a little. Or for that matter finding a quality food that works best for them.

Sunsilver, one thing also to consider:  my vet wants to see 2 ribs on a gsd dog and says that there are new studies showing overweight dogs tend to have more bone/joint problems.  My female is on the slender side too.  I look for healthy coat, vitality, and energy levels.  I add plain yogurt to her RC24 and she love's it, you can add Cottage Cheese too.  I do also add RAW once a day and have stayed away from the canned food.  JMO and vet advice.