# Am I feeding my puppy too much?



## Fork (Feb 6, 2011)

I have a chiweenie that I rescued from the shelter a little over a week ago. The vet guesstimates that he is 5 months old. I take him for a daily walk of about 20-30 minutes, but other than that he's pretty calm and laid back and prefers to lay next to me and either sleep or chew his bone. I don't know what he was eating at the shelter, but I was feeding him Iams when I brought him home. I have since learned better and decided to switch him to Canidae. I didn't mix the foods, just switched. However since the switch he seems to poop a lot more. More times a day and more in quantity each time. I used the dog food calculator in the stickies and it said I should be feeding him .9 cups a day. I don't really know what that translates to using measuring cups, but I've been giving him 1/2 a cup 2 times a day. Oh, and he does get treats for going potty outside, but that doesn't amount to very much at all.


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

How much does he weigh?


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## Fork (Feb 6, 2011)

:doh: I knew I forgot something! He weighs 11 lbs.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

That seems like a little bit much, but puppies do need more calories per pound. 

How often do you feed him? Do you give him meals or leave the food out all the time?


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## w8ing4rain (Sep 4, 2008)

Dixie weighs 12 pounds and eats 1/4 cup twice a day. She isn't a puppy though so would need less than your dog. How much Iams were you feeding him? I would think it would take a bit less of the Canidae as it is a higher quality food than Iams. I have never used the dog food calculator so I don't really know how it works. Dixie has her own calculator. If I feed her more than 1/4 cup at a feeding she eats 1/4 cup and leaves the rest. Hopefully someone with a puppy will be able to give you a better Idea. I do know that the recommended amounts listed on most dog food bags tend to be too much.


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## Fork (Feb 6, 2011)

For 2-10 lbs 1/2-1.5 cups for a puppy up to 6 months and 1/2-3/4 cup for adult with exercise.
For 10-25 lbs 1.5-2 cups for a puppy up to 6months and 3/4-1 cup for an adult with exercise.

Here is what I'm feeding;
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html



Willowy said:


> That seems like a little bit much, but puppies do need more calories per pound.
> 
> How often do you feed him? Do you give him meals or leave the food out all the time?


I've been feeding him 1/2 cup 2 times a day. He finishes his food of really quickly. I don't leave his food down all the time, if I did my 1 year old son would eat it.



w8ing4rain said:


> How much Iams were you feeding him? I would think it would take a bit less of the Canidae as it is a higher quality food than Iams.


I didn't really measure the iams, but I think it was roughly 1-1.5 cups 2 times a day.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

That sounds like a bit much. Maybe you could cut down to 3/4 or 2/3 cup a day and see if his poop gets better. You want the poop to be really firm.

When my pup was 5 months old he weighed about 6 lbs and was eating pretty much the same calorie kind of food and only got 1/2 cup a day, sometimes less (especially if I'd given him alot of treats).


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## Horseshoe (Nov 10, 2010)

The kcal/cup are pretty high in this food. Cutting to 1/3 a cup 2xday might help. You don't want to start out with an overweight pup..lol.


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