# How often should I feed puppy 3 months old?



## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

Hello...I'm new here and this is my first post. I'm bringing home a 3-month old Schnauzer-Shih Tzu mix puppy I adopted. I had dogs for years but haven't had one in over 11 years....so I'm rather new again. The rescue center I adopted Missy from said to get her Hill's Science Diet food....I could not find it, so I got her "Beneful Healthy Radiance....with real salmon & Wholesome Rice, accented with vitamin-rich vegetables". My first question is if this is a good balanced diet for her. My second is how much to feed her....how often. The package says to give a puppy under 3 months as much as they want. I mistakenly (not informed...no internet) did that to a puppy I got once and she got very fat. :doh: It could have been because I never changed it...I left food out all the time. After that I always fed my dogs in the morning and in the evening...with some treats now and then in-between. So....HELP!!! *How much and how often should I feed my new baby girl?? * :redface:

I've been reading posts here and I'm going to make her a toy box. I only got one toy for her last night. I just found out yesterday that I'm picking her up today at 9 am....they are driving her 199 miles to get her part way to me!!! I'm a bit nervous like a new mom. I'll be watching her like a hawk for the time being. I went last night and frantically shopped for a crate, gate for kitchen, indoor potty training kit for indoors when I'm not home or in bad weather, a collar and leash for taking her out, odor & stain remover....ALL kinds of stuff. I got her a combo food/water dish....now I wish I'd gotten them separate for emptying purposes....OH WELL...I'll be on a learning curve and so will she for a while. 

I'LL BE BACK!! :wave:


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Many people on the forum have good advice for this. I personally have always fed my puppies three meals a day until they were 6 months of age. Follow the directions on the bag and if you see a weight problem you cut back just a little according to the directions on the dog food bag. I generally have large breed dogs. I do however have two smaller dogs. If you can afford a better dog food I would not feed that food. You must be careful when changing dog foods. It must be done slowly such as mixing the new with the old a little at a time for a good week or so. Such as: 1 cup old food and 1/4 cup new food for a couple of days, then 3/4 cup old food and 1/2 cup new food for a couple of days, in this manner until you are feeding straight new food. Changing food too suddenly causes stomach and intestinal upsets such as the runs and sometimes upset stomachs. There are many threads on the forum you can check out too. I do not like to free feed because I want to know that my pup is actually eating and how much so I can tell if my pup should ever have a change in appetite which could signal illness in some instances. There is a site I visit called "dog food advisor" and it will help you to understand the benefits of the proper nutrition for your puppy. I used to feed what you are about to feed but changed it to 4Health dog food. It was within my budget. You can only do what you can financially in some instances.  Just do your best. I am sure others will come along and explain some more. Good luck with your new pup and congrats!  Also, Hello and Welcome!......................The thread about food and nutrition has good advice also.......................................


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## Bordermom (Apr 28, 2010)

Ditto on the food. Look for a pet supply store in your area, the grocery store foods aren't that great. If you can get something better right away, do it. 

For the first few meals, I would try a bit less than 1/4 cup. If you have white rice, cooked sweet potato or canned pumpkin, add a teaspoon or so. Same with plain yogurt. Put it down, wait 20 minutes, take it away. The rice/potato/pumpkin/yogurt will help with the stools and prevent digestive upsets. You can slowly increase the amount as she grows.

Pictures please!!!


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

Agree with the food. It's not good quality, and neither is Science Diet. We feed Blue Buffalo, and are happy with that. We started on Canidae All Life Stages and were happy with that, too. One thing about foods: some have more fillers, those foods usually call for giving the dog more food (you have to give more of it to get the necessary nutrients, since a good portion of it is fillers). A food with less fillers usually doesn't require as much to be fed, because there are more nutrients per smaller serving. So, sometimes, you actually need to feed less of a higher quality food.
When our pups were young we'd feed three times a day, then we switched to twice a day when they hit 6 months.
Good luck with your puppy!


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Beneful isn't a good food. Try going to www.dogfoodanalysis.com and find a 5 star or better food. Chicken soup for the puppy lover is a decent one that is priced fairly inexpensively. You'll feed less of a good food than you would of a cheap, bad food like Beneful, Pedigree, Iams, Science Diet.

I'd feed a puppy that young 3 small meals a day. When they get to around 6 months, you can go to twice a day.


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## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

UPSET TUMMY...I think. I've been feeding Missy what she was used to...Hill's Science Diet for Puppies. As per advice here, I ordered "Chicken Soup Puppy Food" from the internet and will gradually change her over after I receive it.....but she's still letting those horrible stinkers. What can I do to help her with what must be an upset stomach. She's been SO wonderful at using the pee-pee pads...she already knows what it's for. I just stand there and won't let her leave (using the Dog Whisperer's method) and she goes on it every time....for now. But she must have a sour or upset tummy to let those. Her stool was very soft...not liquid...just soft when I brought her home. Last night and today, they've been normal...little sausage like things I can pick up with bath tissue. So, any advice about the gas on tummy problem?? Thank you. OH....BTW, I got instructions on here from someone about how to add photos and here they are...until I get some better ones developed.


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## kathylcsw (Jul 4, 2011)

You can add about a tbsp of plain yogurt to her food to help with stomach upset. It worked for my puppy when I was changing foods.


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## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

*Thanks...will get some today.*


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## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

*new puppy Missy has barely eaten today....should I be worried??*

Missy is 2 mos. & 10 days today and this is our 4th day together. She's been eating great until today. She has hardly eaten. I sat by her and her dish for a bit and she ate some....but she's frisky and is playing. We went outside about 4 times today and she runs and plays. We had a play time on the couch and she came up to my ear and was pushing with her feet and nibbling on my earlobe....as if to nurse. I took her away but was wondering if I should give her any milk. Should I or should I not?? The horrible stinkers are gone...took advice here and put some plain yogurt in her food a couple of time. Her stools look good...not soft or runny. The pooping in her crate stopped.....I rolled up a very big towel she she wouldn't have as much room to turn around...just to cozy up and sleep. Sorry if worry about this sounds paranoid....but being a new puppy mommy, it sort of comes with the territory. Maybe their appetite wanes a bit....not sure about that. But after sleeping all night, I would think she would have been starving....but she didn't eat a thing. Advice please. Thanks much.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

*Re: new puppy Missy has barely eaten today....should I be worried??*

No milk. Most dogs can't handle dairy products, as they get the runs.
Keep offering the food. Maybe add a little warm water to it to make it more appealing.


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## godfreygirl143 (Sep 27, 2011)

*Re: new puppy Missy has barely eaten today....should I be worried??*

*THANKS...did and she's doing better this morning. She ate breakfast just fine.*


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