# How much food to give my puppy



## whisky (Nov 5, 2009)

I have an alaskan malamute/gsd mix and the girl working at the pet store said to give him 1/2 cup of food twice a day. The bag of food which is "medium breed" (shouldnt he be eating large breed his mom was 110lbs and his dad was 90lbs) says 2 1/2 - 4 cups per day and he just mows down his food when we give it to him, so are we giving him enough?


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

By the time a large breed puppy is old enough for 2 meals a day, a cup will be way too little. I am getting a 7 week old Lab Sunday. It will be getting 1/2 cup each of 3 times a day. By the time it is 3 months old and we cut back to 2 meals a day, it will be getting 3-4 cups a day. Any recommendation is only a starting point. If it is less than 4 months, you should be feeding a puppy chow now. Switching to an adult chow for the
larger breeds at 4 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints. Adult chows vary. Don't feed a puppy one with more than 1.5% calcium. 

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You
should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different.
Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its
food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good
illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx


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## Terrie (Sep 11, 2009)

The best thing you can do is follow your gut. If your puppy eats his current rations in under a minute, I would say, he needs more but that is just my feeling about the matter. 

I was giving my pup 2 cups of food/day and some people were saying that is too much even though she is at a perfect weight and not gaining too fast.


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## whisky (Nov 5, 2009)

Thanks for your input he's 8 weeks btw and I think I'll start feeding him 3 times a day


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## brecken (Oct 25, 2009)

you usually feed them lg breed 3 times a day for a yr


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## mollyshuman (Aug 26, 2009)

My vet told me that his general rule of thumb is 1 cup per 7 lbs of puppy. I have a 24 lbs 5 month old pup and she eats 3 cups of food per day. She has 1 cup for 3 meals each day. Hope this helps


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## brecken (Oct 25, 2009)

mollyshuman said:


> My vet told me that his general rule of thumb is 1 cup per 7 lbs of puppy. I have a 24 lbs 5 month old pup and she eats 3 cups of food per day. She has 1 cup for 3 meals each day. Hope this helps


thats what i did with lily they need to be fed 3 times a day bc they are still growing and they need all that nutrition


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

brecken said:


> you usually feed them lg breed 3 times a day for a yr


Maybe you do, but many cut back before then.


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## Wlfdg (Oct 18, 2009)

whisky said:


> I have an alaskan malamute/gsd mix and the girl working at the pet store said to give him 1/2 cup of food twice a day. The bag of food which is "medium breed" (shouldnt he be eating large breed his mom was 110lbs and his dad was 90lbs) says 2 1/2 - 4 cups per day and he just mows down his food when we give it to him, so are we giving him enough?


It can depend on what kind of food you are feeding and how much crap/filler/ corn is in it. That said 1 cup of food a day for an 8week old large breed puppy is probably a little low. If you were feeding EVO you would probably be feeding about 2.5 cups a day.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

Sounds like an awful lot for that size of a dog. I would feeding a Lab, Golden, or Shepherd less than 2 cups of Pro Plan or Iams at 8 weeks.


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## Wlfdg (Oct 18, 2009)

Labsnothers said:


> Sounds like an awful lot for that size of a dog. I would feeding a Lab, Golden, or Shepherd less than 2 cups of Pro Plan or Iams at 8 weeks.


Cause labs, goldens and gsd's are as big as malamutes?


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## emily445455 (Apr 8, 2008)

whisky said:


> Thanks for your input he's 8 weeks btw and I think I'll start feeding him 3 times a day


I'd say definilty more than 1 cup per day. I use the bag as a guide, and yes I would use Large Breed.


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