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  1. #1
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Puppies super hungry! How much to feed them?

    What are people's thoughts on feeding puppies? I know some people stick to the set amounts for their weights while others say feed the puppy as much as it wants to eat. Normally I do a combo of the two, set an amount but if they seem super hungry I'll give them extra.

    The current foster puppies we have are RAVENOUS! They're eating a ton of food. Almost a cup in the AM, 1/2 cup at lunch (would probably eat more but I won't give them it), and another almost cup in PM. This is for each puppy, not total! They're only 8 weeks old and about 10 pounds. Should I cut back? They sprint to the food container and jump up on it and as soon as I put the food down they eat fiercely until it is all gone.
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  2. #2
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Sounds like you can up lunch to a full cup or drop it all together and feed 1.5 cup for breakfast and dinner.

    By 8 weeks old, my lab pups usually run between 15-20 pounds. Feed those puppies. Better to give them nutrition now so they can have proper bone development and cognitive development. If they seem too heavy later on, you can cut back then. I always keep pups a little chunky because growth spurts are CONSTANT at this age.

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  4. #3
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Thanks JenC! I will keep feeding them as much as they want to eat. And sorry I should have mentioned that they're not labs. They're being advertised as coonhound/mixes but I'm not sure where they got coonhound so it's a total mystery to me. Their mom is only about 35 pounds at 2 years so I'm not surprised by their lower weight in comparison.
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  5. #4
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    It sounds like you are not feeding them enough food.

    Each puppy should be getting 3-3/4 cups of food per day (each puppy). So that's 1 cup to 1 cup and 1/4 at each meal. ( they need to be fed three times per day at this age) Nutrition is very important for growing puppies. You don't want to underfeed them.
    Last edited by lovemylabby; 04-21-2019 at 10:16 AM.

  6. #5
    Real Retriever Beth C's Avatar
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    At that age, Lido's breeder said to start with 3/4 cup 3x daily, and up it as necessary. Keep an eye on the puppies' ribs and overall appearance. You should be able to feel the ribs, but there should be a little fat pad on them, too. I increased it to 1 c. 3x daily within a week. Puppies that age need to be fed 3x daily. I did this for a few months, then cut the overall feeding amount back to twice daily. He's now 11 months old and holding pretty steady at 2 1/2 cups twice daily - for now. I'm hoping I can start cutting back as his growth slows down!

  7. #6
    Senior Dog zd262's Avatar
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    Thanks lovemylabby and Beth C! We decided to just feed them as much as they want at every meal, but their hunger has waned a little since I posted this. I wonder if there was a lot of food competition at their previous foster when they had all of their siblings around. They're healthy and growing though!
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