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  1. #1
    Puppy marc515's Avatar
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    Feeding quantity??

    We've had Tucker on "Earthborn Puppy Vantage" since we brought him home at 8 weeks old.

    While it looks like a great food, we have concerns with the recommended feeding. Tucker is 7 months old, and weighs about 55-60 Lbs, and the recommended feeding for his age & weight is 5 to 5-1/4 cups per day; I know puppies require more food than adults, this just seems like way too much food!

    How much are you feeding your guys?

    I plan to start transitioning to adult food next month when he is 8 months old; when do you guys plan to transition your pup's?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    I don't have experience with the Earthborn lines of kibble, but I know that at one point Burton's litter mates were eating upwards of 6 cups of Pro Plan Sport 30/20 (however, I think at that point the males eating that much were between 80 and 90 lbs). So I think the recommended amount for Tucker might actually be on par. I would suggest you just watch your pup's figure and feed that way. You could feed what the bag recommends and if Tucker looks thin, up the amount, if Tucker looks pudgy, cut back a bit. It really depends on the dog (how active is he? is he intact? metabolism? lifestyle? stuff like that). You could start transitioning your pup right now to an adult or all life stages food if you'd like.

    Any chance you could talk to your breeder to see where the litter mates are at? Mine would send me updates when they needed an increase or decrease in food.
    Charlie and Burton


  3. #3
    Senior Dog BaconsMom's Avatar
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    Bacon is nearly a year old, eating 4 cups per day plus treats. He eats Grain Free Fromm, rotating proteins. He has been on an All life stages food since 8 months.
    Julie & Jake, Bacon's Humans

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  4. #4
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    You might find this site helpful to you, for a starting point. Please feel free to check my math.


    Basic Calorie Calculator | College of Veterinary Medicine


    According to the given formula, you take your dogs weight in kilograms to the power of 3/4 (or .75) and multiply by 70 to get your RER. This is for an adult dog, so for a puppy you would multiply by 2 to get your caloric needs.


    So say we are using the higher end of your pup's weight, 60 lbs (since Tucker is likely to keep growing, might as well use the higher weight).


    60 lb/2.2 lb per kg = 27.27 kilograms


    So using the formula [70 (27.27kg)^.75] 2


    27.27 kg ^ .75 = 11.93


    11.93 * 70 = 835.3 adult RER (pretty much can just look at that chart to confirm)


    835.3 RER * 2 (because Tucker is still a puppy, 4 mos - 1 year) = 1670.67 calories needed per day for a 60 lb puppy.


    1670.67 calories/445 calories per cup of Earthborn Puppy = 3.75 cups a day


    It seems a bit low to me, but it depends on your dog. I did it for Burton's weight at 85 lbs and it was about 2200 cals, which is lower than what I feed (I feed closer to 3000, depending on how active we are). He is muscular. Also we feed raw and that is a different ball game than kibble.
    Charlie and Burton


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  6. #5
    Real Retriever fidgetyknees's Avatar
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    That is a cool formula!!!! I think 3.75 sounds like a good number. I never fed my girl more than 3 heaped cups a day (excluding a lot of treats for training) when she was a bigger puppy so that sounds right to me.

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    charliebbarkin (08-12-2014)

  8. #6
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    I feed Jagger (9 months old) 4 cups a day of Pro Plan Sport 30/20. Any more and it's the runs....

  9. #7
    Senior Dog
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    I've never fed a dog as much as the bag suggests, even during the fast growing stages. Mulder was the one who ate the most growing up and he maxed out at about 4 cups of Pro-Plan a day when he was about 7-8 months or so. The girls probably maxed out at 3-3.5 cups during heavy growth.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
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    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
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    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

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  10. #8
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    Luna is 14 months and eats 2 cups a day, plus treats.
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  11. #9
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    Maverick is about 35 pounds at 4 months old. He gets 2 1/4 cups a day of Nutro Max Large Breed Puppy. For twice the size and age I'd think somewhere around 4-6 cups would be right. Like everyone said though, take into account his body. Maverick is eating WAY less than what his bag says to feed him but his body is in perfect shape. Do what works for him.

  12. #10
    Real Retriever EmmaJo11's Avatar
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    I never feed the bag amount either. Emma is 3yrs and eats 3 cups a day split in two meals
    "The dog was created specially for children, he is the God of frolic"
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