How much to feed her?

[jenr]

Hi Ladies when I went and saw the vet she said just feed Lucy the Ekubra dry biscuits because it is a complete diet.
We did for few days but she seemed to get sick of them, I have been buying little satchels of Pal for Puppies and giving her half of one with the biscuits mixed through twice a day and she scoffs this as if she is starving.
I am starting to wonder if this is enough for her?
All our animals eat in different areas so its not as if the others are getting her food?
How much do you think she should be eating at 2 months old?
Thanks Jen!

[Heather]

As long as she is getting a balanced and nutritious feed at a regular time, she should be fine....and twice a day is plenty (Rosie gets two handfuls of Kibble in the morning and about 250g of either raw food or canned at night....and she is much bigger than Lucy).
The worst mistake you could make is to give her too much....it sets a pattern for obesity in old age.

[Leigh]

Puppies, like human babies need to be fed more often than adults. Perhaps work out how much she should be eating in a day, and spread it out over 3-4 meals through out the day.

[jenr]

We will only be able to feed her twice a day as we are at work I suppose she has a little tummy so she shouldnt take much to fill up?
Jen

[Mad Old Cow]

Jen, when we got Maggie they said half a cup of food at brekky & half at dinner but she is 9 months old & a shorty i just buy the puppy dry food for her & give her a little bit of (devon) or a little bit of cooked mince with it but Lucy might need 3 small feeds a day bring a lot younger

[Stormy]

General rule of thumb I've gone with for older animals is that if they are losing weight, feed them more and if they are gaining, feed them less. But puppies are supposed to gain rapidly, particularly in the first six months. I think as long as you are using a puppy wet food with the dry food then it will be fine.

When Mischa was a pup, I tried to feed her three to four times a day in small amounts and as she got older, we started giving her two bigger meals a day. Don't be worried if she scoffs it like she's starving....the vet has always told us that dogs should eat their meals quickly - sign of good health apparently. If they how in with great gusto and then barely nibble the rest of it, apparently that is too much for them to handle at once. :yes:

And cripes, some dogs like the lovely Indy (who I will be looking after at Christmas again :y:) will just keep eating with the same amount of enthusiasm long after they are full. :hehe: Much like some humans I would think. :D

[Mad Old Cow]

when you think about it puppys never stop running so i guess they are burning up their energy & need more eh.
Kay your post made me think about Margot she sits & looks at her's most of the time for about 50 to 60 mins before she eats it but Maggie gulps

[jenr]

Thats a long time Di for her to be sitting there looking at her meal?
Jen

[Patricia]

Every vet we have ever used has always told us to ONLY ever have a DRY diet for both cats and dogs.

I don't do things to a rule...generally I just leave dry food out for both the cats and the dogs and they help themselves as they want it. None of them are skinny...I like to think cuddly would describe most of them.

Maybe that might be something to try Jen, just leave the dry food out for her all the time...that way your little darling can just graze away as she needs to and never be hungry :)

[Leigh]

I am all for premium dry food, that is all we use. But I hate how vets tell people that they are a complete diet, and you can feed them dry only. Its a load of crap.
Sorry...bit of an OT rant.

[Supa]

Ours get a huge variety, dry, tin, fresh meat (roo, rabbit, mutton) leftovers & they have always been healthy & a good weight

[jenr]

Thanks Ladies I think what I am doing now with a small bit of wet food mixed with dry seems to be ok? Twice a day should suffice I hope?
Patricia I cant leave food out all day as the cats and Skye ( other dog) would eat it and Skye is a little bit overweight we are watching her diet.
Thanks Jen!

Sorry ladies I meant to ask as well.
We give Skye raw meat usually whatever is on special and it has helped her coat.
Would it be better for Little Lucy to have raw meat mixed with dry biscuits or should I stick to Pal Puppy food? She is 2 months old.
Thanks Jen

[Heather]

As dogs are carnivores some raw meat shouldn't hurt her....you could even try some meaty bones occasionally, which would help her to learn to chew properly (slippers and socks are obviously too soft :hehe:) but keep an eye on her when giving those in case she gets a bone splinter caught between her teeth.
I'm sure that meat is better for them than grains and most canned food is high in that.

[jenr]

Thank you Heather I will try her tonight on some raw I know she will love it! As long as it loves her if you know what I mean!:D
Jen

[Mad Old Cow]

yes Jen IKWYM lol thats why i never really give my dogs raw meat for some reason Cavaliers have a touchy tummy ( like me lol ) i have given just a small amount of raw mince or raw chicken but if i were feeding them a full meal of meat i always cook it first. i remember an old neighbour of ours years ago used to have greyhounds & he always said that he never gave raw meat because raw meat is full of worms, now i have no idea if he was right or not but i always live by what he said, i can feed my dogs chicken all day & not have a problem but if i fed them any other meat cooked or not they would have a bit of the runs ( not good for indoor dogs lol )

[Leigh]

Dogs are actually omnivores so need both meat and plants for a balanced diet. Cooking destroys a lot of the nutrients, so raw is best. Most meat these days won't be too bad for worms..I avoid roo for this reason tho. As long as you regularly worm your pets, it won't be a problem.

So a good balanced diet for a dog would contain their dry food, raw meat and bones and some cooked veggies and even some fruit if you can get them to eat it. Raw bones are fine, they are soft and rubbery so don't generally cause any problems..never feed cooked bones though. For a puppy chicken necks and wings would be a good size.

[redrobyn]

You can also mix a bit of rice or pasta in with some cooked mince and vegies as well, like everyone said a balanced diet a bit of everything in moderation.