Confusion on daily food amounts...

[Barney's Mom]

I am so confused about food amounts for Barney. The Canidae bag says for puppies 10-25 lbs., give 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Barney is 11 lbs. so I give him 3/4 of a cup a.m. and 3/4 of a cup p.m., making his 1 1/2 cup for the day. That sounds good for a puppy, but they list for adult dogs only 1 cup per day! That doesn't seem like enough for a dog to survive on! Why do the little ones get more food and the bigger dogs get less? That seems backward to me! Am I giving Barney enough? I am sure I don't understand the physiology of dogs, but it just seems strange to give such a small amount to a grown dog!

Goforette and all you other folks with little ones (Barney is 5 mo.), how much food do you give your puppy? Even right after Barney is done eating, he sits there at the table and begs like he hasn't eaten in a month!

I am so used to cats who know when to quit eating! I think Barney would eat himself sick if he could!

[Lesley]

I also followed the 2x daily feeding of 3/4 cup - and quess what?........my pup soon was over weight at 11 months. At 12 months we cut back to 1x feeding of 3/4 cup dry Canidae. I was thankful for my breeder to advise on the subject- and hope to hear of other's on the subject of cutting back from puppy 2x feeding and amount.

[goforette]

The girls get about 1/2 cup of dry or so mixed with maybe 1/4-1/2 of some sort of meat. I haven't converted to the raw diet yet so I'm cooking them organic buffalo, and doing Evangers Hunk of Beef in a can - and 100 percent Evangers buffalo, chicken, beef in a can. They really won't go near traditional stuff at all - so we're doing timberwolf organic dry and evangers wet and like I said cooked stuff. So you figure it's probably the equivalent to what you're doing for Barney. And they're energizer bunnies so you know they're burning calories. We weighed Hollie and she's just a little over 12 lbs and Brystal came in at 8.4 tonight. They don't seem overweight - just growing. I think the amount you're giving Barney sounds about the same as what each of ours are getting - not to mention the training treats! And I think Barney was a pound less than Hollie - and Hollie just turned 5 months last week - Brystal will next week - I'd say you're doing great with the amount you're giving Barney - mine probably get a cup each morning and night combined with wet and dry.

[Milopup]

My pup is 2 1/2 years old and 13.5 pounds - he gets 1/2 cup of Canidae in the morning and another 1/2 cup at night - he does get a carrot or a piece of sweet potato as a snack during the day.

[AngusMacDoggal]

Puppies need more calories than adult dogs; that is why the feeding charts are different. Angus is eating Prairie Raw so it's really hard to say exactly what the measurement is. The bag says 5-6 medallions a day, and that's what he's eating. Plus I supplement with Sojos Europa freeze dried veggies and canned pumpkin. He is not at all pudgy. Hubby said the other day it seems like he's lost that puppy roundness. Angus is 6 months old, I'm not sure he should have lost his puppy roundness already, so maybe he needs more food. He definitley would eat more if offered. I've never seen such a chowhound!

[we-love-izzy]

I feed Izzy who just turned 4 months old, about 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup at supper time. She never eats it all though, so I don't know what's up with her. She is gaining weight, but slowly. She's at 5.9 lbs. now. She's eating the Nutro dry.

kasey

[Barney's Mom]

Goforette and Karen(Angus),

What are all these exotic things you are feeding your dogs? Now I am REALLY confused!

I just feed Barney Canidae dry and that's it! What's the buffalo stuff and the Prairie Raw?? Where can you get it other than online? And where online?

I guess the days of giving dogs "dog food" are going by the wayside! I have been reading that varying their diet is good for them, like giving dog food for a while, then raw, then cooked, etc.

Brad, since you are the head dude here, I would love to know what you feed your dogs! Please tell me you don't fix them a five course meal twice a day! I just don't have time to be preparing 5 dinners a day

[goforette]

I know who would have thought I'd be doing "organics" for my girls. You know it all started out when I was having picky eaters and I went through literally everything at Petsmat without success. So I got desperate and went to this little local store called Gold n' Pets that is a hollistic pet store. The lady was so nice and informative and told me things I wasn't sure to believe about commercial foods and rawhides so I went home and researched it and indeed what she was telling me was true. She gave me tons of samples of various foods and I found a brand that the girls liked. She also gave me the option of doing the raw diet too - which I may eventually switch too - but I guess the main reason I converted to a more hollistic approach was due to what I've read and the benefits that it can potentially give our dogs. It helps create a more natural enzyme in their bodies and hopefully keeps them vet/ill free! I know there is no absoulte sure way to increase a lifespan - but after my prior losses and the cancers I tried so hard to fight, I'm willing to try something different this time if it makes them healthier. It's not costing me a huge amount more. Canidae is found in the hollistic pet stores and from what I can tell a really good brand. In fact Angus' mom has been great with information about her freeze dried Europa which I planned on ordering - unfortunately I can't find a store close to me that carries it. It's like a replacement for kibble - and you just add water I guess and the veggies and stuff puff up and you can mix it with your own meat. Now the stuff I'm actually cooking from them just comes from our local human organic stores like Whole Foods, Wild Oats and I get the buffalo meat at Costco. I just cook it up like I would for us and crumble it in their organic kibble. The Evangers in a can (when I don't have the energy to cook for them) comes from the hollistic pet store too - it's just meat cooked in it's own juices nothing else and canned - no preservatives or additives of any kind. Hollie would eat and eat and eat if I let her - Brystal is one of those who eats until she's full and then walks away. The place I think I'm going to order the Europa from is onlynaturalpets.com - and I order their organic goodies/treats from boulderdogfoodcompany.com - it's cheaper to get it online than at the hollistic stores here. I do buy mother's nature milk puppy bones for them too at the hollistic stores and they are about $5.50 for a big bag and the dehydrated sweet potato I usually get at the stores too - which are about $5-6 a bag.

[Barney's Mom]

Wish I had all those great holistic pet stores around here! My sister lives in Littleton, Colorado and she said people are really into that stuff out there. Unfortunately, I live in farm country! Dogs get food from the local Tractor Supply store, and get good ol' Milkbones for treats! No fancy stuff, just whatever's convenient! The only organics we can get are in our local grocery, and at a health food store in my small town. I wish we had a Whole Foods near us. I would drive a ways to get to it if I had to.

I'll check out that website! Thanks for the tip!

Your doggies sound like they are getting very healthy stuff! You are such a dedicated owner!

[goforette]

If you're in farm country - you might be better off than us! You've got access to some really fresh stuff Besides when I don't have time to seek out organic - I'll still buy human grade at our regular grocery stores here in Colorado and cook it for them - it may not be "organic" but I figure if we can eat it, they can eat it - granted I'm sure I'm consuming things that probably aren't the best for me either - it just depends on what we can afford each month. some of my very healthiest dogs from my childhood were farm dogs - Do you know if Canidae comes in different flavors? I only found one kind at the store last time. I pray the girls don't wind up getting bored with what they have (kibble and Europa wise) because that would be what I try next.

[AngusMacDoggal]

Goforette and Karen(Angus),

What are all these exotic things you are feeding your dogs? Now I am REALLY confused!

I just feed Barney Canidae dry and that's it! What's the buffalo stuff and the Prairie Raw?? Where can you get it other than online? And where online?

I guess the days of giving dogs "dog food" are going by the wayside! I have been reading that varying their diet is good for them, like giving dog food for a while, then raw, then cooked, etc.

Brad, since you are the head dude here, I would love to know what you feed your dogs! Please tell me you don't fix them a five course meal twice a day! I just don't have time to be preparing 5 dinners a day

[kayharley]

I don't think there is a "perfect" food for our dogs. Sometimes it's a trial and error to see what food agrees with your Cairn and how well they thrive on it.

I have 3 Cairns and all of them are on different foods because of different nutrional needs and it works for us. I use high quality, human grade kibble (Canidae, Evolve, Chicken Soup) and mix it with very small quantities of canned.

As far as how much to feed....I go by the weight and physical condition of my dogs. Winnie is older and a bit overweight so she gets less than Madison who is sleek and trim and active.

Elliott, who is my youngest, has shown a tendency to gain weight quickly so I watch his portions and adjust them accordingly.