Determining How Much to Feed

[PalmettoPaws]

Isabelle, my Aussie pup, is 13 lbs. I've been feeding her Wellness puppy and the bag says for a 15 lb puppy 6 to 11 weeks old feed 2 1/4 cups per day. I could be wrong but this seems like a lot for a puppy to eat, it's as much as my adult dog eats. So my question is do I follow the instructions on the bag or is there a better way to determine how much she needs? Thanks in Advance!

[stardogs]

Keep in mind that a pup is growing so they should be eating a lot more than an adult. My pup at 16 weeks and 18lbs was eating about 3 cups/day while my oldest (33lbs) was eating 1 cup/day. Kes is now a year old and eats 2 cups/day and is still quite lean.

For pups I often will start with the bag's recommendation and then periodically check their body condition to make sure it's helping them hit their target weight. That said, I also don't feed puppy food to my dogs when they are young - they go onto an "all life stages" food as soon as they come home. My vet recommends this, especially given how fast my guy was growing, to prevent the pup from growing too quickly.

[AllieMackie]

Yup, seconding. Usually portions are larger for puppies because they need the extra nutrients and with that extra energy, they tend to burn it off easily.

If you notice she's gaining weight, lessen the amount some. If not, leave it be. Sometimes the bag directions can vary for each dog, but it's a good starter guideline.

[PoodleMommy]

Yes, puppies eat ALOT. My 2 pound puppy was eating the same amount as my adult dogs when she came home and I was concerned that she was a bit skinny and started feeding her more.

For any age dog, I usually start with what it says and just adjust if I see an issue.

[2pups622]

When there adults i usually go for less than the bag says.