Feeding amounts

[mrose_s]

I'm having some trouble working out how much to feed Quinn, she's hungry all the time, she probably gets more than Buster does in a day atm and she's on 3 meals a day, plus treats.

She seems pretty slim though, Mum says to feed puppies pretty much till they stop, get them fat because they need lots of food to grow.
I thought I've read that lots of food/protein can cause excessively fast growth and may do damage to the joints. Mum has raised a lot of healthy dogs but I also know Harry was overweight his entire life and was diagnosed with sever HD at 12 months.

Its not like she's not using the energy, yesterday she had probably 1cup of high quality kibble and 3/4 of a chicken frame and it didn't show but her energy is always through the roof. She will probably spend 2-3 hours a day flat chat.

So what should I be aiming for? A fat puppy or a slim/average puppy?

 

[Sapphire-Light]

I'm not sure for a puppy of that size, but you have to be very careful with some puppies.

Pompadour is a real glutton, he is always hungry, when he finish eating he always whines because there's no more food, and if someone is at the kitchen he goes to beg and cry.

Last month he got into overweight problems see this here http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t117336/

 

[FarmerGirl2010]

I think slim/average is just her type. If she's super energetic then she's going to burn off those calories. It may not hurt to add an extra meal for a couple of months, but in the end she'll balance of where she's supposed to be anyhow. Some dogs tend to look lean unless you practically cram them with food.

 

[Doberluv]

Not a fat puppy. You're right. That is unhealthy and can cause all kinds of problems. Check with your vet if you're in doubt. Vets don't always know a lot about nutrition, but they'll know about body condition and weight...about how much to feed and what's appropriate for your breed and size, energy etc of your dog.

If you're feeding raw chicken or other raw, and kibble, I understand that you should feed the kibble, wait for that to digest all the way before feeding the raw, as the raw takes longer to digest and can get blocked up in there if there's kibble in the way.