How much do you feed your puppy?

[delerium]

well... just go to:
corgusmaximus.blogspot.com

to see a picture of the parents...

[Chip's Mom]

Dale is about 13 weeks old now and I feed him a tablespoon of canned puppy food mixed in with his dry and moisten it. I give him the canned mixture twice a day. That has added weight to him. I also put him on vitamins and that has helped his coat alot and his energy level.

[Dillydoodle]

I am glad that you have found some good advice here- i did want to weigh in about the vet... I had a vet that i trusted until he misdiagnosed my corgi with a serious bone issue - i got a second opinion from an orthopedic surgical specialist and he ALSO misdiagnosed Dillon...We live in an area that corgis are not terribly hard to find and yet the vets had no clue. I nearly had his leg operated on for no reason. I finally found a vet who happens to own , show and breed corgis - granted i have to drive over an hour each way but that is what i do so that I know my two corgis will be seen by a vet who knows corgis... I know not everyone has the luxury of a corgi vet but i do think it is important to try and find a vet practice that HAS other corgis in it. My first clue about my old vet that i should have run the other way was when i excitedly told him i was getting a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and he looked at me and said "oh, great, now is that the one with or without the tail?"

I have another vet who is closer than this corgi vet for emergencies ( they have corgis in their practice so i have a level of comfort there as well).

I saw your blog, and your pup is adorable, especially sleeping in the crate with chin on the slats of the crate, way too cute for words!

[milles2]

I had Tuck and Lulu into the Vet just to weigh them. Tucker's favorite Vet came out, gasped when she saw he weighed 24.2 lbs! She insists he should weigh 22-23, no more than 24.

So she told me to give him 1/4-1/3 cup 2 times a day.

She also suggested feeding Lulu 1/2 cup 2 times a day (lulu was maybe 4 months old.

Lulu's breeder happened to be at the house one day, thought Lulu was looking pretty scrawny, and asked how much I was feeding her. Well, I got a good talking to!

So Lulu is back to getting just under a cup 2 times a day until she is a year old.

Of course, she never eats everything in her dish so she's probably eating 1/2-3/4 cup 2 times a day.

The guilt of underfeeding her just killed me! She began growing but she still is thin in my opinion. Poor baby, stuck with a disastrous doggie Mom.

[Chip's Mom]

Susan:

Don't beat yourself up - you are an excellent Mom. You should have seen Dale a few weeks ago, he was a mess. I told the vet that he didn't look healthy to me. I think his tooth surgery and tooth pain. I changed his dog food and put him on vitamins and he is a completely changed pup and is filling out nicely. Dale's weight was good at the time but everything else was wrong. I am going to keep him on vitamins for quite awhile yet.

[delerium]

Susan,
We were very heartbroken that we have been underfeeding Max and as a result Max was underweight. I was also very angry. We have another vet appointment this friday and I am going to quiz him on Max's weight and see what he recommends. I will definitely ask him casually on how many corgi pups he's treated in the past.

On the brightside, Max had a feast last night and I have never seen him eat so much. He ate so much and his little tummy was so big, I was afraid he would barf it all up! He did have some trouble holding it all in, but he did manage to hold it all and he's been pooping and peeing quite often now and he is drinking lots of water. His bulging little pot belly is so cute!

I think we must feed him more and spread that out over more meals to stop him from overeating and getting a beer gut!

Max seems much happier and active now!

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by delerium

Susan,
We were very heartbroken that we have been underfeeding Max and as a result Max was underweight. I was also very angry. We have another vet appointment this friday and I am going to quiz him on Max's weight and see what he recommends. I will definitely ask him casually on how many corgi pups he's treated in the past.

On the brightside, Max had a feast last night and I have never seen him eat so much. He ate so much and his little tummy was so big, I was afraid he would barf it all up! He did have some trouble holding it all in, but he did manage to hold it all and he's been pooping and peeing quite often now and he is drinking lots of water. His bulging little pot belly is so cute!

I think we must feed him more and spread that out over more meals to stop him from overeating and getting a beer gut!

Max seems much happier and active now!

I agree, I would feed him more, but spread it out to avoid him eating large quantities all at once.

[Jane Austen]

But then again, a puppy is supposed to look a little chubby.
If you can tell the vet in a nice way that you have found out that your pup was not getting enough to eat, and what the weight per age should be, you would be giving that vet information which may be beneficial to the next corgi that comes along. Then if your vet does not agree with the facts, I would change vets.
I don't think I have seen on this thread any mention of the importance of calcium. Growing animals need calcium for bone development and it should help to strengthen his ears.

[corgimom]

I think it is calcium and also vitamin C. And if I remember correctly from previous posts, it is best to give calcium in the form such as yogurt or cottage cheese, and not to give a calcium only supplement to a younger puppy.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by corgimom

I think it is calcium and also vitamin C. And if I remember correctly from previous posts, it is best to give calcium in the form such as yogurt or cottage cheese, and not to give a calcium only supplement to a younger puppy.

Okay, I am NOT going through the calcium debate with a certain someone and their limited experience with puppies. Puppies do need calcium to grow and for healthy bones, but that can and should come from a balanced diet. While there are calcium supplements on the market for dogs, I do not know anyone reputable and experienced in the US who advises giving these to corgi puppies. (Same as supplementing pregnant b*tches throughout unless one wants to encounter eclampsia. ) In Max's case, his food needs to be increased which has been done. A good multivitamin supplement would also be a good idea in his case (which will contain calcium). Cottage cheese, plain yogurt, cheese are all good additions to a puppy's meal. Vitamin C is a standby supplement around here for all the dogs, no matter what age. It helps the body deal with stress and is overall just good for them, like it is us.

Debbie

[Chip's Mom]

Deb:

How long is it healthy to give a pup a vitamin supplement? Dale gets one tab every day and I would like to keep him on the vitamins until well after he is neutered and his mouth has healed again.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Chip's Mom

Deb:

How long is it healthy to give a pup a vitamin supplement? Dale gets one tab every day and I would like to keep him on the vitamins until well after he is neutered and his mouth has healed again.

You can give multi-vitamins throughout their life. I know a lot of adult corgis that get their "Pet-Tab" vitamin every morning.

Debbie