Feeding Canidae

[IslandGirl]

my puppy weighed in at 6lbs for his first vet visit when 7.5wks. im weening him of the breeders food, with only 10% of it in each of his meals. ive replaced it with canidae all stages. i feed him three times a day, with a 1/3 cup each time (1 cup total daily).
he initially lost that real fat look he had when we got him. he looked normal, lean. after reading and having my vet suggest we move him to 1.5cups daily, i noticed hes looking even bigger than ever. No im wondering if this is too much?
now that hes 8.5wks im wondering whats the best portioning with canidae? it seems like its recommended to reduce their meals as they get older?? Is this true?
He gets 2 walks around the house and plays alot. we feed him the most of 3 treats daily.

[glencorgi]

Rule of thumb on weight is a pound per week up until 5 or 6 months and then they begin leveling out. 6 pounds is just a bit under what a 7.5 week old puppy would weigh, BUT and this is important - overall size and proportions are factors too. A puppy with a lighter and smaller build would weigh a bit less, one that has a lot of bone, substance and size might weigh more. At 8.5 weeks, I agree with the vet about 1.5 cups being more in line with what he should be eating. Tapering off/reducing meals doesn't need to come until around at least the 6 months or so mark.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

I'd shift from all stages food to straight puppy food for your pup and feed towards the lowest recommended quantity on the package for the weight of your Corgi.

[Louwants]

You may also want to think about large bred puppy food. I know, Michael probably won't agree with that. My vet suggested that for Duncan when he was about 5-6 months old. He was limping a little, and I rushed him to the vet thinking may have torn his ACL. He was just growing so fast the vet said, and his growth plates were growing as fast or something like that. Any, the large breed puppy would help his joints.

[Chip's Mom]

My three corgis are on Canidae and Taffy weighed about 2 lbs when I brought her home. She was tiny. Anyway, She refused to eat puppy food and she did well on the Canidae and continues to do so. At 7 months, she weighs 16 lbs. I also have a 15 year old corgi mix that eats the Canidae and if I switch her to anything else, she goes downhill quickly and perks back up with the Canidae.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Louwants

You may also want to think about large bred puppy food. I know, Michael probably won't agree with that. My vet suggested that for Duncan when he was about 5-6 months old. He was limping a little, and I rushed him to the vet thinking may have torn his ACL. He was just growing so fast the vet said, and his growth plates were growing as fast or something like that. Any, the large breed puppy would help his joints.

Duncan probably had panosteitis (pano) which can be caused by too much growth too fast due to the high protein levels in puppy foods. Large breed puppy foods have lower protein levels than do the average puppy formula. The risk of pano and even premature growth plate closure are reasons many of us prefer to stay away from puppy formulas.

Bonnie's Taffy is an excellent example of how even an undersized puppy can thrive on all life stages food.

Debbie

[Louwants]

Thanks, Debbie.....I couldn't remember why the doctor told me to put him on large breed puppy food. If I remember right, my first corgi ate just plain dog food. I don't think that there was a puppy blend back in 1971, and I didn't have that problem.

[MyPemCharlie]

I also think you're fine with the Canidae ALS. It's a really great quality food, and "all life stages" means just what it says. Once he hits 10 pounds here in a week or two, I would give hime up to 2 cups a day, and cut back if he is gaining more than about a pound a week or feeling too "plump" (can't feel his ribs). As Debbie mentioned, the pound a week is general, so a "rib check" is as important. You should be able to feel his ribs through a thin layer of pad under his skin.

[IslandGirl]

the whole puppy food vs all stages food is a long and tiring debate that i get everywhere i go. i choose canidae over other foods because it was the best food at the time that would support my pup's transistion, and had sufficient protein and vitamin content compared to other foods. it was either canidae or evo.
while the nurses at my local Banfield lectured me on getting a puppy food, the vet thinks highly of Canidae and recommends I stay on it. im not sure if their ties to petsmart requires them to recommend the food they sell...which in our case is all crap. it seems like their top brands are royal canine and nutro foods.
in terms of portions, we started him on .5cups for 3times daily. and hes eating all in one shot. his tummy swells a whole lot after he eats and goes down drastically after potty. his activity level has gone up alot in the last couple days so i think this increase in food will balance out nicely.

Thanks.

[Michael Romanos]

here is the gist of how it was explained to me : all stages is fine for adult Corgis, but for a normal Corgi pup, a 'watered' down version of puppy food (as all stages would tend to be so that it is also fit for a normal adult) is much less preferable than straight food designed for puppies. That is from New Zealand's foremost canine nutritionist and was confirmed by two premium dog food producing companies who produce both all stages designated food and speciallist life stages food.

[KJohnson]

We've had our puppy on Canidae ALS since we got him at 8 weeks and have had no problems whatsoever. Just like IslandGirl we fed him .5 cups three times daily until 6 months, and then we started to feed him twice a day but with the same amount (.75 cups each time). When he gets to a year, I think I might switch him to just eating once a day.. but for now, twice works.
I'm a firm believer in intuition, you know if your puppy is still hungry and needs more food. Use your best judgment and see if he gains too much weight too fast or is still staying at the same weight when he should be growing! You know best most of the time, so trust your gut!

[Michael Romanos]

It's the puppy's gut that counts and not yours (hahaha). A puppy/adult dog is always hungry umless they are grossly overfed or are freely given access to food. It is our duty as the 'parent' to enure puppies and adult dogs are fed in proportion to their normal body weight and in recognition of their activeness (eg daily exercise programme).

[MattC]

We have fed Nick Canidae PAWS since day one upon recommendation of the breeder. Nick eats just under two cups a day split between two servings (breakfast and dinner). We also mix one heaping tablespoon of canidae PAWS canned dog food in with each meal. Nick has been a wonderful happy and most importantly healthy pup. Michael is totally right. If given the option Nick would eat all day. So we do make sure that we limit treats and feed him the recommended portions as listed on the bag. Nick is 2 years old now, he is 34 pounds and has great muscle tone and save for a little Pano he had last year he has been fine.

[Chip's Mom]

Thought you all might be interested in knowing that Canidae now has a program that after purchasing 12 bags of dog food, you get the 13th bag free. Also I have not heard of the PAWS canidae? Is it new?

[MyPemCharlie]

Where did you see that promo? I was just on their website today (thinking about switching my cats to Felidae) and didn't see an offer. I'd love to know!