puppy feeding

[tandemgal]

Hi,
Just thought I would ask the experts about puppy feeding. Now that Chloe is 12 weeks (more or less) how often and how much should I be feeding her. I have been small hand scoops (apx 1/4 cup) of puppy kibble 4 times a day and a water bowl always available. She seems a little more hungry now but if I feed her a little more she throws up because she has gorged it all down at once.

My older corgi we got when she was 4 months old and she was already established on amonts and time by the breeder.

What is the RAW diet I have heard mentioned a few times?

[corgilmommaof3]

I find you have to adjust the food according to the puppy. I have 3 corgis and each one eats a different amount. My female is 1/2 the normal size so she only eats about 1/4 cup a day. The boys eat a cup a day. They are all adults tho. At 3 months you should be able to cut the food back to 2x a day, but give 1/2 cup a feeding. To help keep the puppy from gorging or eating too fast I use a rock on top of the food. This way the pup has to slow down and root for the food. My baby hasn't thrown up his food or choked since I started this.......hope this helps!
Barbara and the corgi crew

[glencorgi]

Barbara gave a good rule of thumb to follow on feeding. I'd increase her morning allotment of food (and yes the large rocks and or a ball in the dish do help slow one down with the gulping); maybe a bickie (cookie) around lunch, and then increase the evening meal.

The Raw diet, well these days it can be a lot of things. Raw chicken wings, whole grains like brown rice, raw fruits and vegetables is one menu that some folks use. I suggest doing an internet search on BARF (bones and raw food) diets and you'll probably get hit with more than you wanted to know.
Today it is possible to order prepackaged raw diets which are not any more difficult to feed than kibble bought at the store.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

At four months old, I'd still be feeding a pup four times a day with the morning meal a cereal (human baby cereal the best - do you have Farex in the US or Complan or Baby Rice) with milk - not cow's milk - and the other three a division of one whole meal. Plus of course, the dog biscuit. Cut meat small - minced meat at that age is still very good - and always soak hard kibble in some hot water. If you have been giving your pup big chunks of meat or anything else (veges etc) or straight kibble from a package- then that could be another reason why she has vomited.

[tandemgal]

Thanks for the help everyone. I will try the rock and will add a cookie for now and research the RAW diet.

[tandemgal]

I put a heavy weighted ball in Chloe's bowl and it seems to be doing the trick - she is not gulping down her food. Vet says she has gained little over a pound since last vist 3 weeks ago. She suggests I feed her often till 4 mts because of growth spruts and then cut back to a more scheduled feedings. She liked the idea of the ball in her foodbowl.

thanks again

[Shelly]

My 5 month old pup only eats about 1 1/2 cups of food a day. I was getting concerned because the bag of IAMS said a 5 month old should be eatting about 2 1/2 cups a day. I've put rice in it, green beans in it, cottage cheese in it, added soft canned dogfood in it, and still he rarely finishes what is in his bowl. He is thin, I can feel his ribs and spine, yet the vet doesn't seem concerned. He weighed 12.2 lbs yesterday on the vets scale. What do you think, is 12.2 lbs for a 5 month old a healthy weight? Any suggestions on what to add to his food to make him eat more? This corgi does not have the usual corgi appetite (which is good I suppose, because he isn't fat, but on the other hand, he just isn't interested in eatting). Help...

[darci]

Shelly,
The feeding instructions on dog food bags are always too much ( per my vet ).
Egan is getting 2/3 cup in am and pm, with snacks at lunch and bedtime.
Darci is getting 1/2 cup in am and 1/4 cup in pm and we soak her kibble in water at pm feeding to slow her down and increase her water intake.
Darci also gets snacks at lunch and betime.
Snacks are usually frozen green beans, granny smith apples, carrotts, Natural balance duck and potatoe bones/treats, yogurt.

Btw we are feeding Natural balance organic formula, we rotate with solid gold hund n flocken and I am going to add Eagle Pack holistic blend to our rotation.

[darci]

Michael the water should be tepid not hot, hot water destroys pre and probitics as well as other nutrients.

[corgimom]

Shelly, I give Cody plain yogurt(usually frozen in a Kong)apples and sometimes strawberries and cottage cheese as snacks and also sometimes this natural Chicken Jerkey. He gets small amounts of snacks here and there.

At 20 weeks old(5 months), Cody weighed 19 pounds, he was 11 pounds when we adopted him at 11 weeks. He is not a heavy Corgi - He is now 7 months old and weighs 23.5 pounds. I watch his weight carefully so he does not get heavy. Once he hit the 6 month old mark, his weight gaining slowed down immensely.

12.2 pounds seems thin for a 5 month old Corgi; I would think a 5 month old Corgi should be around the 16 to 19 pound range(I guess I am talking about a male); were your dogs parents on the smaller size for Corgis?

Linda

[Shelly]

When I got the puppy from the breeder, the mother dog wasn't around, and I don't know if she owned the father dog or not. All that was there was my pup's littlermate (another male) who was slightly bigger than mine. I have the geneology chart saying the ancestry and what colors they were but I have no idea if his parents were on the smaller side of the scale. My 12 yr old corgi Reba is on the more petite size (she's 22 lbs), it's o.k. if he is too. I'm just concerned that he eats enough to be healthy. I'll see if he likes apples. Thanks for the input.

[Chip's Mom]

Chip just turned 5 months old today and he now weighs 17.6 lbs. The weight of your corgi sounds small to me also. You may want to get a second opinion from another vet. Chip is not a big corgi either and he hasnt grown in height or length much lately. He is just filling out.

[Michael Romanos]

This worry about the size and weight of pups can be all for nothing - but I suppose I am experienced enough or have seen so many Corgis- especially Pems - that it all comes naturally to me. But a Corgi under 12 months should be slightly podgy. If you can just feel his/her ribs then he/she is fine. Fifteen months and older, the Corgi should have a discernable (definite) waistline and you should be easily able to feel the ribs.

One things for sure though - all this dry food (kibble) processed stuff messes up feeding procedures because most of the brands are too fatty in content and at the same time less able to content an appetite.

[corgimom]

That sounds like a good weight for Chip.

Shelly, I guess the size of his parents would be important and also what kind
of nutrition did he receive before you got him. Do you know if he was the
runt of the litter? You just got him a week ago, right? It would be interesting
to know from the breeder how he was putting on weight during the period of
time before you got him.

He should really be in his biggest growth spurt during this time, so maybe
Chips suggestion of consulting another vet is not a bad idea. I am assuming that you had your dog dewormed or the breeder did?

Linda

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Shelly

My 5 month old pup only eats about 1 1/2 cups of food a day. I was getting concerned because the bag of IAMS said a 5 month old should be eatting about 2 1/2 cups a day.

Shelly, as Cindy said - pay no attention to what is printed on the dog food bag as recommended feeding amounts - way too much and especially for a corgi. A cup and a half a day should be a good amount for a 5 month old puppy.

I've put rice in it, green beans in it, cottage cheese in it, added soft canned dogfood in it, and still he rarely finishes what is in his bowl.

How many times a day are you feeding? If he's leaving just a little, I wouldn't worry about it.

I He is thin, I can feel his ribs and spine, yet the vet doesn't seem concerned. He weighed 12.2 lbs yesterday on the vets scale. What do you think, is 12.2 lbs for a 5 month old a healthy weight?

For an "average sized" male puppy, no - I'd say that was too low. Now my saying this is in the context of everything being "normal" - that is he isn't undersized, barring any medical conditions that may have happened or be present (such as a cleft palate, parasites -worms, etc.). And that you can feel his ribs and spine would indicate he's probably at too low a weight.

Any suggestions on what to add to his food to make him eat more? This corgi does not have the usual corgi appetite (which is good I suppose, because he isn't fat, but on the other hand, he just isn't interested in eatting). Help...

You might want to think about switching brands of food - the IAMS just might not be working for him. Maybe one in the Nutro or Natural Choice line. Cindy (Darci's Mom) has provided some links with excellent food information) you could check out. I recently placed a year and a half old little fellow that came in underweight. He was a challenge to get enough food into because his energy level was so high, he just burned off everything he took in playing and being a lanky teenager didn't help. I recently got a picture of him in his new home and he's finally filled out some and looking really good. He was getting nearly 2 cups kibble here in addition to canned and treats throughout the day.

His overall size, balance and proportions are going to be the biggest determiners of what his weight should be. A second vet check as has been mentioned and fecal exam might not be a bad idea.

Debbie