# How Often?



## jakobi (Mar 2, 2008)

Hey all i'm new here. My question is, how often should I be feeding Jake? He's now 11 weeks old and i've been giving him a bowl of Purina large breed puppy chow in the morning (around 9) and the same in the evening (around 5). He's fully house trained at this point due to my routine... just wondering if I should be feeding him in the afternoon as well?


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

You say a large bowl, what exactly is that? One cup, four cups??? I fed three times daily until she started to be uninterested, then I dropped it to 2. Becareful to not let him over eat, this can cause problems down the line with weight and his joints.


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## jakobi (Mar 2, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: BetsyYou say a large bowl, what exactly is that? One cup, four cups??? I fed three times daily until she started to be uninterested, then I dropped it to 2. Becareful to not let him over eat, this can cause problems down the line with weight and his joints.


About one cup I would say. I use a drinking cup as a scoop and fill it, then dump into the bowl.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

I would suggest a couple of things, first I think you should consider getting a higher quality kibble, Purina puppy chow isnt that great, there is a thread under diet and nutrition that can help you pick one out, but there are several available that are not that expensive but a much better choice. Second, I would look at the feeding suggestions on the bag to get an idea of how much should be fed daily, and third, I would get an accurate measuring scoop. 

When I fed 3 times a day, it was within the daily guidlines and how she was doing, i.e. the bag suggested 1.5 cups, she did better on 2 cups, so I fed 2 cups broken into 3 feeding periods. but knowing exactly what your puppy really needs on a daily basis needs to be the starting point.


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## jakobi (Mar 2, 2008)

Ok, thanks for the info! The vet recommended Purina which is why I chose it. Any ideas of a better food that's not going to cost me $30.00 a bag?


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

You're going to have a hard time finding a high quality food that will cost less than $30 a bag. However, your vets bills will be a lot less if you spend more on a higher quality food. Your dog's coat and overall health will be much better. Plus you will feed less and your dog will poop less. 

Forgot to say, welcome! 

And also forgot to say that I was feeding Purina years ago and my dog had a TON of health problems. I finally switched her to better food and 90% of her problems cleared up!


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

I feen Canidae all life stages and it is about $33 a 40lb bag


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

LOL Feed not Feen


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## jakobi (Mar 2, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: BetsyI feen Canidae all life stages and it is about $33 a 40lb bag


That's not bad for a bag of that size.... about what i'm paying for the Purina for a 30 lb bag I think (too lazy to go check)


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

Go on their website and see if there is a distributor by you. You will use less of it too, their poops get smaller and not so smelly, you will be amazed what a high quality food can do. I get it at the local feed and supply store.


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: Dorothy The vet recommended Purina which is why I chose it.


Vets amaze me. This is like my doctor recommending that I eat nothing but twinkies for the rest of my life.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

ditto regarding your comments. The only difference is I fed my pup quite a bit more then recommened. We are very active, and I figured as long as he remained on the thin side giving him a few extra cups a day was not a problem.

Subsequently, we have swirched over to a modified BARF diet, about half and half.


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## frenchie27 (Jan 12, 2008)

I feed my 4 mo. old 5 cups @ day. I plan to feed him that until he's 6 mos. old and then change amounts. However, it is very interesting to see or NOT to see anyone mention Science Diet here in this forum OR the other feeding forums. My GSD Charlie has been on it for over a month. His coat is super shiny, digests very well, poops great, so I can't understand why no one mentions feeding their GSDs that type of food. Am I missing something? I plan to change to Eukanuba at 6 mos. but in the meantime, am I wasting my time with Science Diet? Please Help


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

The reason you don't see Science Diet mentioned is because it is not good food.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

Hi French....You will find that in the diet and nutrition thread there is some discussion on Science Diet as well as Eukanumba. Also, you may want to go to http://www.dogfoodproject.com/ There are quite a few that will never feed Scince Diet....but like I said, that is discussed in another thread.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

There are many better foods for your dog; just search the posts a bit.

If you want a specific recommendation send me a personal E Mail.


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: french Am I missing something? I plan to change to Eukanuba at 6 mos. but in the meantime, am I wasting my time with Science Diet? Please Help


Sorry, I would never feed either of these foods unless my dogs could not tolerate anything else and I was forced to. Both are not the worst food out there, but neither are meat based foods and are loaded with way too much corn.


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## jakobi (Mar 2, 2008)

Ok I do have a Canidae dealer near my house by it's still an extra trip aside from Petsmart and the grocery store. I'll check it out, I was hoping to find something that I could get at the grocery store to cut down on extra travel







What about Nutro brand?


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: frenchI feed my 4 mo. old 5 cups @ day. I plan to feed him that until he's 6 mos. old and then change amounts. However, it is very interesting to see or NOT to see anyone mention Science Diet here in this forum OR the other feeding forums. My GSD Charlie has been on it for over a month. His coat is super shiny, digests very well, poops great, so I can't understand why no one mentions feeding their GSDs that type of food. Am I missing something? I plan to change to Eukanuba at 6 mos. but in the meantime, am I wasting my time with Science Diet? Please Help


tyson is on science diet right now..im switching over to eagle pack as soon as the feed store here in town gets large breed puppy food ordered in. it wasnt long ago i was asking the same questions you are..keep asking, do your research. its interesting to have the knowledge that most people pass up on.


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## TWeitzeKC (Sep 19, 2005)

At that age, I fed Arwen 3 small meals. Now at almost 18 months, she eats 2x a day. She gets 2 cups of Canidae in the morning mixed with a tbs of plain yogurt and 1 whole egg (every other day). In the evening its kibble about 1.5-2 cups w/ shredded carrots and a couple of other fresh veggies ground up it Im up to it. I dont like to give her too much at a time because of the risk of bloat.


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: Dorothy I'll check it out, I was hoping to find something that I could get at the grocery store to cut down on extra travel
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Nutro is not horrible depending on which formula. Their higher end attempt at "holistic" food is not bad, and in some cases the best you will find at a pet smart. You can do worse, but you can also do better in my opinion. It's better than pukanuba, purina, iams, or hills in my opinion.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

If you will only be buying a bag once or twice a month, it would probably save you extra trips to the vet in the long run. I use Canidae now and you would probably notice an improvement in teeth, breath and coat as well as much smaller poops (about 1/3 the size) than what you are currently feeding, it is worth it to make the special trip (regardless if you decide on Canidae or another that has been recomended here this generalization will be true). I have tried many different foods, and like everyone here, am trying to find that magical balance, but knowing what I do now, I would drive quite a distance to get the food that was right.


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## Clare (Feb 6, 2005)

When we got Wolfgang he was on purina and itchy all the time. We switched him over to Canidae and the itching has stopped and his coat looks absolutely gorgeous!


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## nitetrane98 (Feb 23, 2008)

My vet didn't specifically recommend Purina One large breed puppy chow but approved of it when he asked what I was feeding my pup. He said, "That's fine, it's good food." 
There is undoubtedly better and worse food.
I guess he's just approving Purina to ensure a steady flow of sick dogs. 
It's amazing to me, actually, that there are even any dogs left on earth considering the food that has been available for the past 40 years.
I say to match the food supply with the requirements of the dog. Leave the high octane stuff for the working/competition dogs. 
Buy the best you can afford but don't lose a minute of sleep because you can't give your dog the "best", or the latest fad. 

There are some that seem to believe if you can't afford to feed your dog the latest "best" food you have no business owning a dog and that you are intrinsically a bad person. I disagree.


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## StGeorgeK9 (Jan 5, 2008)

Hey Chris, I just found an article that pertains to just this subject I felt it was really well written. I posted the link in the diet and nutrition forum.


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## chevysmom (Feb 15, 2008)

Chevy is 14 weeks and gets fed 1 1/2 cups of Canidae twice a day, once in the morning and once around dinner time.


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