# Buffalo Blue quantity help



## Gendy (Jan 27, 2012)

I'm in the process of switching Madelin over from Innova to Blue Buffalo, she is 3.5 months old, and 29.3 pounds. She was not eating all of her Innova Large breed puppy food in one sitting, so i would leave it out for about 20 minutes and she would eventually go back and finish it. She also seemed to have dandruff and be itching/biting a lot. Since slowly mixing in Buffalo Blue, she is now eating all her food very quickly, and usually all at once, and her coat is looking a bit better (shinier and less dandruff)

However the guidelines on the bag of Buffalo Blue are quite vague regarding what amount she should be getting. I checked out their website but could not find more specific info either. I was feeding her 1.75 cups (2x daily) of the Innova, which is a little on the low end now that she is almost 30 lbs. BB says 1.5-3 cups per day for 21-50lbs and 3 to 5 months. I wish they would break it down a bit more than that...

How much should i be feeding her per day, or per serving (twice daily)? She seems to have the perfect lean physique at this point, but I definetly worry that she is not getting enough to keep her body healthy and growing.

Thanks!


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## Gendy (Jan 27, 2012)

Here's a picture from last week of wild thing


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

I completely understand your frustration - but realistically, they can't break it down more. Everything is dog dependant and environment dependant. (Ie exercise routine, cold vs warm etc.)

So I would start with what you were feeding her the same amount as before (Innova), assuming she has now been completely switched(Blue Buffalo) and then watch her weight and growth from there. You want a lean puppy who is growing steadily and slowly, rather than quickly and all at once.

From what you said about her increased appetite and better coat, this food really works for her.

You can also do the math to figure out the calories per cup of the old and just feed the same amount of calories of the new. I do prefer the watching method, because it is not just the calories per cup that differentiates the foods from one another.

Hope this helps!


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

cute picture. my Zeeva is about 65 pounds and when she was on Blue I fed her 4 cups a day. sorry, this may not help but it's the only experience i have


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## Gendy (Jan 27, 2012)

Somebody told me their vet who is familiar with the breed said "1cup to ever 10 pounds". I would give her about 1.5 cups AM and PM? 3 cups a day @ 452 kcal/cup = 1356 calorie/day. Does this sound about right to use as rough guide? Too much?


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Beautiful girl you've got there! 

We are currently switching our 4 (almost 5) month old girl over from Science Diet Large Breed Puppy to Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Puppy formula. I agree, it's tough going by the recommendation on the bags. How much and how many calories will vary from puppy to puppy depending on activity level and since every food is different a blanket statement like 1 cup per 10 lbs. doesn't really work either. 

If your puppy is finishing her meals and then going back to lick the bowl to see if there is any more food then she may need a bit more at each meal, though I wouldn't overdo it. You may want to check with your vet and see what they recommend. I've also heard it is better to feed a puppy 3 or 4 smaller meals a day until around 6 months of age, rather than 2 larger meals (our girl currently gets 3 meals a day) ... though if 2 meals is working for you then it may be fine.


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

Gendy said:


> Somebody told me their vet who is familiar with the breed said "1cup to ever 10 pounds". I would give her about 1.5 cups AM and PM? 3 cups a day @ 452 kcal/cup = 1356 calorie/day. Does this sound about right to use as rough guide? Too much?


when i calculated it, it came out to be less than 1.5. if it were me i'd err on the side of feeding a little less and adjusting. too much means runny stools in my experience. as someone said you can add more if your pup goes back to lick her bowl...


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## Laney (Feb 12, 2012)

Gendy said:


> Somebody told me their vet who is familiar with the breed said "1cup to ever 10 pounds". I would give her about 1.5 cups AM and PM? 3 cups a day @ 452 kcal/cup = 1356 calorie/day. Does this sound about right to use as rough guide? Too much?


This might be close...I'm definitely NO expert, but I feed my puppy Blue Buffalo. He is 8 months old now (60 lbs) and he only eats 4.5-5 cups a day. (He eats 3 meals a day, so about 1.5 per meal). 

I definitely agree with the watching method. It was easy to tell when I needed to increase his food a little. He starts to look a little thin/hungry and I add another 1/4 scoop to every meal (3 times a day) and then see how that works. Hope this helped a little.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

N Smith said:


> You can also do the math to figure out the calories per cup of the old and just feed the same amount of calories of the new.


That's what I do when switching foods. If the kcals per cup are pretty close and her condition was good on the old food (lean but not skinny, and not chubby), then I'd use the same number of cups to start with and then adjust as necessary based on her condition. But if the kcals per cup are quite different, then I'd do the math to figure out how many cups of the new food would be roughly the same number of calories she was getting on the old food. Again, adjust as necessary. 

Which formula of each food are you using? The Innova Large Breed Puppy has 367 kcals per cup and the Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice Large Breed Puppy has 450 kcals per cup, according to their websites. If those are the ones you're using, she was getting 1284.5 kcals per day on Innova (1.75 cups x twice a day x 367). Divide that daily total of 1284.5 by 450, and you get a daily total of 2.85 cups of Blue Buffalo vs 3.5 cups of Innova, or a little less than 1-1/2 cups twice a day instead of 1-3/4 cups twice a day.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Gendy said:


> Somebody told me their vet who is familiar with the breed said "1 cup to every 10 pounds".


Was that specific to any particular brand of food, or just in general? Because kcals per cup can vary quite a bit from brand to brand, from as little as 300 to nearly twice that. At about 30 pounds she'd be eating 3 cups of food a day according to that guideline - with a food that had 350 calories per cup that would be 1050 calories a day, and a food that had 500 calories per cup it would be 1500 calories a day. That's a pretty big difference!


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## Gendy (Jan 27, 2012)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Which formula of each food are you using? The Innova Large Breed Puppy has 367 kcals per cup and the Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice Large Breed Puppy has 450 kcals per cup, according to their websites. If those are the ones you're using, she was getting 1284.5 kcals per day on Innova (1.75 cups x twice a day x 367). Divide that daily total of 1284.5 by 450, and you get a daily total of 2.85 cups of Blue Buffalo vs 3.5 cups of Innova, or a little less than 1-1/2 cups twice a day instead of 1-3/4 cups twice a day.


Currently i am using the chicken and brown rice. If i go by the rough forumla on the bag based on age and weight, i figured about 2 cups per day of the BB (@452), which would be 904 calories. I was underfeeding her maybe a little with the innova at 3.5 cups a day, based on their guidelines it should have been more like 4.5. 

But if i go by her looks and i think and have been told she looks perfect, i'll base her ideal caloric intake of the current 3.5 cups @367cal/cup (1285 total cals - not including treats for training) and apply that to the BB. 

Thanks for doing the math for me, that seems accurate!


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## Gendy (Jan 27, 2012)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Was that specific to any particular brand of food, or just in general? Because kcals per cup can vary quite a bit from brand to brand, from as little as 300 to nearly twice that. At about 30 pounds she'd be eating 3 cups of food a day according to that guideline - with a food that had 350 calories per cup that would be 1050 calories a day, and a food that had 500 calories per cup it would be 1500 calories a day. That's a pretty big difference!



I received the info in regards to food in general, maybe it was more specific originally. But yes you are right, i'm learning how much the cals can differ between different foods, and wow, what a difference!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Gendy said:


> But if i go by her looks and i think and have been told she looks perfect, i'll base her ideal caloric intake of the current 3.5 cups @367cal/cup (1285 total cals - not including treats for training) and apply that to the BB.
> 
> Thanks for doing the math for me, that seems accurate!


I try not to over think food amounts too much, and the only time I know or care how many calories my dogs are eating a day is when I'm changing foods - I figure the best indicator of whether or not they're getting the appropriate amount of nutrition is their overall condition, not a number. Just like with people, there is no magic daily allotment of calories that's perfect for everyone. But it is handy to know how figure out the equivalent quantities when switching between brands so you've at least got a place to start, and it's a pretty simple equation.


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## achampagne (Mar 6, 2012)

I have 2 gsd's. Female 14 months and the other an adopted 3 1/2 yr old male. They both eat blue ck and rice at 5 cups a day. This may seem like a lot calorie wise, but both are very active. The male holds at 77lbs and the female is still growing at 74lbs. Is it true that a male matures at about 18 months and a female at around 24 months?


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Gendy said:


> Here's a picture from last week of wild thing


Thacher Park, right? LOOOOVE that place. Especially when the weather is as nice as it has been.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

at 3.5 months my pup was being fed 1 cup in
the am, 1 cup noonish and 1 cup in the pm.
he had a treat/snack throughout the day. 
i also add a lot of things to my dogs kibble.
use the feeding instructions as a guide line.
you may have to feed more or less. that
depends on the dog and what you're feeding.


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## Gendy (Jan 27, 2012)

GatorDog said:


> Thacher Park, right? LOOOOVE that place. Especially when the weather is as nice as it has been.


Good eye! Yes, lots of nice little trails up there, and the over look is always fun too



doggiedad said:


> at 3.5 months my pup was being fed 1 cup in
> the am, 1 cup noonish and 1 cup in the pm.
> he had a treat/snack throughout the day.
> i also add a lot of things to my dogs kibble.
> ...


The 3 cups a day plus treats seems to be doing well for now, thanks! Although I am only breaking it into two feedings, with more training/treats around lunchtime..


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## 1337f0x (Feb 21, 2012)

Am I reading this correctly:










Wow i had something silly written here.

If my dog is to be 70-100lbs FULLY GROWN - I feed him the 2-3 3/4 cups a day. OH MY I AM SO SILLY. I get this now. lol.


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## Gendy (Jan 27, 2012)

wow...i completely was misreading that!! I missed the MATURE weight in lbs the first 3 times i read it


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## 1337f0x (Feb 21, 2012)

Gendy said:


> wow...i completely was misreading that!! I missed the MATURE weight in lbs the first 3 times i read it


LOL ME TOOO!!!!!!!!1 Gosh I feel so silly. It wasn't until JUST NOW I read the word MATURE. Gosh I was so confused lol. I wasn't over-feeding my pup to begin with but oh lawdy lawd i am silly


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## Spoolin2gawd (Jun 2, 2010)

When my male GSD was a young up, I would feed 4 cups in the morning and 4 cups in the evening. This may sound crazy, however, he is the leanest dog you will ever see. He's in fantastic shape, and as an adult, he was eating 2 cups in the morning/ 2 in the evening, (7 am and 5 pm) and a night cap if he was particularly active that day (around 9 pm)

edit--

I have recently (as in three days ago) switched to a B.A.R.F diet.


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