# Quantity



## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

Hi all,

My family is saying that I should give our 6 month old black sable more food because he looks so slim. The only thing is - I know that he would get diarrhea. He's hitting close to 50 Lbs at the moment.

Currently we're giving him Wellness Core.

Any feedback would be appriciated.




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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

Sorry , I forgot to state that I feed him accordingly to what the package is saying.


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

You want to keep him lean so as not to stress his joints. That being said, can you post a side view picture of him and an aerial view picture of him? That would help better help you.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

6 months old, 50 lbs and slim. i'm thinking your dog is
in good shape. a lot of people think a dog should be bigger.
being slim is telling me your dog is fit.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I always go by what the dog needs, Delgado eats between 3.5-4 cups depending on what he looks like at the moment. If he starts looking too skinny I go to 4 cups, if he starts looking a little pudgy, I cut him back to 3.5 cups.

You should be able to feel but not see ribs and there should be a nice tuck of the belly behind the rib cage.


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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

Shade - I think that not every type of kibble is the same - some have more fillers and so will need more quantity. 

From my understanding and please correct me if I'm wrong, when a dog is normally healthy and will have diarrhea it most likely comes from over feeding. 


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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

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## lyssa62 (May 5, 2013)

Roxy (4 months) acts like she's starving when she finishes a cup of food 2 times a day with 1/4 of a cup thrown in at lunch time. If I up that amount..she's got the runs. So basically she gets 2 1/4 cups of BB Large Breed Puppy and treats during the day. She was 35 lbs last week at the vet. 
I feel bad because especially after breakfast she gives me the look like..wth dude let's have more food.  but i KNOW if I give her more..we're going to have a messy poo.


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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

Lyssa62 - oh BB is pretty rich!


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## Loneforce (Feb 12, 2012)

When you look at him on the side can you see his ribs? It is kind of hard to tell in the side photo shot. You will get that a lot. People saying your dog is too skinny. It seems like common people do not know what a healthy dog looks like anymore . I think he looks pretty good. Keeping him "non plump" is very good for his hips and joints and overall health.


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## lyssa62 (May 5, 2013)

I'm sticking with the BB. I've gone back and forth over the food and it's what I'm choosing for right now. A person could drive themselves nuts trying to decipher who is right and wrong on the food topic here..at some point a person just has to pick something and hope for the best


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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

Lyssa 62 - you're absolutely right - did the same thing  

We're switching every QTR between 4 high end brands to provide the dog some variety. Thx for your feedback!


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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

Loneforce & Doggydad thx for confirming, it is much appreciated.

Yes, I can see Cooper's ribs (slightly) especially when he's running.




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

Disavio said:


> Sorry , I forgot to state that I feed him accordingly to what the package is saying.


That's fine as long as you treat the feeding guide on the package as a general starting point rather than being a slave to it. Different dogs are going to do differently on the same food, so his overall condition is a much better indicator of whether or not he's getting the right quantity. You want to see a nice tuck up at the abdomen when viewed from the side, a "waist" when viewed from above, and you should be able to easily feel all his ribs and see the last one or two, depending on coat type. 

From the pictures and your description, he sounds just fine, so I personally would not increase his food. A dog with a shorter tighter coat (sables especially, for some reason) is going to look more ribby than one with a thicker, plusher coat, so I always do a rib check by running my hand down my dogs' sides instead of just looking at them. I have longcoats, so I have the opposite problem as you - they sometimes look chubby even when they're really not! Unless my dogs have been swimming and are dripping wet before they've shaken off, I can never see their ribs, so I have to rely completely on feel. 

Keep in mind too that the rapid growing phase of puppyhood is going to start slowing down, and you'll need to gradually decrease his food in order to keep him nice and lean. Puppies require as much as 1-1/2 to 2 times as much food as an adult dog of the same weight, so it's a good idea to keep a close watch on his condition and feel his ribs often so you can make minor adjustments as necessary.


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## Pooky44 (Feb 10, 2013)

Your dog is slim, not thin. He looks good.
You should feel a little padding on his ribs but not see them
when he is standing still. (IMHO)
Some dogs are more flat-sided than others. People always said my dog
was skinny but I could never see or feel her ribs. She also was 50
pounds at 6 months, now she is 75 at 3.5 years... and still slim.
I think a lot of people are used to seeing labs and goldens that
are more barrel-chested.


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## Disavio (May 3, 2012)

Cassid's Mom & Pooky44 - thank you for the tips, all are very helpful.



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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

lyssa62 said:


> Roxy (4 months) acts like she's starving when she finishes a cup of food 2 times a day with 1/4 of a cup thrown in at lunch


That doesn't seem like a lot to me, can't judge her based on the pic you showed. My male puppy ate 3 cups over 3 meals coming home at 10 weeks- somewhere along the way I upped it to 3.75 cups per day and he's been eating that up to now at 7 months 61 lbs or so. I do train a lot so he gets treats a lot. His food is 300 cal/cup. He wants more food (loves food) and is slim- just the way I want him.


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## AngieW (Nov 13, 2012)

Every dog is different. From the side view, I thought your dog looked fine. From the top view, I thought maybe she was on the skinny side.

Kylie is 60 pounds at 11 months. I was giving her 4 cups/day (2 in the morning and 2 at night). About one month ago, she started skipping one meal three or four times each week. I cut her down to 3 cups/day for two weeks and she started to act like she was hungry all the time. At 3.5 cups/day, she nearly always eats her food and only occasionally skips one meal.


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## jafo220 (Mar 16, 2013)

My parents used to complain to me about my former GSD that he was too "gant". I endlessly tried to tell them that it was the type of dog he was and that it was just that the dog was in extremely good shape. Even the vet could tell when I took him in for checkups. He was around 85 lbs. at that point. He got bigger as he aged. He ate Purina Bentiful. He was fed self limiting. In other words he always had food in the bowl. But he was a highly active dog. We played ball fetch sometimes three times a day when time allowed. He also was kenneled for up to 8 hrs a day. 

Cruz, my current GSD started out on Science Diet large breed puppy. He was on that for roughly 5 months. Then we got educated on food. We decided to switch him over to Blue Buffalo. It took a couple days but he has adjusted well and is much more content, not begging for food all the time. We were actually over feeding. The vet told us to feed him as much as he wanted. Thats what we did. With Blue Buffalo we're still working out his amount per day. We're at 4 cups and his stool is firm. When on Science Diet he was up to 6 to 7 cups a day. He was never over weight at any point.He was not as active as I thought he should be for a GSD pup. So with a food change and feeding him proper food portions, I can already see a change. I may try 4 1/2 cups a day and see how it goes. I don't want to go too much over or he'll get the soft serve poops.


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## Piper'sgrl (Apr 20, 2012)

Disavio said:


> Sorry , I forgot to state that I feed him accordingly to what the package is saying.
> 
> 
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You have to remember that what the back of the bag says is just a guide line and not necesarily what he should be fed.. If he seems hungry feed him a bit more...


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