# "I'm hungry Mama, I'm really, really hungry!"



## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

Ok. So Rocco is really hungry. I feed him 1 cup three times a day. He eats really fast and then sits and waits for more. I don't give him more, though. I wonder if I'm not satisfying his hunger. Should I increase the amount? He is growing so fast. Maybe he needs a little more food???...


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I'm sorry, please remind us of how old Rocco is and what food is he eating? What's his body composition like?


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

My pup will eat until his belly explodes, and he will eat all day long if I let him. It's hard, but maintain a healthy weight - don't give less and don't give extra. You've gotta find that perfect amount for his age, size and activity level.

Age? Food type? Activity level? Weight? Picture?


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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

Rocco's info:
Age - 16 weeks (in two days)
Weight - 29 lbs. (almost 30lbs.)
Activity Level - he seems to have a lot of energy but he doesn't always get to spend it (on the weekends we get to do more with him like go to the park or out to stores, etc.)
Body Composition: looks just right, can't see ribs but can feel them and he has a slight indentation in the abdomen area.
Food Type: I'm in the process of switching foods right now, from Purina Puppy Chow to Wellness Super5Mix. He's currently getting half/half, 1 cup three times a day.
Picture: I'll post one tonight when I get home.

Thanks


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

Angelina03 said:


> I wonder if I'm not satisfying his hunger.


I KNOW I'm not satisfying my dogs' hunger because that would be impossible! I simply can't rely on them to know when they've had enough or too much - that's my job, not theirs. Looking at their overall condition is a much better way of determining if they're getting the right amount of food than looking at the number of cups a day they're eating, or whether they seem to be still hungry. 

If Rocco looks "just right", then the amount you're feeding him is probably perfect. You may need to adjust that, however, if you're switching between foods with different caloric densities. If Wellness has more kcals per cup than the Purina, he'll need a little less in order to get the same number of calories each day, and if Purina has more, you'd need to feed a little less Wellness. That's the only time I care about how many calories my dogs are getting each day, when I'm switching foods, otherwise I look at their condition.


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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

Here are some pics of Rocco eating tonight. What do you all think?

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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

He looks fine to me 
I would recommend getting a higher bowl though.. Cute though. Way to make me want another pup!


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## Clyde (Feb 13, 2011)

juliejujubean said:


> He looks fine to me
> I would recommend getting a higher bowl though.. Cute though. Way to make me want another pup!


Why the higher bowl? I have heard that higher bowls can increase risk of bloat. Of course it used to be said that eating from a bowl on the floor increased the risk. Eating off the floor seems most natural.


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

Clyde said:


> Why the higher bowl? I have heard that higher bowls can increase risk of bloat. Of course it used to be said that eating from a bowl on the floor increased the risk. Eating off the floor seems most natural.


I have never heard the other way around.. let me do some research. I have always had the higher bowls to reduce risk of bloat... 
to google i go..


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## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

juliejujubean said:


> I have never heard the other way around.. let me do some research. I have always had the higher bowls to reduce risk of bloat...
> to google i go..


I guess you learn something new every day... I guess back to the floor dia goes.


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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

Why would a higher bowl increase risk of bloat? This bloat thing has gotten me sooo worried!


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Rocco is adorable and he looks like a great weight!

My 7 month old pup eat Wellness Super5Mix, she has been eating 4 cups a day for several months now. She's a great weight, lean and long, I thought 4 cups was too much for a female but she's so energetic she burns the calories quickly. :wild:


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I think the current thinking is that the elevated bowls increase the risk of bloat. Bloat is scary and we don't know 100% what causes it. 

Angelina, are you feeding the Puppy or Large Breed Puppy formula? The Large Breed has about 100 fewer calories per cup than the regular Puppy. So if you're feeding Large Breed you might be able to feed more than 3 cups. If it's the regular Puppy I'd stay at 3.


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Joey has been eating out of an elevated bowl (around the height of Rocco's bowls) since we got him last August.

I'm always paranoid about bloat. I keep an eye on him for signs of wanting to throw up, and also feel his tummy a lot.

This may sound like a strange question: is there a difference between eating out of an elevated bowl, and taking treats from your hand (which would be at a higher level than the bowl)?


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Cheerful1 said:


> This may sound like a strange question: is there a difference between eating out of an elevated bowl, and taking treats from your hand (which would be at a higher level than the bowl)?


The difference is that at mealtime you're getting a lot of volume in a short time. With treats you're getting less volume, or if it's a lot of treats it's usually over a long time, like an hour-long class. So it's not as dangerous.


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

Thanks, Emoore!


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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

LaRen616 said:


> Rocco is adorable and he looks like a great weight!
> 
> My 7 month old pup eat Wellness Super5Mix, she has been eating 4 cups a day for several months now. She's a great weight, lean and long, I thought 4 cups was too much for a female but she's so energetic she burns the calories quickly. :wild:


Thanks. That is my question. Should I give him a bit more since he seems so hungry? He doesn't get too much exercise during the week (only a lot on the weekends) and I don't want him to be overweight at all.

Emoore, Rocco eats the Large Breed Puppy of Wellness Super5Mix (I'm currently in the process of the switch from Purina).


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Which formula of Purina are you feeding?


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

Angelina03 said:


> Thanks. That is my question. Should I give him a bit more since he seems so hungry?


NO! You don't give a dog more food because he seems hungry!!! You give a dog food because he's looking thin.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Purina Puppy Chow has 371 kcal per cup.

Wellness Super5Mix for LBP has 366 kcal per cup but it has much better ingredients.

A difference of about 15 kcal if you are feeding 3 cups a day.

If your boy looks thin to you and you can feel his ribs then you can add an extra half cup and see if that helps, if it doesn't help then up him 1 cup bringing him to a total of 4 cups a day.


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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

Ok. Thanks all.
He's currently eating half and half of Purina Puppy Chow Large Breed and Wellness Super5Mix Puppy Large Breed. I'm half way throught the switch. He does not look thin to me. So, I won't give him "more" unless he starts to look thinner. He also gets treats throughout the day since we are constantly training him.

Thanks LaRen for the caloric info on Purina. I couldn't find it last night. It really isn't much of a difference in calories...


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## NewbieShepherdGirl (Jan 7, 2011)

Angelina03 said:


> This bloat thing has gotten me sooo worried!


Don't let it drive you crazy. I was about ridiculous when I found out about bloat. I was constantly feeling Sasha's stomach and watching her like a hawk. Finally I was just like, enough. I'm not completely relaxed about it or anything, but now it's more like, "do what you can the rest is in God's hands. You're not going to make it better by being anxious all the time." So now she occasionally gets a tummy feel if she looks like she's not feeling well and I restrict activity before and after eating, as well as water. It's easy to get panicky when we love them so much, but in the end I think we do them more good by not letting ourselves worry too much.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Angelina03 said:


> Why would a higher bowl increase risk of bloat? This bloat thing has gotten me sooo worried!


Are you going to get his stomach tacked?


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## Angelina03 (Jan 9, 2012)

Emoore said:


> Are you going to get his stomach tacked?


I don't know, don't think so... My vet mentioned it to me as an option for the future, but he also said bloat is not very common. I am worried about such a surgery too. It doesn't sound like something simple.


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