# 7-8 mo. 85lb. male...how much food to give?



## emt1581 (Sep 5, 2008)

I've been filling a 16oz. cup with dry pro-plan large breed puppy food twice a day. Is that enough? 

If not, what should I be feeding him? The only reason I ask is because there's a guy at the dog park that said he fed his 8mo. GSD 7-8cups a day!! His dog looked larger and more full...not really fat, just more massive...if that makes sense. The vet has told me 1.5-2 cups twice a day is what we should be feeding him. So I'm curious what yall think.

Thanks!

-Emt1581


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

I feed 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the evening for puppies or young dogs.


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## Cooper&me (Dec 18, 2007)

BEST TO KEEP SHEPHERDS ON THE THIN SIZE.

I do not dtress about the amount as much as how they look. At 8 mnths the guys pup sounds fat since it isn't fully mature and USUALLY they do not start to fill out until older.


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## GSDgirlAL (Jan 4, 2008)

did he mention what food he is feeding 7-8 cups a day on? The food makes a big difference. How much activity does your pup get? If he is burning loads of energy then you may want to up it, or even up it on the days where you know he will be getting lots of exercise. I do this with Ava. You can always go by what the bag says as a guide but remember it is just that - a Guide. Every dog is different so it's really hard to say.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

don't judge your dogs size by the guy in
the park with the 85lb, 7 or 8 month pup.
85lbs at 7 or 8 months sounds big to me.
my dog is 21 months and he weighs 89.5lbs.
he was 95/plus lbs. but he looked over weight.

starting at 9 weeks old my boy got 1&1/2 cups in
the am. and 1/1/2 cups in the pm. he was given some snacks
at noon.

feed enough for your dog to be at a proper
weight for him.

how old is your dog? what do you feed him?


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

If your dog is a good weight than just keep feeding him what you're feeding him. If he seems thin, add some... overweight, cut back. There really is not "correct" amount and the recommended amount varies from brand to brand. Not to mention, if your dog is extremely active he would require more food than a lazier pup. I would either keep feeding what you're feeding or feed the recommended about (per the specific bag of food you have) and add or decrease from that starting point, depending on whether your dog gains or looses weight.

I know that at that age Jerzey was eating well over the recommend amount on the bag of Eukanuba. However, she was thin so we did not cut back until very recently, no too long before we started her on a half raw/half kibble diet.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

for you to compare your dog to a dog at the dog park they'd have to be littermates, with the same activity level, and eating the same food. and even then they won't look identical but it would give you a better comparison. other than that its pointless.

if food A is 100 calories per cup and food B is 400 calories per cup - you see that you'd have to feed 4 cups of food A to equal food B. ya know









i also agree with the others, 85lbs sounds big for a 7-8mo old, but you just may have a big dog (meaning its in his genes to be large). but to be "filled out", thick, massive or anything at that young of an age is pretty rare.

weight is easy to put on (much like people) but good weight (lean muscle mass) is more difficult and is achieved more so thru exercise, along with an appropriate diet.

according to the proplan lrg puppy feeding guide - 6-7 cups is recommended. personally, before feeding that amount of food to my dog i would switch to a higher quality food that requires less because i dont feel comfortable with more than 2 cups (max) of food in my dogs stomach at a time. it'll likely prove to be more cost efficient as well.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Don't put too much faith in what some guy at the dog park says he feeds his dog (harhar har tim allen impression). Go by how your dog looks and feels. My pup is always hungry but he'd be a barrel if I fed him what he'd like to eat. I can feel his spine but not see it, feel his ribs but not see them excpet when he runs so he's good.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Does your vet mean 1 1/2 to 2 CUPS or 1 1/2 to 2 of the cups YOU are using? Most kibbles(including what you are feeding) "cups" are using an 8oz cup. so your pup is getting roughly 4 "cups" a day.


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

Only you can determine how much to feed your dog. If the dog looks good then you are right on. If the dogs ribs are showing increase the food. If the dog is on the fat side side, reduce the amount of food.

For whatever reason my guys eat more of a high end kibble then the bags or vet suggests. They are both good looking, thin but not skinny, and relatively active.


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