# Feeding advice



## slsmith77 (Jun 10, 2009)

Can anyone advise us on how much to feed our puppies a day? We have 2 havanese puppies, they are 13 weeks. We feed them three times a day. What would be a good total daily amount for each puppy? What did you do? We don't want to overfeed them, or starve them either. 
Rico is 4.5 pounds. Pancho is almost 6 pounds already! 
We are using Eukanuba puppy lamb and rice. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I would ask your vet. When we brought Murphy home I was underfeeding him and overfeeding Scooter so I was happy when the vet asked me how much they were eating. The vet can tell you when you can go to 2 feedings a day as well.

Can you post pics of Rico and Pancho???


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## Gypsy (Feb 22, 2009)

*Feeding Advice*

When we brought Bentley home on February 13th he was 13 weeks and weighed 4.7 lbs. On breeders' advice we fed him 3 times a day using Eukanuba Small Breed. Food was set out for 20 minutes then taken away. As he grew older he was given 2 meals a day and remains on the same today.
He's now 8 1/2 months old and weighs 12lb 7 oz as of July 13th. Weight gain has slowed the past 2 months. Healthy & happy. Has had no other except treats.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Well I would suggest you quickly get rid of the Eukanuba and find something better. For a good kibble, you might want to check out the site for reviews and find something in the 5 or 6 star category. Eukanuba falls in the bottom 1 star category. http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

The side of the bag should tell you the proper feeding amount. Use that as a guidline and go from there. If you have more than one puppy, the feeding will likely follow the active amount.

Here's their review of Eukanuba puppy



> The first ingredient in this food is a named meat product. This is chicken inclusive of its water content which, once removed as it must be to create a dry food, will leave the ingredient weighing around 20% of its wet weight. It is thus unlikely that this is the true first ingredient in the food but would be more accurately placed further down the ingredient list.
> 
> The second ingredient is by-products. It is impossible to ascertain the quality of by-products and these are usually products that are of such low quality as to be rejected for use in the human food chain, or else are those parts that have so little value that they cannot be used elsewhere in either the human or pet food industries. We recommend avoiding any pet food using such ingredients. The AAFCO definition of chicken by-product meal is "a meal consisting of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidable in good processing practice."
> 
> ...


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## Gypsy (Feb 22, 2009)

*Dog Food Analysis*

Interesting reading. I spoke with my veterinarian at the time of the puppy's first visit and no changes were recommended. My breeder has 30 years of experience with 2 different breeds and the veterinarian she uses has Havanese dogs himself. 
Knowing that cost is not an issue and health would be a primary concern, I'm comfortable with the current prescribed diet. As far as the amount to feed, the guidelines are just a guide and tend to be on the high end of the scale. No dog food company would suggest you feed a dog less than their maximum research suggests. 
We all hope our pets remain healthy and thrive but unless there is a problem with growth, development and or digestion I wouldn't suggest that someone change the diet. Concerns should be addressed with the veterinarian before changes are made.
Thaks to everyone for all I'm learning.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Gypsy-What lots of people find is that the vets don't get much training when it comes to nutrition so many have searched on their own to find better foods for their dogs. As a new dog owner I didn't know a thing about dogs or food! Luckily my vet was one of the few with some knowledge of nutrition and recommended some very good foods. I equate it to feeding my kids healthy foods or junk food, lots of the dog food on the market would fall into the junk food category. My breeder recommended junk food, she feeds that to her dogs and says they're all healthy. I made a choice to upgrade the food because I want them to have the best I can offer. It's a personal choice, Daniel gives the information because he's knowledgeable about dog nutrition.


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## Gypsy (Feb 22, 2009)

*Thanks*

I'm always interested in hearing others' opinions.


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## Patti McNeil (Apr 20, 2009)

I have a great vet, but he's old school. He told me to continue to feed what the breeder had him on if he was doing fine. My breeder had him on Purina Pro, and he was fine and healthy. I did my own research (thanks to Daniel's post) and switched Toby to Solid Gold. If I fed my kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all the time, they'd be happy, they'd grow, and they'd probably be fine, for a while. I apply the same logic to Toby. I want him to have the best, healthiest diet and not just what is 'good enough'. 

To each his own. This is a great place for advice and honest opinions!


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

Fact is, many vets recommend and sell Science Diet, and as far as I'm concerned it's junk, as is Eukanuba and many others. Vets have no particular training in nutrition, just as with human doctors.

Do your own research, and if you still think Eukanuba is great, so be it.

I feed Halo, Solid Gold is great stuff but their puppy kibble was too big for Mojo, Merricks is great, Avoderm, there are so many...I would never feed a dog of mine anything that wasn't human grade to begin with, or anything with by-products. Since the China scare, I am pretty picky about foods made in the USA with USA sourced ingredients. There are many very high quality dog foods to choose from, and since we have a toy breed that don't eat very much it is easier to afford a true premium dog food if cost is a factor.

Also, changing diets isn't nearly as tricky as some people make it out to be. I was very careful changing foods when Mojo came home at 8 weeks old, and we did it gradually over a week. He's now 15 weeks and often eats someone else's food when we go visiting for doggy play dates, and at home I vary his diet with different brands of wet food added to his dry, and he's fine.

Dog food manufacturers started this notion that you must feed only one kind of food. Makes good sense for them. If someone told you that you would have to feed your children one dry kibble-like food for their entire lives, you'd think they were nuts! So why do we accept this idea for our dogs?


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

I agree with Daniel and the others about feeding Eukanuba. It's not a good food and I would recommend you change it. Vets do *not* know everything there is to know about nutrition - in fact, they know very little since it's not usually something that is required for more than a semester (if that!) in vet school. In addition, most vets get paid extra money if they recommend a brand and sell it so they a lot of times tell you to feed Eukanuba and Science Diet (or tell you to stay on it) because they get a kick back from it. I highly recommend doing your own research.

Also, feeding one kind of food for your whole pet's life as someone else mentioned above is *not* good. Why? Because it causes allergies to develop a lot quicker and more easily than if you vary your pet's food. Allergies are caused by your body (or in this case your dog's body) developing antigens to certain proteins. The longer you get exposed to the same protein day in and day out the more likely your body will be able to produce that antigen and cause an allergy. If you vary a protein every 4 months or so the body will not have enough time to develop an antigen and by the time the other food is back in circulation it will have to start over again from square zero. My two are on three different kibbles with three different protein bases for that reason. I switch off between the three every 3-4 months or so.

I do want to add that, of course, when switching food I do it slowly so that I won't get any upset tummies. Usually I do it in 3-4 days starting with a 25% new food/75% old food mixture and moving onto 50/50 then 75/25 before giving a 100% new food.

As far as how *much* to feed your puppy, that's totally dependent on the type of kibble you're feeding as every kibble has differing amounts of calories in them. In addition, every dog is different! My Kubrick weighs 15lbs and eats a little less than 1 cup per day whereas my Hitchcock weighs only 12lbs or so (need to take him to be weighed again - he's only 9 months and still growing) but gets a tiny bit more than 1 cup per day and he's definitely skinnier than Kubrick (you can feel this by his ribs). He just burns it off much faster and better! I suggest you start out with what you think you should be feeding him based on the brand and then decrease or increase based on what you feel from your Hav's ribs. If you don't know how to check for over/underweight by feeling the ribs, ask someone to show you how. A vet or your breeder should be proficient at doing this.


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## Gypsy (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks again every one, especially Daniel. I'll be changing as soon as I do some more research.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

I think over the past few years, nutrition for dogs and I guess pets in general has become much more of an issue with a spotlight being put on it. Thanksfully! Possibly due to rise in health issues in our pets. I suspect lots of breeders and vets simply don't keep on top of all the changes or can't. Some are used to doing things a certain way and see no reason to change. 

With so much information on the internet, as individuals it is so much more easier for us to gather information from around the globe, talk to others about their experiences and even hear from other professionals. Definitely allows us to all be better informed owners. Obviously you have to be careful about what you read and sift through all the garbage as well.

But just from this Havanese website I've learnt so much about nutrition, shots, health issues, etc that I don't think I would have ever heard from my vet. 

Now if only I could instill the discipline I use for feeding my dogs on myself....


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Me too Daniel, I'd never give my dogs the kind of junk that I eat! LOL


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## Mojo's Mom (Jun 6, 2009)

Absolutely excellent advice from Lina on all counts.

I like foods that use the more unusual protein sources, such as buffalo or venison, which are less likely to trigger allergies.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

I have to agree with pretty well everything that has been said here. If you want to learn about good dog nutrition ,learn from a pet nutritionist. It is a personal preference, but to get the best information stick with a specialist and someone that is not selling the food they are recommending. My favorite site is http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=main There is an unbiased person who will give you good, better, best options but will not make you feel guilty for choosing one over the other. She will not do it based on ratings but what might work for YOUR dog after doing a detailed yet inexpensive questionnaire and appraisal or consultation. All done online.


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