# How much is enough?



## Racheval3 (Mar 13, 2009)

Our vet said he recommends a cup of food a day for a 20lb dog. Moose is 11lbs, so according to our vet we should be feeding him a 1/2 cup of food a day, 1/4 in the morning and 1/4 in the evening. We are doing as the vet suggested, but Moose just doesn't seem satisfied. I've been arguing w/ my boyfriend (Dale) over this. He wants to stick to a 1/2 cup a day, I think we should give Moose more. What's everyone else doing?


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## rdanielle (Sep 2, 2008)

Maybe try increasing it to 1/3 of a cup per meal (so he's eating 2/3 cup per day). What are you feeding him? When the food is more carbohydrate based than protein based the more you feed... Plus, you can't always go by what the bag says as each dog has different energy requirements. See how he adjusts to the increase and keep an eye on his weight. If he's a pretty active dog I don't see that there should be too much a problem upping his food.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

If Moose is a puppy, then he might need a little more. A lot depends on the type of food, his activity level, etc. Some brands have different requirements. You could always try 1/2 cup in the AM to start and see if he's happier. Does he get any treats? Chew items like flossies help with the desire to eat after a meal when they want to keep on eating, but I would first try increasing the food.

Our breeder recommended one cup when we brought Jackson home, and he was only 6 pounds and on dry kibble. He is now 14.7 at a year and a half, and still on 1 - 1/4 cups of Merrick . . . dry in the AM and dry with a little wet on top in the PM. Some mornings he barely eats, and other days he eats a lot. You will see on this forum that some Havs eat everything in sight and end up being put on diets, and some will pick over their food and worry their owners because they won't eat. You might want to check with your breeder to get another opinion since they know the parents and the potential size Moose will get to be. As long as you can feel his ribs and he seems happy, that is a good measuring stick on weight.


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## Racheval3 (Mar 13, 2009)

Moose is already bigger than both of his parents. The breeder told us to feed him Purina Puppy Chow and to give him as much as he wants until he stops eating. Our vet said Moose is on the trimmer side, but that it's perfectly healthy and he'd rather see a trimmer dog than one that's overweight. He gets baby carrots throughout the day (4-5 total) and maybe a half a beggin strip or a couple Natural Choice Crunchy Carrot Treats or Old Mother Hubbard Meaties treats. I'd love to give Moose something a little more exciting, but the breeder said we should stick to one thing because some Havs are prone to food allergies.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Rachael, if Moose is older than 6 months you could switch him from puppy food to adult. Adult is lower in calories so you could feed him more with out a weight problem. check out the dog food analysis for some suggestions on what to feed. I would look at the3, 4 and 5 star foods since you are currently feeding him a grain based diet. The 6 stars are mostly high protein,grain free kibbles. I agree that a growing puppy may need more than a 1/2 cup especially if you had been feeding more and do not have a weight issue.

www.dogfoodanalysis.com


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I offer my boys 1 cup of food morning and night. How much of it they eat I really don't know since I have the two bigger ones who might be dipping in. Milo at two still weighs about 11 - 12 lbs. and Bailey is probably about 13 or 14. They're good eaters, but they stop when they're no longer hungry. If I saw them getting heavy I'd begin to watch it, but I don't want them to go hungry.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

I love the name Moose! It sounds like it might be appropriate if he is going to be a bigger Hav. One of my labs had a dad nicknamed Tank! LOL 

Rachel, I agree with Missy about the foods. Way back when, everyone used to feed Puppy Chow, but now the research shows that dogs are healthier and leaner on the more protein based 3, 4, and 5 star foods. The puppy chow is corn-based, while most recommend that protein be the first ingredient listed in the dog foods.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

You should really get someone to show you how to evaluate his weight by checking his ribs too. As cute as a fat puppy is, being overweight is really bad for their hips as they are growing.


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## Racheval3 (Mar 13, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> I love the name Moose! It sounds like it might be appropriate if he is going to be a bigger Hav. One of my labs had a dad nicknamed Tank! LOL


Moose was biggest of the litter, which is how he got the name. My co-worker has a basset named Tank. She gets him 3 McDonald's cheeseburgers everytime they go to the shore! He's also been known to the open the refrigerator and help himself to ham steaks and potato gratin!


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

What a cutie! I also think you could do the addition of green beans to his food to make him fill fuller but definitely have someone look over him. I also think you can't always just go by the back of the bag. I also think some like a higher protein food while others will say it will pack the pounds on the dog.

I have 3 different dogs- one who gained a pound but I am wondering if this is her weight natural weight as she is older and not doing performance. You can still feel her ribs but a pound is a lot of weight difference on little dogs so it kind of spooks me. The vet said she seemed to be at a healthy weight but I am watching her. Isabelle is my smallest and has fluctuated her weight a lot. Depending on her energy level and what she is doing. She also gained weight when we first got Dash trying to eat all his food! Now she is on raw and is a bit heavier than she was at 2-3 years but consistent. I don't remember the last time she got sick from not eating either. Dash has unfortunately lost a half a pound since December. However, he is doing a lot of training now in both agility and obedience. I have found this to be the case for all my dogs so it was expected. With my pups I do leave dry kibble out all the time (I know a lot of people can't do that so definitely not saying you should!) However, I have always had the opposite problem of them needing to put on weight. Dora is a chow hound like your guy so she never had that problem!


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## iluvhavs (Jul 21, 2008)

I put one cup in each of two bowls each morning. Pick it up around 9:0AM and put it down again around 6:00PM. Some days it's all gone, some days it's hardly touched. Rico weighs in at 19 lbs, Lucy 9.5. I don't think she'll be over 11 when fully grown. Who eats what, I have no clue. But they seem to be satisfied and aren't begging for more (unless we have steak for dinner). 

They also get assorted treats during the day, for training, or rewards.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

Definitely get rid of the Purina and find a better kibble. In a bag of Purina you are probably feeding less than half a pound of actual meat and mostly corn. it's MacDonalds for dogs. As mentioned check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com for 4=6 star foods, preferably 5 star. Keep in mind with higher protein foods you probably won't need to feed as much food.

Simply use the suggested guidelines on the bag and monitor the weight. If you can feel the ribs when gently squeezing, then weight wise everything's fine. Personally my guys are never satiated. They always want more. Brando practically lives by the fridge lol. If I could put his bed in the fridge, he would be in heaven.


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## DAJsMom (Oct 27, 2006)

I think how much you feed depends on the dog and the food. We're currently feeding Orijen. Dusty, who weighs about 10-11lb eats the least-1/4 cup, 2X/day. Indie is youngest (almost two) and smaller 9-10lb but a bit lean. We increased her to 1/3C,2X/day. Jackson is about 14.5lb and gets 1/2C, 2Xday. They all seem to be doing well with that. I agree, you need to get someone to show you how to evaluate your dog's weight so you can adjust the amount of food based on whether he is at a good weight rather than guessing based on the numbers on the bag.


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