# Almost 6-Month Old Puppy Now Constantly Hungry?



## doomwaffle (Jan 3, 2018)

My little guy Chance is turning 24 weeks tomorrow. I've been feeding him Purina Pro Plus (Large Breed) Puppy food (https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/focus-puppy-chicken-rice-formula#feeding)

I've been feeding him the maximum serving size per the chart listed on the bag. As of last week Chance has been hungry non-stop. He's always comes up to me (as if he has to go outside) and when I get up to let him out he walks over to the cupboard where his food/snacks are. For the past few weeks I've been feeding him 3 cups of food and giving him roughly 40-80 calories in snacks per day, but he seems to be really hungry.

He woofs his food down in less than 1-2 minutes - I've started to put two tennis balls in his bowl to slow him down a tad. I feed him once in the morning @ 6:30 and when I get home from work @ 5:00. He doesn't chew either, it's odd (but he has been losing most of his teeth - Just one left to fall out!). He chews his snacks, just not his meals.

He's pretty small - I think - for his age. He's about 20" tall at the shoulders and ~40-42lbs. Such a good pup.

Any thoughts on how to curb his appetite? Am I still feeding him too little even though the bag says otherwise?


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

I try to look at the dog- not necessarily what the bag suggest. If the pup looks thin, is still hungry, increase his intake. However, don't be fooled as Golden's act as if they're always hungry.


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## doomwaffle (Jan 3, 2018)

He's got a good amount of "flub" around his ribs so I don't believe he's underfed. He's probably just being difficult. Thanks for your opinion!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Please understand that this is SO normal for a Golden. He is not trying to be difficult. Some aren't food motivated, but the vast majority will always be hungry. Use this to your advantage by training with treats every day. Ask your vet for a weight check anytime you worry about him getting too thin. He is better off being a bit too lean than a bit too heavy, just like people


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## Lambeau0609 (Aug 3, 2015)

Golden Retrievers are always hungry. They would eat nonstop if we would let them. 3 cups a day sounds like plenty probably even to much for his age.


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## Carrite (Aug 8, 2017)

Don't go by the bag, go by your sense of whether the dog looks underfed.

Active, growing dogs need lots and lots of calories. Don't be shy.

tim


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Puppies grow in spurts. So you have to pay close attention to the condition and adjust the amount of food as needed to keep them in proper form. (Not too thin, no too heavy.)

Pups usually start to hit their need for maximum food intake around six months of age. However this need doesn't last for life, so you need to keep an eye on them so they don't get too rolly polly.


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## Max's Dad (Apr 23, 2012)

Our Rocky is about 6.5 months old. He is getting 4 cups per day of Whole Earth Farms Chicken and Turkey. About 350 calories per cup. He weighs 60 pounds. He is up from 3cups per day. We increased the amount because he appeared to be having a growth spurt and did not seemed satisfied with only the 3 cups.


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## dxh (Nov 9, 2017)

Remember there is significant evidence that "underfeeding"(according to them if you could ask them) Golden's when they are young will actually increase their lifespan.

Retrievers


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