# How much do you feed a bottomless puppy-pit?



## LadysDad (Sep 29, 2011)

Our little Lady seems to just want to eat and eat and eat. We give her a cup of her puppy food in the morning for breakfast, and one again for dinner. If we're not on top of it, she'll also eat all the cat food if we don't remember to remove the cat dish. She always seems hungry, and I know that's mostly a puppy thing, but at 3 months, is that enough for a growing puppy?


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

It really depends on the food you are feeding. I feed proplan and Beamer gets 3 cups total for the day. He eats twice a day.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

your ticker says she is 8 weeks old....
2-1/4 - 3 cups of food per day is typical...so you could offer her a bit more...


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## Candyjanney (Aug 26, 2011)

I was feeding mine as much as he would eat in the beginning which wasn't much. Over the past 3 weeks he suddenly eats like a cow and ended up putting on like 5 pounds in a week so I do a cup 3 times a day and i mix his evening cup with a little wet food and he is CONSTANTLY looking for more. 9_9 He eats Blue Buffalo Puppy and just loves the taste so much I don't think he understands when he's full.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

My general rule of thumb is 3 cups per day for puppies under 6 months old. My current foster boy is 6 months, started growing like a weed and ended up being really thin and ribby, I upped his food to 4 cups for now just so he isn't too thin.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

How many calories is the food?

They eat like piggies - they're Goldens afterall!


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

We free fed Penny at that age. Her bowl was never empty. She had regular poos @ 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. so eating whenever she wanted wasn't a problem with that. She poo'd at those 2 times from day 1.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

3 cups a days seems like a lot for a 8 week old pup. At 8 weeks Hank was eating around 1 1/2cups a day (1/2 cup x 3 times/day).


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I guess I should say I offer 1 cup, 3 times a day. Sometimes they don't eat it all until they are more like 10-12 weeks.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

I'm certainly no expert but just speculating that because different dogs grow at different rates, puppies should have as much food as they want. Of course, drawing the line when/if the puppy is simply gorging itself and potentially causing health problems.

If she seems THAT hungry, then give her another 1/2 cup or so.


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## Sterling Archer (Feb 8, 2011)

We free fed butter until he was five months or so. He never gorged himself...just nibbled here and there when he was younger. I didn't want to take his bowl away as I was afraid he wouldn't get enough to eat. 

Since about five months...I've gone by the recommendation on the bag. Each time he's seen the vet, she's said that he was a healthy weight. At this point (~10 months), he gets 2.5 cups (Purina or Pedigree...I don't remember) twice a day. He has free reign of the yard most days and a min pin to torment, so he doesn't have a problem burning off his calories.


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## ozzy'smom (Jun 18, 2011)

I think most people are feeding 3 times/day at that age. You might want to add a little more and space it out for her. I could never free feed Ozzy. Seriously, he would never stop eating.


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## Maximus'sMom (Oct 2, 2011)

We just got a puppy(Max)today and we intend to feed him three time a day 3/4 a cup and see how that goes.


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## Bella's Mama (Jun 12, 2011)

We feed our 5 months old 5 cups a day. We got chastised at the kennel we took her to because they said she was underweight. We are seeing how this new food arrangement goes and if she gets fat.


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## Deb_Bayne (Mar 18, 2011)

I fed Bayne his daily allotment 3 times a day until 6 months.


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## aerolor (May 27, 2011)

At 8 weeks until 12 weeks my pup was on 4 meals a day, regularly spaced. At 12 weeks I reduced to 3 and between 5-6 months went down to 2 meals, adjusting the quantities as I go along. I do not free feed, but do look and feel to judge if she is getting enough.


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## MGMF (May 13, 2009)

If your pup is at a healthy weight she is getting enough. Some puppies will never be satisfied. If you think she could afford a little more weight add a 1/2 cup during the day maybe as a lunch. Wait a week or so to make sure she doesn't gain to much. Then adjust again if needed. Don't adjust because they are beggers. I have one that would eat you out of house and home. She get two cups a day and looks perfect weight. Would she want more....definately....she is part pig.


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## LadysDad (Sep 29, 2011)

That's everyone! We feed Lady Performatrin Ultra puppy food. She seems to really like it, the calories are 380 kcal/8 fl. oz. cup, which is about average (a little higher in calories than Blue Buffalo, but still okay I think). I've upped the food to 1.5 cups, twice a day for now, and will keep an eye on her. Great forum, loving all the input!!
Thanks again!


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## LadysDad (Sep 29, 2011)

Sorry, I noticed that the ticker was displaying the wrong age, she is actually 3 months old.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

When they are that young (up until 4 months old or so) I would feed three times a day. At 4 months old, I wean them down to two feedings. I feed my foster puppies 1 cup three times a day and then once they hit 4 months old or so, I drop it down to 1 1/2 cup twice a day. Normally they actually wean themselves off from the lunch.


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