Hungry Puppy

Hi guys

So Hades is currently 14 weeks old.

From the time I got him (6 weeks old), he is an extremely hungry pup.
I initially put it down to him being one of those dogs that just love food, but I am starting to wonder whether I am not feeding him enough.
He doesn't look underweight to me, but I am just concerned.

I currently feed him Hill's Ideal Balance, and I go by the recommended amounts on the package.
It says to feed him 200g per day, so about 65g per serving (I feed him 3 times a day).

He demolishes that food in a matter of seconds and gets extremely excited when he sees food directly after.
I've bought one of those slow bowls to try and slow him down a bit, will try it out later.

Do you guys feel like I'm feeding him too little?
I know its extremely difficult for you all to say without seeing him, or without seeing his behaviour. Just hoping for some guidance.

Thanks a mill
Kimeran

the easiest way to tell if he's getting enough is to look at him - if he's solid, active & bright then you're doing okay. Obviously you don't want him to be skinny - that won't do him any good at all. Neither do you want him to be fat of course! At 14 weeks, slightly chubby is acceptable.

A lot of staffords seem to be greedy feeders so that's quite normal & gives you a head start with training! a slow feed bowl might well be ideal for him.

can you post a photo?

You should be able to feel but not see his ribs, and notice his waist when you look down at him.

I think the feeding guide between dry food and wet food is different so I can't advise as I feed hank a lot more but 200g doesn't sound like much to me especially with how hyper I know the little guy must be

Sorry, forgot to mention that it is dry food.

It seems like it's not much at all, I just don't want to overfeed the little bugger.

Will try and take a picture this evening.

Can i ask do you worm your pup regularly? As this may be the cause of the hunger?

Mia05 wrote:Can i ask do you worm your pup regularly?  As this may be the cause of the hunger?

I send him for his usual vaccinations once a month.
His last deworming was 26/05/2017.
The vet said it wasn't necessary to give him another dewormer now.

Usually pups are wormed every two weeks from 4 to 12 weeks and then monthly until 6 months. After that, it's usually every 3 or 6 months - opinions vary. I'm surprised your vet has said he doesn't need any more!

Id seek advice from a couple of vets mia was registered with 2.

Don't forget that the recommended feeding quantities are an average for all types of pup. To exaggerate, a chihuahua will not need the same amount as a great dane.

Nifty is almost 12 weeks old and we're close 250g of dry food - bag recommends 145g
Quite honestly, I'd up his feed and see how it goes. You should not see ribs.

PS. She was on about 200g last weekend but breeder saw photo and said although ok, a little extra covering wouldn't do any harm

I just kept re-filling his bowl when he was a pup. My feeling was that as long as I could still feel his ribs, it would be better to go with his appetite than a strict structure and have him be going hungry. Some days he'd eat far more than others, I think it depended on how much he was rampaging.

He flips the bowl when it's empty as a hint for a re-fill if he's hungry.

I think it all depends if you are a modern day dog owner who feeds the complete dry dog food or not.
Me i'm more old school and like to feed a raw meat diet consisting of raw tripe with either beef,lamb,pork,or fish for a variety with added bone meal.
If I were to feed a complete diet,I would be inclined to feed what was advised on the bag and if it was still hungry try adding a little more until you find an happy medium.But avoid an over fat dog at all cost.The aim in the first 12 months is to grow good bone.

Nifty staffy wrote:Don't forget that the recommended feeding quantities are an average for all types of pup. To exaggerate, a chihuahua will not need the same amount as a great dane.

True, but most recommendations give guidance for the expected adult weight, not the same quantities for tiny and giant breeds.

Re the weight to weight guide, I also take it only as a starting point. My 27kg lab x gets the same as 15kg Millie, because her energy expenditure is less. And it's not just an age thing with Nola being an older dog now, she's always needed less. You need to consider the high energy expenditure of most staffie youngsters compared to a quieter breed.

Also, if you feed an overweight dog for their weight they'll be getting too much, if you feed a skinny dog for their weight it won't be enough. A lot of dog owners justify feeding their overweight dogs too much because it matches the chart on the package.

My advice is a) feed the best nutritional quality you can afford (Hills is so-so) to make sure that your pup is getting the most out of his food, b) keep worming up to date for pups and monitor for adults, and c) feed for condition.

This is worth looking at for information on different brands:

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

Thank you everyone for the replies.

I need to seek advice from another vet regarding his deworming.

My only worry is that he could just be a greedy pup and I overfeed him.

Here are pics of him currently:

Aww such a cutie!

I wouldn't be comfortable with his ribs being as prominent as they are I don't know if me feeding hank raw makes his build different but this is hank when he was 14 weeks and you can't see his.

Definitely not overweight and I agree, if anything he looks a little under although it can be hard to tell exactly when they're bending over and eating.

I would worm and up his feed, and also maybe switch food to see if that helps. It's worth weighing him now so you can compare in, say, a couple of weeks.

If he's still hungry and not putting on weight, I'd get him checked by the vet to make sure there's nothing else going on.

Yeah, he definitely looks skinny on those pictures. I agree with Liz for feeding and worm/vet check. Good luck

He does look a little underweight id still advise worming again and perhaps add an extra half a mug of food to his current meal. Remember if you have plans to change his brand of food introduce the new food gradually over a period of 2 weeks sudden changes upset the stomach. hes a little beauty and has a lovely shine to his coat.

Thank you everyone!

Hank looks amazing.
I will up his feed and take him back to the vet for worming.

He currently weighs 8kg at 14 weeks. Is that the norm?

That, to me, is a little underweight. Difficult to say, really, because they're all different.

i would definitely up his feed & worm him & then see if that works.

Paris - how do you go about raw feeding? Do you make a combination yourself or do you use one of the frozen ready stuff? Thanks

James - I get his ready made from Landywoods they have a puppy option I get a beef & chicken mix, which includes bones and a small % of offal. He absolutely loves it I add some cooked chicken to his bowl too just because I know he likes it and we eat a lot ourselves so I cook the bits we cut off and would normally throw away.

Do you make your own?

Thanks Paris we will have a look at that.

Gus is just on kibble at the moment but we fancy trying raw as he is very fussy. We also worry about what's in kibble.

It's so much harder when they're in a fussy stage, can you get trial packets from the pet shop to see if he likes anything more than what he's on?

Gizmo's on Burns kibble and then a thing of wet food every so often depending on how hot it is because he won't drink enough water to keep himself hydrated.

Kimeran wrote:Thank you everyone!

Hank looks amazing.
I will up his feed and take him back to the vet for worming.

He currently weighs 8kg at 14 weeks. Is that the norm?

If you want to make a comparison our Tess at 15 weeks was 9kg,And at present Tess is 12 months old and 18kg which is a good weight for a bitch her age.Don't worry too much about the weight unless of course he is showing ribs.As said I would certainly make sure his worming is up to date.I would sooner see a lean fit pup rather than an overweight lazy one,and don't expect too much in the way of building bulk,because that wont happen until he is over 12 months

james natures menu have raw products and they have the country hunter range too . just another avenue to consider .

So I started feeding Hades a bit more.
But I have noticed that his stools are a lot bigger, and he is going the same amount of times as he used to.

Going to try and get a dewormer today

Kimeran wrote:
But I have noticed that his stools are a lot bigger, and he is going the same amount of times as he used to.

Going to try and get a dewormer today

don't forget - more in means more out! no matter what you feed your dog there will always be waste. i wouldn't worry unless the poops are runny or otherwise different.

re: de-wormers - don't buy over-the-counter ones such as Johnson's, they're awful & can actually cause problems. get one from your vet suitable for your pup's age & size.

gillybrent wrote:

Kimeran wrote:
But I have noticed that his stools are a lot bigger, and he is going the same amount of times as he used to.

Going to try and get a dewormer today

don't forget - more in means more out! no matter what you feed your dog there will always be waste. i wouldn't worry unless the poops are runny or otherwise different.

re: de-wormers - don't buy over-the-counter ones such as Johnson's, they're awful & can actually cause problems. get one from your vet suitable for your pup's age & size.

Will take note of that, thank you