# How much to feed our dogs



## Bing (Jan 16, 2014)

I'm sure this question was addressed before, so I apologize if I'm asking it
again, but can anyone advise me on how much to feed a 10 month old maltese?
And is it better to feed in the morning or evening?
Also, I heard that its not a good idea to feed them rawhide bones. But if they don't have something to chew, they seem to eat all kinds of twigs and grass and stuff in the yard and end up throwing up. Anyone have any ideas of how to get them to stop eating stuff they shouldn't be eating?


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

At 10 months you shouldn't need to free feed. I feed my dogs based on manufacturers guidelines for the weight of my dogs. I divide that amount in half and feed twice daily. I also suppliment food with fresh vegtables and some fruits. Sometimes a bit of rice or sweet potatoe or canned pumpkin as well. Our dogs are small and do better with at least two feeding per day as opposed to a single feeding. 

As for chews and treats, rawhide is a no no. I personally like certain types of chicken jerkey (be careful of the source) and the occasional bully stick. I think if they have a really exciting and yummy chew, they will ignore the twigs and grass in the yard.


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Chrissy our Malt and Snuggles our Yorkie both get 1/4 cup 2 x's a day; Morning and Evening and they are fine with that.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Mine eat 1/4 C twice a day. They get green beans, carrots, banana, apple, or something from fruits or veggies, as a snack and I use them for treats as well.


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## kilodzul (Oct 7, 2013)

I'm feeding 3 tablespoons of kibble in the morning and evening + some treats as rewards. Of course if Cashmere was more active some day and seems very hungry, I give her a bit more kibble during the day.
Do your babies have right weight? If yes, then you're probably feeding them right amount.


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## Bing (Jan 16, 2014)

Thank you so much for the feedback and ideas! I've been free feeding them until now with dry science kibble. I will try to shift to twice a day and to supplement that with some veggies. 
I'm still not sure what is a safer dog chew for them. I will look into bully sticks and the chicken jerky.


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## maltese#1fan (Feb 20, 2012)

I feed my girls twice a day. They also love fruit so I give them little pieces whenever I have some. Rawhides are a definite no (I didn't know that before I joined SM). But they do love their Nylabones. They come in all shapes in sizes.

Your boys are really cute.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

Your little guys are just too cute!
Mine are loving antlers as chews. We get the split ones and they chew for a long time. Just a reminder to be very careful of any chews or jerky from China. You probably have seen the media reports of dogs getting very sick. Mine also love baby carrots.

Are you feeding Science Diet food? If so, I believe it has a lot of corn in it which can make them hungry, as well as cause allergies. You could consider trying a different food which might fill them up more. Dog food advisor site is good for listing ingredients and rating quality. Just a thought!


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## Bing (Jan 16, 2014)

*Thanks for the feedback!*

Poking around on this website, Looks like a lot of people seem to like Fromms kibble. Will have to look into it. Maybe it will help with one of my puppies who has a sensitive stomach and possibly asthma.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

Generally, I feed about 1/4 cup 2x per day. I really believe 2x per day is better than 1x per day for most of our toy dogs. Some of the manufacturers guidelines are out of whack, and you MUST judge if they are getting enough based on the individual dog's response to what they eat. If your dog is on the thin side, try to add more, but for a dog that is getting heavy, definitely adjust their diet and pay attention. 

I see far too many dogs free fed become overweight. It is dangerous to their health (just as it is to ours).


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Mine also get fed twice a day - dehydrated that has been reconstituted with an equal amount of water. Dry kibble is extremely convenient but not the best for our fluffs, so i would suggest soaking it in hot water for about ten minutes before feeding. This helps bring out the flavor as well as add moisture.


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## ToniLWilson (Sep 11, 2012)

Bella eats 1/4 Cup twice a day. I give her boiled chicken breast and green beans warmed up in some low sodium chicken broth. I mix in a little bit of kibble to soak up the broth. She loves it! I also use green beans as a treat for her. Bella loves her nylabones, of course her favorite is the blue one with the little nubs but she only gets it once in awhile for a short period of time.


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## N2Mischief (Aug 18, 2013)

My three each get 1/6 cup dry soaked in warm water 2x daily.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

N2Mischief said:


> My three each get 1/6 cup dry soaked in warm water 2x daily.


This seems too little to me. . . are they teeny-tiny pups?


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## Fee (Oct 26, 2013)

I feed Boycie 3 times a day and give him treats. He gets about 100-120grams a day and 2-3 treats. He weighs 3kg now  However, I must add that he is very active and needs the extra energy


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

I feed 1/4 cup twice a day for my boys. I have found that it translates pretty much the same across different premium kibbles. There are a few I can get away with feeding a tiny bit less but it's marginal. 

Tucker is 5.5 lb and maintaining and Rocky is 6.5 and maintaining. On our last visit our Dr. commented on what great shape they seemed to be in and he was really happy with their weight. Even with their slight size difference they eat the same. Tucker is fairly active, Rocky is a couch potato. 

It's also a good idea to check out the calories per cup in the food you feed and find out what the ideal calories per day for your dog is. There are several different calculators online that can help with that too.

I feed in the morning before work and in the evening when I get home from work.

The usually get 'cookies' during the day as treats too, it's normally one or two. The ones I use are often low calorie type treats, right now we are going through a bag of grandma Lucy's pumpkin cookies. (I eat these too they are great) and I don't know the calories on these so I try to be sparing with them. When we have a bag to go through I notice the boys can easily gain if I give them too many of these so I think they are higher calorie.

For chews I get muscle tendons and I've been using the Nekid chews but I'm not sure I'm going to continue to do that, I would kind of like a more natural chewie source for them.


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## LilGusDog (Jan 29, 2013)

Like most people here, I feed Gus twice a day. He gets an equivalent of 1/4 c of food per feeding (1/2 patty of Stella and Chewy's dehydrated raw reconstituted with water + 1/8 c Fromm grain-free ). He occasionally gets plain greek yogurt or frozen veggies on top of his food. He also gets a midday snack of either a biscuit, dehydrated liver or chicken when we have them, or a tiny dollop of peanut butter. He weighs a little over 5 lbs and had maintained this weight nicely.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

1/8 cup three times per day. Supplemented with either blueberries, or frozen green peas.


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## N2Mischief (Aug 18, 2013)

edelweiss said:


> This seems too little to me. . . are they teeny-tiny pups?


Two chihuahuas, one is 8-9ish pounds one is 7-8ish pounds and a 3.5 pound poodle.

The chihuahuas are both on the plump side, especially Pablo

Poodle eats the same amount but expends a lot more energy. 

Pablo is on Prednisone for nasal cancer so we have to really watch his weight but he could stand to lose quite a bit. Emilio is just a tad overweight but has pancreatitis so we need to slim him down.

Their food has 430 cal per cup or around there.

At this amount the chihuahuas are not losing weight at all


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

It depends on the food and your pups weight, as well as how much energy they expend in a day. I weigh mine every few days to see if I need to adjust. I also feed twice per day, approximately 1/4 C. Bayleigh is 6.5 lbs and Georgia is 5 lbs, but runs a lot more!


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

I rarely weigh Lisi & Kitzi & go more by how they feel when I pick them up. They are always starving so I can't go by that. I tend to feed more than most people I think. Maybe that is why Lisi feels heavier these days. OK, I am off to weigh them.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

YIKES, I just weighed L & K & can't believe what they weigh! Lisi is not allowed outside due to not giving her vaccines, but K. goes out each day at least 4 times & more w/this cortisone. Kitzi has an average frame & was just a little over 6 lbs last time he was weighed & now is 5 lbs. exactly & so is LISI--who has a small frame. 
I think she is chunky, but she is always hungry. Now I will have to cut back to keep her within her "frame" limits! She isn't going to like this!


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## Bing (Jan 16, 2014)

*Thanks Everyone!! Your fluffs are SO ADORABLE!*

Sounds like 1/4 cup 2x/day is what most people are feeding. 
I will soak the kibble and supplement with veggies and fruit!
One of my dogs eats more than the other. I tired to keep them
separated when they eat but it's hard to keep that up. 
Anyway, This thread has been very helpful. Thank you all!


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