# Feeding New Puppy



## bklynlatina (Nov 16, 2005)

Hi, 

I have a 4 month puppy who is now 3 pounds 7 onces. I got her at 2 months and she was 2 pounds 3 onces. According to the breeder her estimated weight at full grown should be 4 pounds....but who knows. Anyway...I orginally was going to feed her 3 times a day. Once in the very early morning, again when my daughter was home from school and then in the evening around 6:00pm. However when I brought her to the vet for her first visit the vet told me that "these kinds of small breed dogs should have access to food at all times" So since my first vet visit this is exactly what I have done. My problem is will she eventually get "too heavy" since she has access to food all the time??? Can I eventually feed her 3 times a day once she turns 1 years old?????


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

Some people free feed there dogs and the dogs do great. Some, like me, feed on a schedule. This works the best for me since my girls are trained to go potty outside. Plus they are pigs and will eat all of the food and then want more if I free feed them.








After 4 months old you can start feeding a puppy twice a day. This is what I do with my girls and they are doing great.


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## Terri (Jan 26, 2005)

Puddy has access to his food at all times and according to the vet his weight is just fine. I find he only eats when we eat. I think he fills up on treats. I wish I could say the same about my one cat though. He's what you would call big-boned!


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## abbey (Apr 4, 2005)

I started Abbey out feeding on a schedule because I crate trained her when potty training her. I kept everything to a strict schedule feeding, potty breaks every 2 hours, playtime, etc. She does great until it rains, like today!


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## bklynlatina (Nov 16, 2005)

> _Originally posted by Lexi's Mom_@Nov 16 2005, 05:27 PM
> *Some people free feed there dogs and the dogs do great.  Some, like me, feed on a schedule.  This works the best for me since my girls are trained to go potty outside.  Plus they are pigs and will eat all of the food and then want more if I free feed them.
> 
> 
> ...


[/QUOTE]


Thanks.... I THINK what I'm going to wait until her next vet appt which is next month and see what her weight is. If he's gained another pound then I think I will have to put her on some type of feeding system..maybe 3 times a day. She home alone for a good eight hours so that is why we leave her with access to food and water while we are gone...though I noticed that on weekends when we are with her all day....she only goes to the bowl to nibble on food. Never really stands over it and eats al whole lot. So for now seems safe to keep her food with her. We will have to wait and see what happens at the vet next month


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## MaxMommy (Nov 1, 2005)

My pup is 3 months old. My vet said to feed him 4x a day. She said scheduled feedings in order to know when they have to go potty. He doesn't eat enough when I put his food down so, I have been keeping the dry stuff on the floor.

Most articles I have read say that it's rare for a puppy to over eat, especially with the dry food.

My pup gained almost a pound in 2 weeks. In another 2 weeks we go to the vet again for boosters, I will see then what the average of weight gain is. I wouldn't worry too much about the pup getting over weight at this stage. But, you deffinitely want them to eat enough to properly develope.

As far as weight goes, although, you can only guess what weight they are going to be, they say multiply their weight at 3months old by 2 and that is about what they will weigh.

Since mine is slightly over 3 pounds at 3 and a half months old, I expect him to be about six pounds. Although, you never know. As long as they are healthy at whatever weight they are.


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## bklynlatina (Nov 16, 2005)

"human food" What age would you start feeding human food....and I mean like snacks...like vegetables..fruit. Chulita has had NO HUMAN FOOD yet. I had NO PLANS on ever giving her any type of human food...but now I see here on the fourm that people give their babies vegetables and fruits. Is is a good idea to start?? What age? Should I start with just one type of vegetable or fruit at a time to see how she reacts to it?? Geez......I am soooooo loaded with questions.

SORRY IF I SOUND ANNOYING ALREADY. But I just want to give her what's right and give her the best.  Because of this site I'm already in the process of changing her crappy puppy food she has been on.







But I was only following what the breeder had her on.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

My breeder had said to have food available all the time for Catcher while he was a puppy and I did that. Her rationale was that puppies get so busy playing that they may not eat right when the food is put out for them. I think the main point of this is that you not put food out and then take it away before she has finished with it. She may not want it right then, but will probably want it later. I made sure that mine always finished most of their food for the day. Usually, this meant hand feeding them some of their food. 

Once Catcher started eating his food when I put it down, I fed him 3 times a day until he was about a year old. Even now, I give them a mid-day snack of some of their day's supply of kibble. I just try to make sure that they never go long periods of time without food.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by bklynlatina_@Nov 17 2005, 08:53 AM
> *"human food"    What age would you start feeding human food....and I mean like snacks...like vegetables..fruit.   Chulita has had NO HUMAN FOOD yet.  I had NO PLANS on ever giving her any type of human food...but now I see here on the fourm that people give their babies vegetables and fruits.  Is is a good idea to start?? What age? Should I start with just one type of vegetable or fruit at a time to see how she reacts to it??  Geez......I am soooooo loaded with questions.
> 
> SORRY IF I SOUND ANNOYING ALREADY.   But I just want to give her what's right and give her the best.      Because of this site I'm already in the process of changing her crappy puppy food she has been on.
> ...


[/QUOTE]

Personally, I don't give much human food to K & C. But if you decide to do so, there is a lot of info you might want to read first. There are human foods that are not good for dogs. Here are some links to some info that might be helpful:

SM Thread Poisonous Foods List

Human Foods That Poison Pets

Which Food Could Be Dangerous For My Dog?

ASPCA Press Release - Grapes and Raisins Can Be Toxic....


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

The others have given you good advise so I will only add a couple of things. Puppies will naturally grow and gain weight much more readily in the first months than as they get a little older. I would not stress out too much about the baby gaining the amount that you said. By what you have described thruthfully she is probably going to be closer to 6 lbs when she is grown. But that is still a small doggie and you have absolutely nothing to worry about with her size. I think the guesstimate formula is to take the baby's weight at about 12 weeks and double that weight then add or subtract 1/2 lb. and that is very close to the adult weight. Your vet will be able to tell you if the baby is overweight. You should be able to apply gentle pressure and feel her ribs when you run your hand backwards from her tail to her neck. Also, unless a doggie has been deprived of food he/she will normally not eat unless hungry. I leave Sassy's food down 24/7 and at almost 3 years old she mostly eats once a day. I normally give her little tid bits here and there of mommy snacks but as for her doggie food she eats before bed at night. Sassy is 6--6.5 lbs and trust me, that is still a little doggie. If these little babies become ill it does not take anytime for them to nosedive. So do not be disappointed if your baby gets to be breed standard even at 7 lbs.


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