Puppy Feeding 101

FrenchieDante · Jul 1, 2014

One more week 'til my pup comes home! I'm a last minute type of person, and am overwhelmed scanning these boards for puppy feeding tips. As of now I'm thinking one cup of food, three times a day. Correct? Also... The breeder will be sending him home with food, but I need recommendations for puppy kibble I can transition him to? Something I can buy at the local pet smart. Also.... looking for recommendations for puppy safe treats? & frozen plain yogurt or pumpkin for kong filling... Is that okay at 10 weeks?

lkclark · Jul 1, 2014

My breeder instructed us to free-feed Bear up until he is 12 weeks old, and then put him on a schedule.

MaplesMommy · Jul 1, 2014

A dogs stomach expands when its filled but its supposed to go back to its orginal state at least once a day. Otherwise the gut bacteria and wall cant relax and restore energy for the next digestion.
Since kibble takes between 7-12 hours to be digested I usually dont recommend free feeding a dog since the stomach will never be empty.
A puppy this young I would feed three times a day and keep him on a daily routine and feeding schedule.

I should add though that it probably wouldnt be harmful to have him free fed for 4 weeks. But I wouldnt stick with it.

If you dont want to feed raw and are set on kibble defintely get some good quality kibble such as Acana or Go! . Please dont buy from Costc* or the local supermarkt since a lot of the food there comes from China or unreliable sources. Make sure you get a Grain and Starch free food with meat sources as the first,second and third ingredient.

FrenchieDante · Jul 1, 2014

I would like to eventually feed him raw ground chicken or turkey, raw egg, green beans & mushy carrot for his meals. Is it too soon to start this as a puppy? I was under the impression I dhould start him on kibble & then transition slowly to raw when he gets older. Also, any puppy treat recommendations ?

Cbrugs · Jul 1, 2014

I never did the free feeding for Jax. I fed him 3 times a day until he was about 6 months old (I think), then he went to twice a day. Jax gets Zuke's treats and Ziwipeak venison jerky treats and there is a peanut butter treat I give him as well but I can't remember the name. All of his treats, and food, are grain free.

MaplesMommy · Jul 1, 2014

You can defintely start him on raw right away. Its the most natural thing and his body is still pure so it would be a great,great start in his life.

When you feed raw the ratio needs to be 80% meat ,10% organ and 10% bone. You can either buy meat,organs etc seperately and do it yourself or you buy it already prepared and ratioed. Start out with Chicken(its super easy to digest) and then you can go with Turkey,Beef,Lamb etc. Tripe is also reeeally healthy and good but it does stink and some people cant deal with it

You should feed 2-3% of his ideal body weight or about 8.5% of his current puppy weight.
Beans and carrots might not get fully digested .If you want to add something you may want to consider Quinoa Seeds. Super healthy and full of nutrients!
The egg is a very good idea!

davidh · Jul 1, 2014

We feed our pups FROMM Puppy Gold in the pink bag. I would feed him 3 times and give about 1/3 cup each feeding at first and increase the amount as he grows. Henri is 17 weeks old, and we feed him a little more than 1/2 cup, three times a day. You can get FROMM from PetFlow.com and gave it delivered to your house.

bullmama · Jul 2, 2014

davidh said:
We feed our pups FROMM Puppy Gold in the pink bag. I would feed him 3 times and give about 1/3 cup each feeding at first and increase the amount as he grows. Henri is 17 weeks old, and we feed him a little more than 1/2 cup, three times a day. You can get FROMM from PetFlow.com and gave it delivered to your house.

Same here! But if you decide to do raw I agree it's an awesome diet.

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Julie Stevenson · Jul 2, 2014

OMG - PLEASE DON'T FREE FED and for Pete's sake don't feed one cup three times a day that's 3 TIMES TOO MUCH!!!! The puppy should get one cup a day TOTAL broken into 2 or 3 meals. It bothers me when people over feed their frenchies. So many are overweight! Please read the bag of food you purchase....it will tell you the amount you need to feed and then break that into 2 or 3 meals.

Free feeding will lead to overeating for the puppy. It's NEVER a good idea.

Everyone will give you different opinions on food. Find what works for you.

FrenchieDante · Jul 2, 2014

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I will be a little too overwhelmed at first to start raw. I figured ground chicken would do the trick, didn't expect organs and bones too! Any organic grain free options at petsmart?! Do I need to water down his kibble? And is coconut oil okay in his food?

Also... Any treat and kong filling advice?

Julie Stevenson · Jul 2, 2014

I have heard coconut oil is good in moderation. Lots of grain free options at pet smart. I feed Blue Buffalo which is grain free also no wheat, corn or soy in it. We feed the wilderness puppy line. There are several good options at Pet Smart. When you go in ask for help. They are super in there. I would buy a small bag and when you transition over be sure to mix 3/4 of what he is eating now with 1/4 of the new for 4 days. Then go 50/50 for 4 days and then 3/4 new 1/4 old for 4 days. Some dogs don't do well with transition. It's best to make is slow! Get a bag of whatever he is eating now too so you can switch slowly. Pure pumpkin at the grocery store can help with the tummy upset if that happens. Just a teaspoon in each meal. It goes bad quickly so be careful not to keep it too long. It's the pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling....be sure to get the right stuff if you choose to use it.

Julie Stevenson · Jul 2, 2014

Oops. No you don't have to water down the kibble....they have sharp puppy teeth and dogs don't chew their food much anyway. You can bring out the flavors more if you put a little warm water on the kibble though.

tonytones · Jul 2, 2014

I feed chowder 1/2 cup of food 3 times a day. hes been doing well on Kirkland Brand Puppy Food (chicken, rice and veggies formula) I dont think this food is bad at all, people have a negative view on kirkland, but it was rated very high comparable to high quality food. Eventually i want to put him to diffrent kibbles, so we'll see. Enjoy!

FrenchieDante · Jul 2, 2014

tonytones said:
I feed chowder 1/2 cup of food 3 times a day. hes been doing well on Kirkland Brand Puppy Food (chicken, rice and veggies formula) I dont think this food is bad at all, people have a negative view on kirkland, but it was rated very high comparable to high quality food. Eventually i want to put him to diffrent kibbles, so we'll see. Enjoy!

Thanks! I followed Chowder on Instagram... He's getting famous. Soooo cute. Him & Dante should be insta friends when he comes home next week. Do you water down Chowders kibble, or is he chewing alright? Also... What treats is he getting?

eeturk · Jul 2, 2014

Hudson eats raw food. We tried and tried with kibble but he was always sick and miserable and never actually ate, even on the best grain free stuff. Since we switched to the Stella & Chewy food all of his problems have virtually disappeared. We love it. They make great treats too. For his kong he gets peanut butter inside but make sure it doesn't have oils and salt in it. Peanut butter should just be peanuts. We rehydrate his food since it is freeze dried, but it's optional even with his food. He just likes it. Agree on the pumpkin for upset tummies.

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tonytones · Jul 2, 2014

FrenchieDante said:
Thanks! I followed Chowder on Instagram... He's getting famous. Soooo cute. Him & Dante should be insta friends when he comes home next week. Do you water down Chowders kibble, or is he chewing alright? Also... What treats is he getting?

thank you. yeah hes getting quite insta famous haha. Chowder loves kibbles, he has no problem eating kibbles. i tried putting yogurt and mixing it but he didnt like it too much. He prefers just dry kibbles. for treats i've tried Zuke's chicken and Fruitables pumpkin/blueberry he wasnt going crazy for them. My friend brought me a bag of natural balance Mini-Rewards - Duck Formula and he LOVES it. let me know Dante's instagram when you get him.

Julie Stevenson · Jul 2, 2014

Hey - Batman and Ollie are on Instagram too! I wanna follow Chowder. What is his acct?

Batmanfrenchie24 follow me!

FrenchieDante · Jul 2, 2014

How can I transition Dante to Stella & Chewy? Also, how much do you go through per week? Trying to gauge if this is affordable.

davidh · Jul 2, 2014

The treats we give ours are "Fruitables" made in the USA, and our babies love them. We give Nylabones and Kongs for play toys, and Henri loves his stuffie from Sally's Comfy Crate Pads. Please do nor give your baby raw hides, pig ears, or bully sticks, as they are harmful to your baby.

eeturk · Jul 3, 2014

FrenchieDante said:
How can I transition Dante to Stella & Chewy? Also, how much do you go through per week? Trying to gauge if this is affordable.

From the Stella & Chewy website: A slow changeover is recommended so that your pet’s digestive system can adjust to the new diet. Begin with a mixture of 25% of Stella & Chewy’s and 75% of the old diet. After feeding your pet that combination for 2-3 days, switch to a 50/50% diet. Again, wait another 2-3 days and then switch to a mixture of 75% Stella & Chewy’s and 25% old diet. After another 2-3 days, you can switch to 100% Stella & Chewy’s. Your pet might experience some digestive issues during this transition period. This is completely normal and will pass.

We go through about a bag a week, usually a little less. I generally get a bag every week and a half or so. It's not cheap, but it is cheaper than what he was getting before that wasn't working. It's worth it to us since he has such bad issues with food and it has totally turned him into a different dog. We pay around $23/bag at our pet store, and he eats the freeze dried duck duck goose flavor.

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