[mandib50]

a week ago today i came across a puppy in a ditch that i picked up and took home - and well now he is our pet

:. he was all skin and bones, you could see his ribs, his spine, his hip bones, and bones on his head. he was so weak he pretty much just laid by the door for the first 3 days.

he has definitely put on weight since them and is more energetic, he follows the kids around and he plays with my female rottie. we think he is about 4-5 months old, his adult teeth are still coming in. he is a medium sized dog right now. i will be taking him to the vet just to get him looked over and get some deworming stuff.

i just have no idea how much i should be feeding him. should it be twice a day now? how many scoops of food should he get? his ribs are still very visible, i don't want to underfeed him and i want him to keep gaining weight.

 

[LeahBoo]

Feed him 4 times a day, as much as he will eat. Puppies won't generally overeat. When he starts filling out you can drop it down to twice. Or keep feeding often, no harm in feeding several meals (but if he starts gaining too much, cut back the portions).

 

[Ola_]

Definitely take in a stool sample to test for worms, that could delay his weight gain.

I would feed him twice a day, or if he is still really skinny then 3 times. Putting on weight too quickly is not good, slow and stead is what I would aim for. You said that he has already put on weight and has energy so there is no rush since he is getting nutrients and not starving.

Exactly how much to feed is hard to tell you, it depends on the food and also on the individual dog's metabolism. But just keep an eye on his body condition and adjust as needed. IMO it's better to be a bit too skinny than a bit too fat so I tend to err on that side.

 

[mom0810]

How much does it say a dog of his size and weight should be eating on the package of food you are feeding? I would stay around there, but give him at least 4-5 feedings a day because his stomach is probably so small and you don't want him to get sick.

At his age, with adult teeth coming in I would be feeding either adult or all life stages food. He'll catch up. You don't need to OVER feed him now, just feed him what a puppy of his age should eat. You COULD go and get some puppy food and mix it with the adult food, to equal the same number of cups of food a day but with a little extra punch of calories. No one can tell you how many cups without knowing what the bag of kibble recommends and what the weight of the dog is, though.

Good for you for nursing him back to health!

 

[mandib50]

well according to the size i think he *would* be, he needs anywhere from 3 1/2 to 6 cups, split over 2 times a day. he is tolerating the food now, the first 3 days i had to give him smaller portions because he would throw it up and he had the runs. now i think i can cut back to 2 times a day, i'll just err on giving him a bit more food rather than less because he is still quite thin, and gradually cut back.

thanks for your input

 

[mom0810]

Don't cut back to two times a day yet.

He could still get sick from having too much food in his tummy. I would go REALLY super easy on him and offer like a cup four times a day or something. See how that goes.

 

[mandib50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mom0810 Don't cut back to two times a day yet. He could still get sick from having too much food in his tummy. I would go REALLY super easy on him and offer like a cup four times a day or something. See how that goes.

okay

that makes sense. he seems happy with what we are doing so i'll just keep at it for a bit then. when would you scale back?

 

[mom0810]

You mean to two feedings? I would say when he looks in good weight. Still should have a "waist" but you should be able to see or feel his hipbones.

As far as scaling back amount, you might not have to. Or you might need to increase it. If he is still seeming "starving" on four one cup feedings a day, you can change one or two feedings to one and a half cups. Or add another one cup feeding to the day. Just stretch his little tummy out slowly, and he should get more good body condition as time goes by.

 

[mandib50]

yes, that is what i mean mom0810.

i think it's best if for now we keep it the same as we have been currently doing, which is feeding him 4-5 times a day. he still seems hungry even then, so sometimes i throw in an extra 1/2 cup or so ... i think he needs to put on about 5 lbs yet and then he will be the perfect size. once he looks like he is a good weight, then i will start cutting back his feedings to 2-3 times a day.
thanks for your help!

 

[Ola_]

Personally, I wouldn't judge by how hungry he seems. My dogs are pretty much always convinced they are starving, especially Chaos. She was a stray dog before we got her so I suspect she didn't have much to eat. Not sure if it's because of that, but she has always been willing to eat till she burst. I know some dogs are able to self-regulate their food intake but many (most?) can't.

Just be sure to keep him on the lean side of things, even a little extra weight is bad for their joints and shortens their life span.

 

[mandib50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ola_ Personally, I wouldn't judge by how hungry he seems. My dogs are pretty much always convinced they are starving, especially Chaos. She was a stray dog before we got her so I suspect she didn't have much to eat. Not sure if it's because of that, but she has always been willing to eat till she burst. I know some dogs are able to self-regulate their food intake but many (most?) can't. Just be sure to keep him on the lean side of things, even a little extra weight is bad for their joints and shortens their life span.

i think he would self-regulate (possibly). when we first had him i left food out for him and he would leave it once he was full. i don't free feed him now though.

my dog xena would not self-regulate, she would eat until she burst too, and most definitely my girl keira will also eat to bursting. she came home from my in-laws chubby because they not only would they give her food, they gave her table scraps all week long

it takes longer for it to come off than to put it on!

 

[mom0810]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ola_ Personally, I wouldn't judge by how hungry he seems. My dogs are pretty much always convinced they are starving, especially Chaos. She was a stray dog before we got her so I suspect she didn't have much to eat. Not sure if it's because of that, but she has always been willing to eat till she burst. I know some dogs are able to self-regulate their food intake but many (most?) can't. Just be sure to keep him on the lean side of things, even a little extra weight is bad for their joints and shortens their life span.

Definitely not most. Some dogs are pigs, but most aren't, and it's not like she is leaving food out all day. IN this case, a little extra food won't hurt until he gets back in shape.

 

[oneKnight]

What kind of food are you feeding anyway? 6 cups a day?

 

[mandib50]

i am feeding him puppy food right now, over the 4 feedings he is getting about 5 cups (with treats for training). the guidelines on the food indicate 3 1/2 cups to 6 cups/day as appropriate for a pup his size. i just sort of estimated the weight i think he would be healthy at and used that as a guideline. he is still gaining nicely and his energy levels are great! his spine and bones around his head and neck are no longer visible (although still very palpable), just his ribs and hip bones are showing so he's looking pretty good.