# Is this normal food behavior for a Puppy?



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sounds pretty normal to me! Pup's appetites do vary, eating more when growing fast and then easing off for a bit. When to drop the number of meals depends on when he finishes growing - I dropped Freddy (papillon, 4 kilos/under 9lbs fully grown) from 4 meals to 2 meals + 2 large snacks at around 6/6.5 months, and then down to 2 meals and smaller snacks a month or so later.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

fjm said:


> Sounds pretty normal to me! Pup's appetites do vary, eating more when growing fast and then easing off for a bit. When to drop the number of meals depends on when he finishes growing - I dropped Freddy (papillon, 4 kilos/under 9lbs fully grown) from 4 meals to 2 meals + 2 large snacks at around 6/6.5 months, and then down to 2 meals and smaller snacks a month or so later.


Thank you! I suspected it would be around the time he stops growing. Our first stopped growing at 6 months, but his appetite never changed. He didn't want food  

I think he went through a growth spurt last week. Suddenly he started to look more in proportion. He's still off, but he's not as ravenous. Yet


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

My ten year old is similar... For that matter, my seven year old and one year old are too. 

Generally, around five to six months is when I go to feeding twice a day with my medium-ish sized dogs. With a small dog, I might wait until seven or eight months to drop down.


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## Apricot mini momma (Dec 22, 2020)

I couldn’t believe how much Beau ate at that age. He was gaining about a pound a week as well. I thought he was bottomless.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Some dogs are not picky and are just happy to eat, growing puppies eat a lot. Lenny was eating 3/4 cup a day during growth spurts now he eats a smidge over an 1/8 cup twice a day


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

twyla said:


> Some dogs are not picky and are just happy to eat, growing puppies eat a lot. Lenny was eating 3/4 cup a day during growth spurts now he eats a smidge over an 1/8 cup twice a day


I'm still in shock. I'm giving Skipper a 1/8 cup of puppy food, plus a nugget and a half of raw in each meal. That's over 100 calories in each feeding, plus treats. He's supposed to be a bigger toy and will likely grow to 9-10 pounds. His feet are bigger than Gilligan's. I would have been thrilled if Gilligan ate half as much.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

Apricot mini momma said:


> I couldn’t believe how much Beau ate at that age. He was gaining about a pound a week as well. I thought he was bottomless.


We've had him home a month and he's gained 2 pounds.... maybe more. He gets weighed tomorrow. He is a bottomless pit.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Sounds like my two recent puppies.


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## I_love_dogs (May 30, 2021)

Loki acts like he is starving all the time. I use a Long Wobbler to slow him down to make sure he is actually still hungry before I give him more. When he was eating out of a bowl, it seemed like he was eating so fast that his brain didn't know his tummy was full.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

Update... following my vets instructions, I have increased breakfast and dinner and decreased lunch so he gets the same amount of calories. He still eats heartily. 

He has not gained any weight at all in 2 weeks. He's still 9.4 pounds, which is where his breeder said he should be. He's now about 23 weeks old and he may have topped out. His body is almost in the right proportion for a poodle. I think he may grow a bit taller. His vet, as of 2 weeks ago said his body size is perfect and if I stop being able to feel his spine and ribs, to start cutting back. He's eating nearly 400 calories a day and possibly a bit more

As I said in my first post, this is all completely new to me so I want to make sure I"m doing the right thing. Particularly when it comes to a) cutting back quantity and b) dropping to 2 meals a day.

I guess I paid my dues after the first one wouldn't eat anything. Now I have one I worry about feeding too much


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Good for you, mine love to eat but need more calories in the winter and less calories in the summer. It was easier when I had dogs of a similar size, 8 1/2 pound Pia requires more than 6 pound Leonard


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

This is a chart showing typical growth pattern for a toy. You'll see why the food starts getting reduced after the rapid growth peaks out. Puppies need higher fat and protein to sustain that rapid growth and spreading it thru several meals then keeps their little bodies on a more even keel. 











He'll keep maturing and may add a bit more height as well as an additional pound as growth upward shifts to adding some adult muscle mass. 



mary2e said:


> if I stop being able to feel his spine and ribs, to start cutting back.


Your vet seems to understand the proper poodle physique .


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

Rose n Poos said:


> This is a chart showing typical growth pattern for a toy. You'll see why the food starts getting reduced after the rapid growth peaks out. Puppies need higher fat and protein to sustain that rapid growth and spreading it thru several meals then keeps their little bodies on a more even keel.
> 
> He'll keep maturing and may add a bit more height as well as an additional pound as growth upward shifts to adding some adult muscle mass.
> 
> ...


Thank you. I suspect he'll gain a bit more. His breeder said he was a big toy and would top out at 9-10 pounds and perhaps even a bit taller than 10". He has just about grown into his feet  

So it looks like I can start reducing his lunch soon and get to 2 meals a day. I'm going to watch his weight carefully. We are getting him neutered at 7 months for various reasons. We waited for Gilligan to be a year, and then we had to postpone for 2 more months and I don't think he took it very well. He came home very fearful. So we're looking to avoid that with the puppy.

What I didn't know is that so many red toys are larger and their features are also larger  I've been looking at pictures, and he seems to be just like all the others I see and why there are so few in the usual poodle cuts. Most I've see are in a teddy bear cut, which is how I got him.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

mary2e said:


> So it looks like I can start reducing his lunch soon and get to 2 meals a day.


Keeping an overall eye on his food intake as you are, when you switch him to the two meals, there will be an eventual small reduction in his overall intake so reserve something for a just before bed snack. 

It may not have been or ever would be an issue for Skipper (or Gilligan) but some of us have poodles that experience the empty tummy bile urping. Something in their stomachs between dinner and first meal of the day helps reduce that.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I find I get the best sense for the dog's condition by checking the hip bones and the hollow between them. Sharp hips and a deep hollow means the dog is underweight. Comfortably padded hips and a slight hollow is just about perfect. Hips I can barely feel and no hollow at all is too fat.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

Rose n Poos said:


> Keeping an overall eye on his food intake as you are, when you switch him to the two meals, there will be an eventual small reduction in his overall intake so reserve something for a just before bed snack.
> 
> It may not have been or ever would be an issue for Skipper (or Gilligan) but some of us have poodles that experience the empty tummy bile urping. Something in their stomachs between dinner and first meal of the day helps reduce that.


Thanks. I started cutting back lunch about 3 weeks ago but I added the amount to breakfast and dinner. I'll continue to do the same until he starts gaining again. Both always get a bedtime snack. Gilligan also refused breakfast with no puking until we got the puppy. Now he wants food all the time when I feed the puppy. I never thought I'd see the day. Gilligan had a small snack at around lunch, a regular dinner, and then a snack before bed.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

cowpony said:


> I find I get the best sense for the dog's condition by checking the hip bones and the hollow between them. Sharp hips and a deep hollow means the dog is underweight. Comfortably padded hips and a slight hollow is just about perfect. Hips I can barely feel and no hollow at all is too fat.


Thank you!


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