# How much dry kibble should I feed my 15lb miniature poodle?



## PaddleAddict

My poodle is 17 pounds. We feed EVO and Orijen. He eats 3/4 cup dry plus a few tablespoons canned. He is is great condition, lean and muscular. He will not over eat. If for some reason his exercise is cut back for a period of time he will not finish his meals. 

Do you think your mini is too thin?


----------



## mom24doggies

My mini is 17 lbs, he eats 1/2 cp of Innova Prime. He will absolutely not over eat, and like your boy is on the more slender side. When you feel for Max's ribs, are they easily felt with a thin layer of fat? ( very thin for most poodles, they don't seem to carry much body fat.) Can you see his hip bones or feel them poking up? If not and his ribs aren't showing or are too easily felt, I think he is fine. The amounts dog food companies recommend are usually too much...if I fed my dogs that much they would either be very porky or would leave food in their bowls every meal. 2/3-3/4 of a cup sounds pretty good for a 15 lb mini to me!


----------



## Marcoislandmom

With quality foods such as Orijen, the amount you feed is much less than cheap foods. Look at the Orijen bag 


WEIGHT OF DOG 

ACTIVE LIFESTYLE 
(g/cups per day) 

LESS ACTIVE 
(g/cups per day) 







1-10 kg/2-22 lb 

75-150g / ¾ - 1¼ c 

55 - 115 g / ½ - 1 c

Sounds like your dog is eating right per Orijen. However, every food has a different table of the amount to feed. In any case, don't worry about him being too thin as long as his vet checks are normal. You should be able to feel ribs. Too many mini's are morbidly obese. Sounds like your boy is perfect.


----------



## liljaker

Sunny is 18 pounds and almost 15" and I have tried to guage so he eats 4 oz day of premade raw OR about a cup of Acana kibble. A few treats, too, bullies, etc. and it seems just fine. Since I got him at 3 1/2 years and he was used to lots of exercise (30 acres) it took a bit of adjusting for me since his activity level changed. I think since it's been a year now, the 3% of body weight was how I started to measure, and now it seems right for him. He is muscular, firm build, too.


----------



## Roger23847

PaddleAddict said:


> My poodle is 17 pounds. We feed EVO and Orijen. He eats 3/4 cup dry plus a few tablespoons canned. He is is great condition, lean and muscular. He will not over eat. If for some reason his exercise is cut back for a period of time he will not finish his meals.
> 
> Do you think your mini is too thin?


I like your feeding routine and I think I might give your method a try. What type of canned food do you give? And exactly how much much can food do you add to the kibble? You mentioned a few tablespoons so I assume 3 tbps. Do you add any water?

I was thinking to rotate Max between Orijen and Evo along w/Merrick canned food. I hope my boy Max doesn't do his usual thing where he'll finish his food for the first two weeks and then start eating less and not finishing his food.

How long does a can last you and how long do you keep it in the fridge after opening? Actually about how many cans a month do you think you give to your dog?


----------



## Roger23847

mom24doggies said:


> My mini is 17 lbs, he eats 1/2 cp of Innova Prime. He will absolutely not over eat, and like your boy is on the more slender side. When you feel for Max's ribs, are they easily felt with a thin layer of fat? ( very thin for most poodles, they don't seem to carry much body fat.) Can you see his hip bones or feel them poking up? If not and his ribs aren't showing or are too easily felt, I think he is fine. The amounts dog food companies recommend are usually too much...if I fed my dogs that much they would either be very porky or would leave food in their bowls every meal. 2/3-3/4 of a cup sounds pretty good for a 15 lb mini to me!


17lbs would be the ideal dream weight for my boy Maxi because he is on the tall side for a miniature poodle. He was gaining a little weight lately because of the food change and I believe that he might of reached 16lbs because he was feeling a little heavier when I carried him. Now that that he's settled on to the new food and eating less, he is starting to go back to his 14.8lbs because I am slowly starting to feel his ribs, hip, and spine bones again. Last time I took him to the vet he weighed 14.8 lbs. 

I already have a tough time having to buy Max the expensive Orijen and Evo food so buying some can food will make things even more stressful. I guess I can start buying Max some can food just exclusively for him because my other dogs eat dry kibble perfectly fine (they are actually a little overweight). 

That’s why I would like to know about how much can food should I add to kibble, what type to buy, and how much to buy. Worst case scenario is that he finishes his meals for the first two weeks and then eats less as time goes by. Of course if giving Max can food mix will make him consistently finish his meals then I guess I will buy him some. He is my first dog ever and I love him so much that I will do whatever it takes for him to be happy and healthy even if it means sacrificing myself and eating cheap food .


----------



## mom24doggies

Roger23847 said:


> 17lbs would be the ideal dream weight for my boy Maxi because he is on the tall side for a miniature poodle. He was gaining a little weight lately because of the food change and I believe that he might of reached 16lbs because he was feeling a little heavier when I carried him. Now that that he's settled on to the new food and eating less, he is starting to go back to his 14.8lbs because I am slowly starting to feel his ribs, hip, and spine bones again. Last time I took him to the vet he weighed 14.8 lbs.
> 
> I already have a tough time having to buy Max the expensive Orijen and Evo food so buying some can food will make things even more stressful. I guess I can start buying Max some can food just exclusively for him because my other dogs eat dry kibble perfectly fine (they are actually a little overweight).
> 
> That’s why I would like to know about how much can food should I add to kibble, what type to buy, and how much to buy. Worst case scenario is that he finishes his meals for the first two weeks and then eats less as time goes by. Of course if giving Max can food mix will make him consistently finish his meals then I guess I will buy him some. He is my first dog ever and I love him so much that I will do whatever it takes for him to be happy and healthy even if it means sacrificing myself and eating cheap food .


So is Trev, he is 17" tall. As far as canned food, usually you use just enough to coat the dry kibble and make it more palatable. I try to feed the same brand of can food as kibble when I feed it.

Have you considered feeding him a raw diet? He sounds like a good candidate for it, and usually it is cheaper than the expensive high quality kibbles.


----------



## sophiebonita

To chime in on mom24, my girl wouldn't eat anything til I started her on Natures Variety frozen raw chicken meals. They come in little patties and are very easy to get raw started on... I sure saved $ when I stopped trying all these different foods Sophie wouldn't eat 



Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


----------



## PaddleAddict

Yes, I give my mini 2 or 3 tablespoons of wet food with his evening meal. In the morning he just gets dry (1/4 cup) and the evening meal is his main meal (1/2 cup plus the little bit of canned). I honestly would not worry too much about how much you mini is eating unless you think he's at an unhealthy weight. All dogs are different just like all people are different. It's nice to have a dog who doesn't over eat sinc obesity is a far bigger concern than a dog being underweight.


----------

