# How much do you feed your toy?



## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

I've pretty much been giving Raven as much as he wants twice a day, then leaving a little dry kibble in his crate in between just in case. He doesn't usually eat it, but I don't want him to get too hungry and have blood sugar issues. Now I'm starting to see a bit of a belly on him and I think it might be time to start measuring.  His ribs are still easily felt, but I don't want to start down the road of obesity. Once they go there, it's hard to keep them at a right weight forever after! At least that's been my experience. I've never had a dog this small before and really don't have any idea how much he needs! I was thinking 1/4 of a cup split into two meals...does that sound right? Tia!


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## Lily's-Mom (May 31, 2012)

I'm no expert, but that amount sounds right to me for a toy. That's about what I fed my little Pomeranian. For Lily, the vet only wants me to give her 1/2 cup kibble daily (She weighs 11.7 lbs now and I feed her once a day). We have to remember the amount of treats/biscuits they eat also.
PS - I like your new signature photo


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## pgr8dnlvr (Aug 7, 2011)

(sigh) what I wouldn't give to be in YOUR shoes.... 

I'm lucky if Lucy will take a 1/4 cup in an entire day. Petting her is like touching a bag of bones 

Rebecca


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

Thats roughly what Atticus gets, 1/4 split in two. Sometimes he eats more, especially in the summer because he is so active. But in the winter I even cut that down a bit because he gets a little thicker because he's not as active. Your toy may be bigger than him though, Atticus is 7 inches tall and weighs 4.4 pounds.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

Rebecca, I feel your pain about Lucy. 

It stresses me out when Charlie just sniff his food and walk away. Now he is already bored of his NV medallion which we introduce to him just last month. Last night when I tried to feed him that, he sniffed it then walked away. So DH suggests to feed him the can food which has been sitting in the fridge for a month cause Charlie didn't like it when we feed him that last month. Lo and behold, when I give him this can food in his bowl, he devour it. This morning he still eats this can food and refuse his NV medallion.

The can food is not even the best of brand but he still prefers it than his NV medallion. Maybe because it is something he hasn't had before and he forgets that he refuse that before.

Mom24doggies, your feeding schedule is the same as I feed Charlie (5-mos toypoomix). At times when he becomes picky then I only feed him every 12-hr, no treats and no kibble out to nibble. I haven't seen him having sugar issues with this strict schedule. 

Having a dog who refuse to eat make me realize that I'd rather have a dog who likes to eat until the vet said he is overweight and I have to restrict the dog from eating not because he doesn't want to eat but because he wants to eat. Is that make sense?

Sorry I have to vent as this morning Charlie goes back to his habit of sniffing his food then walk away. Aaaarrgghh!!


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Paige is selective, too. Very frustrating becasue she's thin. I don't like fat dogs, but I at last want their hips covered. 

Bug, on the other hand, will eat anything that doesn't eat him first and gets a little padded at times. lol
I can't leave kibble out and I've had to get really creative with the cat food or he'll eat himself into a kibble induced coma. Bottomless pit.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

BorderKelpie said:


> I've had to get really creative with the cat food or he'll eat himself into a kibble induced coma. Bottomless pit.


Lol. 

I'm interested. Cat food for dog? Pls clarify. Tks!


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

No, the cat food is for the cat, the problem is, I can't seem to convince Bug of that. Stupid me, I told him when he started catching/killing rodents, he could have cat food. He recently dropped a dead rat in my lap. *sigh* He tries to be a good boy, he really does. 

(and before you think I live in a filthy, rat infested home, know that I live in the country - dirt roads, people using sheep and horses to mow their yards and all). lol


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

BorderKelpie said:


> No, the cat food is for the cat, the problem is, I can't seem to convince Bug of that. Stupid me, I told him when he started catching/killing rodents, he could have cat food. He recently dropped a dead rat in my lap. *sigh* He tries to be a good boy, he really does.
> 
> (and before you think I live in a filthy, rat infested home, know that I live in the country - dirt roads, people using sheep and horses to mow their yards and all). lol


No, I am not thinking that. Actually I thought Bug is really efficient and useful. Rat can be a big problem and he help you nip it in the bud. Lol.

Tha cat food question is because I am searching for more variety because Charlie seems to go off of something after four weeks of routine feeding. I.e. after 4 weeks of constant feeding him on NV frozen raw, he grew bore of it and we go back feeding him the can food he refused 4 weeks ago.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Michelle said:


> Thats roughly what Atticus gets, 1/4 split in two. Sometimes he eats more, especially in the summer because he is so active. But in the winter I even cut that down a bit because he gets a little thicker because he's not as active. Your toy may be bigger than him though, Atticus is 7 inches tall and weighs 4.4 pounds.


 He is a little bigger...last I measured he's 9.5" tall and that was 2 wks ago. So maybe I should split 1/3 of a cup into two meals? Thanks for chiming in!

Thanks Lily's-Mom, I like my sig too...it took me sooo many pics to get that one shot though, lol! Most have Raven flying off the steps.  And thanks for the advice, very helpful!

Sorry you have such troubles with Charlie Joelly...must be frustrating! None of my dogs are very picky...all of them except Dusty will eat anything, and Dusty eats *most* normal dog things. He turns down some stuff, but it doesn't really cause a problem. So far Raven is a pig just like the rest...eats anything and everything offered! Maybe you should just get used to switching his food once a month or so...some dogs like more variety than others. 

BK, I would FREAK if one of my dogs dropped a rat in my lap!! Gross! And they would promptly get wormed....rats have fleas and therefore tapeworm. Yucky! We do have rats, but they stay out of the way thank goodness.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

Depends on your dog's activity level and the quality of the food. Potsie is a small mini (about 12 in. and about 12.5 pounds), and I feed him 1/2 c. (divided into 2 meals) of either Innova Prime or Nature's Variety Instinct kibble. I pay attention to his ribs and adjust the amount accordingly: a little more if he feels too thin or a little less if he's feeling pudgy.

The 1/3 c. for your toy (providing it's a premium kibble), divided into 2 meals, sounds like a good starting point.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

georgiapeach said:


> Depends on your dog's activity level and the quality of the food. Potsie is a small mini (about 12 in. and about 12.5 pounds), and I feed him 1/2 c. (divided into 2 meals) of either Innova Prime or Nature's Variety Instinct kibble. I pay attention to his ribs and adjust the amount accordingly: a little more if he feels too thin or a little less if he's feeling pudgy.
> 
> The 1/3 c. for your toy (providing it's a premium kibble), divided into 2 meals, sounds like a good starting point.


 Of course it's a premium food! Wouldn't dream of anything else...it's Blue Buffalo Freedom puppy, which is grain free. I raised Trev on BB as well and he did great on it as a pup, and Raven is doing great as well. He's pretty active, but also stays crated quite a bit since he's not reliably potty trained yet, so...I'll start at 1/3 and go from there. Thanks!


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## shadow mommy (Jan 6, 2012)

I give shadow a half cup of food a day and it takes him all day to eat it. He doesnt have access to it while Im at work anymore because I no longer put it in his play pen. In the morning and when i get home in the evening he nibbles in between playing and napping and then he gobbles down the treats I throw in his pen whenever I lock him up. I can feel his ribs and spine but they arent as pronounced as they used to be. I think me changing his food helped because he refuses to eat much when the kibble is big. He is 9.5 inches tall and 4.6lbs as of his vet visit in June.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

mom24doggies, Yeah, I didn't handle the gift of the rat with as much grace as maybe I should have. (Squealed like a little girl whil flinging it into the yard lol). I truely believe he was offering me a gift, he was so very proud of himself.  

BB is a terrific food, Paige';s favorite actually. She has been known to go on little hunger strikes if she doesn't get the BB flavor she prefers - spoiled brats, all of them! Bug doesn't have a favorite food, if it'll fit in his mouth, it's eaten. He was stealing the romaine lettuce out of my salad yesterday.


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

mom24doggies said:


> Of course it's a premium food! Wouldn't dream of anything else...it's Blue Buffalo Freedom puppy, which is grain free. I raised Trev on BB as well and he did great on it as a pup, and Raven is doing great as well. He's pretty active, but also stays crated quite a bit since he's not reliably potty trained yet, so...I'll start at 1/3 and go from there. Thanks!


Sorry - didn't mean to offend. :ahhhhh: As you know, the better the kibble, the less of it you have to feed.


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

georgiapeach said:


> Sorry - didn't mean to offend. :ahhhhh: As you know, the better the kibble, the less of it you have to feed.


 Oh I wasn't offended...so sorry if I sounded offended!! I totally wasn't...I'm just so passionate about feeding my dogs a high quality food, I guess I came off as offended. Sorry! Yup, the higher the quality the less you feed.


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## Ladywolfe (Jan 11, 2012)

My girl weighs in at 7lbs. She isn't thin, just small. She gets 1/2C divided into two meals per day. Maybe 1/3 is better, as suggested; because she probably only eats about 1/3.


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## Joelly (May 8, 2012)

mom24doggies, thank you for sharing my pain in feeding Charlie. I didn't know Blue Buffalo is a good kibble. I'll try it next month. Tks for sharing this good information.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Joelly said:


> mom24doggies, thank you for sharing my pain in feeding Charlie. I didn't know Blue Buffalo is a good kibble. I'll try it next month. Tks for sharing this good information.


Just for fun, I like to tinker on these sites that compare dog foods:

Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble

Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor


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