# Miniature Poodle Feeding Questions



## LiquidSun (Oct 12, 2014)

Hi, I'm looking into getting a miniature poodle, and I am trying to figure out how much the little guys eat so I can come up with a food budget. What is the daily intake? How long would a 11lb bag of puppy food and a 15 lb bag of adult food last during each stag of life?
Thank you so much!


----------



## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

I am sure someone will do the math and get back to you on that, but if you are asking about food costs, have you considered vet bills, and grooming costs? And perhaps obedience classes, leash, collars, crate, dog beds. Then there's all those toys... :smile:

It's hard for me to keep my PWD in all those donkeys she demands. I expect my poodle will want his own share of toys.


----------



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

You are not going to be able to figure it out until you get the dog.....every dog is different in their food intake and even what kind of food it will require ..........especially if you end up with a pup with an iffy tummy or allergies or just plain picky or suddenly gets diarrhea and you have to change food and so on and so forth...........Until I got my mini I didn't realize how much time I would spend just figuring out WHAT to feed her much less ,HOW MUCH TO FEED HER!!!!!! Hahaha!!!


----------



## sparkyjoe (Oct 26, 2011)

First, I would browse dogfoodadvisor.com and figure out what food(s) you're interested in feeding. I like being able to find a food locally, so that narrowed my options, but some folks are willing to have food shipped so they might have more food choices.

Once you've found some foods that interest you, I think you can do some "guesstimating" by checking out the feeding recommendations for those foods. Feeding recommendations can usually be found on bags of food themselves, or the website for the the brand usually also lists them. Those recommendations should give you a rough idea of how much to feed per day. 

Then the hard part starts, which is figuring out how long a bag will last. That's where the real challenge starts in calculating the number of servings per bag. I was able to contact the makers of Orijen (which is the first food we tried) and they gave me the number of cups per bag of a couple of different sized bags, which I used to calculate approximately how long those bags should last us.

I only know all of this because my husband is almost fanatic about having a working budget and I had to be able to calculate approximate food costs for him before we got our pup.

Realistically, it's easier to calculate once they are fully grown, and you have a better idea of how much it takes to keep your individual pup at a healthy weight.

My husband finally just gave up trying to lock it down, gave me a greatly rounded figure to include food, vet visits, pet insurance, toys, treats, etc.


----------



## LEUllman (Feb 1, 2010)

I can tell you that a 15 lbs. bag of good quality kibble (Canidae) costs $30 around here, and lasts several months. At least, it does for our 20 lbs. oversize mini, who is a somewhat sedentary, indoor dog whose portions have to be controlled to keep his weight down. (Active dogs who do things like agility are obviously going to eat more.)

With a poodle, food is not your #1 expense. That would be grooming. For us, it's $55 every three weeks -- and I'd take Beau every two weeks if we could afford it!


----------



## LiquidSun (Oct 12, 2014)

I am working up a budget for everything(vet, toys, treats, etc), the food has just been a bit of a sticking point. I'm looking at Blue Buffalo food, it's what the cat got until he had to go on a prescription diet. I've contacted them asking for cups per bag, but haven't heard back yet. I know it will vary by dog, I'm just looking to ballpark and then round up. 
Thanks for the help!


----------



## Cailin77 (Jul 21, 2012)

There are a lot of factors that will determine your food budget, dependent upon what your dog does well on, and what you have access to and how high a quality food you feel comfortable feeding. 

Personally, I prefer to only feed 5 star (rated by dogfoodadvisor.com) foods and only grain free. (Worth mentioning- much to my chagrin, I can't feed my 10yo cat anything other than a 3 star food that has corn in it. She gets tummy issues otherwise. Sometimes, you just have to give in and go with what works for your individual pet.) Brody has an iron stomach, and I tend to buy a different type of food each time. (I'm always hopeful that I will find the perfect brand that cures his itchy feet.) I have researched and know what brands are 5 star and made exclusively in the US or Canada, and stick to those brands. These brands vary between $30 - $45 for a 15 pound bag. Currently, I have Orijen, which is one of the most expensive options and I paid $45. I just did calculations from their website and that bag should last me 2.5 months, so my monthly cost is $18. 

Treats may also be part of your food budget, and again, that can vary greatly. We gave my childhood dog milkbones, which are something like $2.5 for a box that will last a month. However, she didn't have food allergies, so those were ok for her. I wouldn't dream of giving them to Brody though! I typically use kibble as treats for Brody, but do sometimes buy special treats. Currently he has Origen freeze dried duck treats, which would break the budget if I over fed them ($8 for a 2 ounce bag, but it will last several months)!


----------



## Lynnie (Jun 10, 2014)

Since you said you are considering all costs I would add to make sure you plan for unexpected costs, besides regular vet visits. My neighbor's dog kept jumping the fence so we had to put up a higher fence between our properties so my puppy wasn't dinner for her pit bull. Next he injured his eye and needed emergency eye surgery. I told my husband to just get out his wallet and bleed cash. Fortunately they were able to save his eye. I could have NEVER predicted the outlay I've incurred and you probably won't have anything close to what I've experienced but do plan a little extra just in case. I have to think I'm the exception with my first puppy experience. The upside is he has me wrapped around his little paw and he's worth every penny.


----------



## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

I buy the 4# bag for Luce, yes it does cost more, but I like to mix it up and not get stuck on one brand only. Currently she is eating Abound Salmon and sweet potato forumal, it's 3 1/2 stars on dogfoodadvisor.com, but I picked it up on sale at Kroger supermarket for $4.29 for a 4lb. bag. She gets 1 cup a day, she may or may not eat it all. 1 cup is 4oz. She is a small mini, about 12" at the shoulder and weighs 11.4lbs. She may gain a little during her heat cycle, but then loses it.

Lynnie, so true so true! When Luce was 13 months she dislocated her hip, needed FHO surgery - $1800, the bone slipped then needed a second surgery $400, the I figured what the he11, in for a penny in for a pound and did 5 physical therapy session for $440. 

I got her as an 8 week old from my neighbor for $100 - what a deal!! LOL 

Would do it all over for her in a heart beat


----------



## Ciscley (Jul 16, 2013)

When doing your estimates, remember that dry kibble can spoil. The things they spray on the food can go rancid and just in general even the best quality food goes stale. 

I mitigate it somewhat by doing air tight storage. I have 5 of the Gamma Vittles Vaults and definitely recommend them if you start buying in larger bag sizes once you've settled on a specific food.

We have 3 of the large sizes that hold a 30 lb bag of food and two of the smaller sizes (cat food and service dog food).

My dogs always got finicky as we got to the last 1/3 of the bag of food when we stored in other containers, but these containers seem to keep the food much fresher. 

We originally had so many because each dog was on a special diet, but personally I'd have at least two of the smaller ones even if I only had Daphne. Can still alternate food for variety while buying larger bags of food.

---- And this is the third product I've linked to in as many posts and suddenly I feel like a used car salesman.


----------



## Streetcar (Apr 13, 2014)

Ciscley, I'm so glad you mentioned the spoilage. Especially since quality foods may use more natural types of preservatives, I feel like the tradeoff is a shorter shelf life and undetected (to humans) molds or other spoilage will happen with a large bag used for a small dog.

My dog is an oversize Tpoo and I buy the smallest size I can get of his kibble, which right now is Nature's Variety Prairie (Oliver doesn't do well on grain-free) with Great Life Salmon kibble as treats. I don't think I have to buy more than a bag a month, if that, because it's been a bit surprising how little food he needs to maintain! Of course, he gets treats, too.


----------

