# How much is enough and how much is too much



## Radar

My toy poodle is now 9 weeks old and we have kept him on dry kibble which he was on when we got him. His weight is 4.5 lbs . We have been feeding three times a day and about a qaurter cup per feeding. Is this about right? too much or too little? Thanks. New to poodles always had larger dogs.


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## PaddleAddict

That sounds like a lot of food. My mini (who is adult and weighs 17 pounds) eats 3/4 cup per day of a high-quality, premium food. When he was a puppy he was eating about 1 cup I think, but he weighed 8.5 pounds when we brought him home.


What kind of food do you feed? Does he eat it all every time you feed him?


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## shadow mommy

He is a toy and is almost 5lbs at only 9 weeks?!? WOW! My toy is almost 2 and he is around the same weight. A quarter cup three times a day sounds like a lot for his age and size. What kibble are you feeding him?


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## Radar

Thanks for your replies . This is exactly why I love a forum such as this. I have kept him on Purina Puppy Chow as this is what he had been on when we got him. Vet seemed to think it was alright for him. I neglected to ask how much should he get a day. Sounds like 1/2 to 3/4 cups is too much?


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## fjm

Toys can be very variable in size, weight and activity - what is enough for one pup may be too little for another. If he is eating everything you give him hungrily, and your vet is happy that he is growing well and not gaining excessive weight, I would go with what your pup is telling you. Mine would eat what seemed enormous amounts for small dogs when in a growth burst, and then lose interest for a while - until the next spurt came along. You will presumably be seeing your vet regularly over the next few months fo puppy shots, so can ask him or her keep an eye on growth and weight.


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## mom24doggies

Puppy Chow isn't a high quality food, which means he would need to eat more to get full. Most vets don't know a lot about nutrition, you can't always go with what they say about food. I would start switching him over to a better food, then worry about how much he is eating. And I agree with fjm, they eat more when they are in a growth spurt. 

Generally speaking though, 3/4c per day does seem like a lot. When you feel for your puppy's ribs, are they easily felt or do you have to push a bit? If you have to push at all, you should probably cut him back a tad wether or not you decide to switch foods. What does your vet think about how much he eats? 

Are you positive he is a toy? Even if he were a little pudgy, 4.5 lbs is pretty big for only 9 wks! My mini was 3.5 lbs at 10 wks, and my toy was 3 lbs at 3 months, and he was a big boy, I knew just by looking at him that he would be oversized as an adult.


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## PaddleAddict

Definitely switch him over to a better food. That is not a very good food.
Mainly, you want to look for a food with a named meat source (i.e., lamb, chicken, beef, or lamb meal, chicken meal, beef meal) in the first two ingredients, and avoid foods with corn, wheat or soy, particularly if the first ingredient is corn. Your puppy needs meat, not corn.
There are many high-quality dog foods that won't break the bank. A plus is you have a toy, so he won't eat much in general, which means it won't be cost prohibitive to feed him a high-quality food.
This a great website to learn all about what makes a dog food high quality or poor quality:
Here is Purina Puppy Chow, which gets their lowest rating (one star): 

Purina Puppy Chow | Review and Rating

Just as an example, here is Wellness Super 5 Mix food (this is what I fed my dog when he was a puppy), which gets four out of five stars. There are lots of high-quality foods, I only offer this one brand as one example so you can see the comparison:

Wellness Super 5 Mix Dry Dog Food | Review and Rating


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## Lily's-Mom

Wellness Super 5 has a puppy formula too. It's a very good quality food at a reasonable price. ALSO...you can sign up on the wellness website and they will email you coupons periodically


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## liljaker

I was thinking the same thing; sounds large for a toy. Jake, the mini I lost last year, was 5.2 pounds at 10 weeks. Yep! Took him to the vet when I got him and he said, 28 - 30 pounds, and I said "no way" and he said yes. Well, he was right on target. So although a mini (sire was 18 pounds and dam was 13 pounds), he was really the "klein" or larger size. I guess there was a European pedigree in there with the larger mini (so I was told). Anyway, I'll bet you end up with a mini.


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## schnauzerpoodle

My oversized mini boy weighed 5 lbs at 10 weeks and he's now 2.5 years old and weighs 20 lbs and measures at 17 inches.


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## Radar

It will be interesting to see him develop. We really didn't have a preference as to size. Just wanted a nice pet of the poodle breed. Is it unusual for toys to have a litter and some end up being mini? I imagine it would have to be in the genetic makeup somewhere for sure.


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## Harrymummy

Harry gets picky with his food but am strict about keeping food out for 30min max. He is a mini pup at 16 weeks at 3.1kg and can just about manage a cup (200ml) of canine caviar puppy formula. He was on TOTW puppy kibble but it's hard to find and so switched. vet says he is slightly thin but nothing of any concern. 

He has learnt the hard way when he does not eat within his allotted time. Food goes away and he is just sad looking. He is hoping he can dictate feeding time. Nope. am ignoring those puppy eyes

Other trick is not to give treats. Instead use the uneaten kibble as his "treats". He has no idea


Sent from my iPad


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## Radar

PaddleAddict said:


> Definitely switch him over to a better food. That is not a very good food.
> Mainly, you want to look for a food with a named meat source (i.e., lamb, chicken, beef, or lamb meal, chicken meal, beef meal) in the first two ingredients, and avoid foods with corn, wheat or soy, particularly if the first ingredient is corn. Your puppy needs meat, not corn.
> There are many high-quality dog foods that won't break the bank. A plus is you have a toy, so he won't eat much in general, which means it won't be cost prohibitive to feed him a high-quality food.
> This a great website to learn all about what makes a dog food high quality or poor quality:
> Here is Purina Puppy Chow, which gets their lowest rating (one star):
> 
> Purina Puppy Chow | Review and Rating
> 
> Just as an example, here is Wellness Super 5 Mix food (this is what I fed my dog when he was a puppy), which gets four out of five stars. There are lots of high-quality foods, I only offer this one brand as one example so you can see the comparison:
> 
> Wellness Super 5 Mix Dry Dog Food | Review and Rating





Lily's-Mom said:


> Wellness Super 5 has a puppy formula too. It's a very good quality food at a reasonable price. ALSO...you can sign up on the wellness website and they will email you coupons periodically


Okay, just picked up bag of Wellness Super 5 puppy formula. I will over a period switch him over to it. The bag says at my pups weight I should feed around 1 1/4 cups per day. Again this seems like a lot. Any advice by you people who have fed this to your pups? I figure to have him totally on it in a week to ten days.


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## neVar

my personal way of feeding is to give kibble for 5-10 minutes and then remove. (when im feeding kibble anyway). start at the recommended amount but adjust to what he'll eat. 

And then keep an eye on his weight- you should be able to easily feel his ribs- you don't want a puppy hefty it's hard on joints. Puppies have high metabolisms as they grow so require a fair amount of food. As they reach full size their amount of food usually will reduce down.


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## PaddleAddict

Most food label recommendations seem too err on the side of overestimating how much to feed. I would start out with a smaller amount, then see how he does. If he seems really hungry and wants more after finishing a meal, give him some more. If he doesn't finish every meal or starts looking plump, give less.


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## Specman

I think that is based on 8oz. cups. Check the bag to be sure.


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## Aroseshook

We feed Nutro Puppy. At 14 weeks old she is getting about 3 cups a day. She is a spoo. I agree with the other posters, I would try the smallest amount of food recommend for his age and see if he is still hungry after finishing his meals. If he is increase a little at a time. You should be able to feel the ribs easily but not see them. 


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## sophiebonita

Radar said:


> My toy poodle is now 9 weeks old and we have kept him on dry kibble which he was on when we got him. His weight is 4.5 lbs . We have been feeding three times a day and about a qaurter cup per feeding. Is this about right? too much or too little? Thanks. New to poodles always had larger dogs.


At 9 weeks, my (estimating to be small) mini was 3.9!!!


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