Food amount

[Chesapeakegunner]

I have an 9 mo old black lab and was wondering how much you guys feed and how often. He is fed twice a day and i just bumped it up to 3 cups per feeding. I run him every night if possible before feeding. Any info would be great.

Thanks

[SubMariner]

I have an 9 mo old black lab and was wondering how much you guys feed and how often. He is fed twice a day and i just bumped it up to 3 cups per feeding. I run him every night if possible before feeding. Any info would be great.

Thanks

How much you feed your dog should be based on his current weight, energy output, and how many calories in the food he's already getting. Frankly, 3 cups per feeding sounds pretty high. If he requires that much to maintain weight & muscle tone, that particular food isn't giving him what he needs. Field dogs, esp puppies, need a lot of protein & fat to keep going.

Our GSPs weigh about 58lbs each & get 11 oz 2x per day of EVO Turkey & Chicken. We up it if they have spent a big day out in the field, trialing, etc. Also we may had some more protein (leftover chicken, pork, canned salmon).

FWIW,

[polmaise]

How big is the cup?
How rich is the food in the cup?
9 month old is a pup!..Many feed Puppy food!?..But most food manufacturers produce Puppy food with a picture and recommendation on the bag from a Jack Russell to a Collie.
If it's puppy food (which is normally a smaller kibble) there will be more pellets in a 'cup' than an adult food (which is normally bigger pellets) in the 'same cup'?
...............
I could digress...
...........
I know one thing !!..When a fine young filly is walking along the side walk, I reckon at my ageing years ,she ain't hogging all the grub,and being fed on the right stuff for that frame!..with just the right environment to keep her trim

[Chesapeakegunner]

Zeke is almost 70lbs and gets at least 30 min of work a day running drills marking etc. Im feeding him pro plan focus puppy. The cup is a true measuring cup. the bag suggest dogs up to 70 at maturity get 3-4.5 cups a day be he is not mature yet.

[Sharon]

guaranteed analysis:

http://www.proplan.com/dry-dog-food/foc ... e-formula/

IMO it looks like a very good food. The best advice I can give is to watch your dog and go from there. You don't want to see the ribs, but you don't want an inch of fat either.
At 9 months it is time to consider switching to a similar fat/protein ratioed adult dog food. Easier on the wallet too.

[polmaise]

These three were fed on what was going at the time! But I made sure they were getting what was good for them.

[SubMariner]

guaranteed analysis:

http://www.proplan.com/dry-dog-food/foc ... e-formula/

IMO it looks like a very good food. The best advice I can give is to watch your dog and go from there. You don't want to see the ribs, but you don't want an inch of fat either.
At 9 months it is time to consider switching to a similar fat/protein ratioed adult dog food. Easier on the wallet too.

While the fat content may be decent, I think @ 28% protein, that's not high enough. JMHO, of course...

[AlbertaChessie]

guaranteed analysis:

http://www.proplan.com/dry-dog-food/foc ... e-formula/

IMO it looks like a very good food. The best advice I can give is to watch your dog and go from there. You don't want to see the ribs, but you don't want an inch of fat either.
At 9 months it is time to consider switching to a similar fat/protein ratioed adult dog food. Easier on the wallet too.

While the fat content may be decent, I think @ 28% protein, that's not high enough. JMHO, of course...

Anything higher can and most often will cause severe stomach upset in large breed puppies. 28% is right on the mark. most dogs are ideal at 26%. You have fallen victim to the 'biologically appropriate' advertising.

[shags]

guaranteed analysis:

http://www.proplan.com/dry-dog-food/foc ... e-formula/

IMO it looks like a very good food. The best advice I can give is to watch your dog and go from there. You don't want to see the ribs, but you don't want an inch of fat either.
At 9 months it is time to consider switching to a similar fat/protein ratioed adult dog food. Easier on the wallet too.

While the fat content may be decent, I think @ 28% protein, that's not high enough. JMHO, of course...

Anything higher can and most often will cause severe stomach upset in large breed puppies. 28% is right on the mark. most dogs are ideal at 26%. You have fallen victim to the 'biologically appropriate' bs.

I'm with Sub and Sharon. Mine have done great on a 32% all life stages formula.

[smoothbean]

Don't forget to factor in if he lives outside and the climate this time of year (especially this year). If you are in the north he is needing many more calories to burn just to keep warm.

[Sharon]

These three were fed on what was going at the time! But I made sure they were getting what was good for them.

What a beautiful picture!.. I can't wait to see the grass in Ontario.

[SubMariner]

guaranteed analysis:

http://www.proplan.com/dry-dog-food/foc ... e-formula/

IMO it looks like a very good food. The best advice I can give is to watch your dog and go from there. You don't want to see the ribs, but you don't want an inch of fat either.
At 9 months it is time to consider switching to a similar fat/protein ratioed adult dog food. Easier on the wallet too.

While the fat content may be decent, I think @ 28% protein, that's not high enough. JMHO, of course...

Anything higher can and most often will cause severe stomach upset in large breed puppies. 28% is right on the mark. most dogs are ideal at 26%. You have fallen victim to the 'biologically appropriate' bs.

And you have fallen victim to the "I know everything" bs.

Once upon a time I fed my older GSP Exceed (32% protein). At 56 lbs he was up to 4 cups a day and still couldn't build any muscle mass. We switched him to EVO (46% protein) and he put on muscle, his coat improved, and so did his energy level/stamina. All on 22 oz/day. So that is what both dogs get. The younger one never was on "puppy" food, just this stuff.

People often think that what is written on the package is gospel, and don't move up or down from there. If you over feed a dog a higher protein/fat food, he will wind up with gassiness or soft stools. I have seen it many times. You need to tailor how much you feed the dog to his actual requirements.

** Edited to change name of original dog food: it was not "Excel" but "Exceed".

[Del Lolo]

In a Lab, you need to be easily see the last three ribs.

[slistoe]

These three were fed on what was going at the time! But I made sure they were getting what was good for them.

I'll take the one on the left please.

[ezzy333]

Zeke is almost 70lbs and gets at least 30 min of work a day running drills marking etc. Im feeding him pro plan focus puppy. The cup is a true measuring cup. the bag suggest dogs up to 70 at maturity get 3-4.5 cups a day be he is not mature yet.

You tell how much to feed by looking at your dog and not what it says on a bag. Your dog is the only living thing that can answer your question. There is no magical right answer. How does your dog look? let us know.

Ezzy

[ezzy333]

Once upon a time I fed my older GSP Excel (32% protein). At 56 lbs he was up to 4 cups a day and still couldn't build any muscle mass. We switched him to EVO (46% protein) and he put on muscle, his coat improved, and so did his energy level/stamina. All on 22 oz/day. So that is what both dogs get. The younger one never was on "puppy" food, just this stuff.

People often think that what is written on the package is gospel, and don't move up or down from there. If you over feed a dog a higher protein/fat food, he will wind up with gassiness or soft stools. I have seen it many times. You need to tailor how much you feed the dog to his actual requirements. Here is the perfect example of where so many go wrong. This dog went from 30 to 40 ounces of a 32 down to 22 ounces of a 46, and the dog really did better. But in reality the dog wasn't eating any more protein and probably less. And from there we let our imagination take over too many times and think we see all of these differences because we are giving our dogs more protein. That just isn't true, Any feed that is formulated at 26% is providing all and more protein that the dog needs if it is eating well. If you need more weight on the dog then up the fats and carbs and continue with a reasonable amount of protein which most feeds are providing.

Ezzy

[lugmastro]

I feed based on how my dogs look. If I see 3-4 ribs I start adding a couple of ounces. If I stop seeing a waist we cut back 3-4 ounces for a couple of weeks. During the season I put working dogs on a performance food with more protein and fat. After the season is over I put them back on a normal 26% protein diet. You have to remember that when your dog has a good weight of 60lbs, then 2-3 pounds +/- is a big deal to them. It can radically effect your dogs energy and stamina. Regardless, of the time of year I try to keep my male at 62 lbs and my female at 60. Both of them are healthy and full of energy at that weight. By the end of the season when my male is 57-58 lbs I can see a huge difference in his pace and stamina.

What I am saying in a round about way is that it sounds as though you are feeding a lot of food. It maybe time to try something else to see if your dog reacts better. 30min of running a day should not lean out a puppy.

[polmaise]

These three were fed on what was going at the time! But I made sure they were getting what was good for them.

I'll take the one on the left please.

She is now here enjoying the High life
http://grandslampheasanthunts.com/

[Chesapeakegunner]

Zeke is almost 70lbs and gets at least 30 min of work a day running drills marking etc. Im feeding him pro plan focus puppy. The cup is a true measuring cup. the bag suggest dogs up to 70 at maturity get 3-4.5 cups a day be he is not mature yet.

You tell how much to feed by looking at your dog and not what it says on a bag. Your dog is the only living thing that can answer your question. There is no magical right answer. How does your dog look? let us know.

Ezzy

I can just barely see his ribs. He is a spoiled inside gundog thats for sure. His father was 85lbs but very athletic. Zeke is all legs.

[ezzy333]

Sounds to me like he is in ideal condition.

Ezzy

[birddogger]

Zeke is almost 70lbs and gets at least 30 min of work a day running drills marking etc. Im feeding him pro plan focus puppy. The cup is a true measuring cup. the bag suggest dogs up to 70 at maturity get 3-4.5 cups a day be he is not mature yet.

You tell how much to feed by looking at your dog and not what it says on a bag. Your dog is the only living thing that can answer your question. There is no magical right answer. How does your dog look? let us know.

Ezzy

Agreed. I couldn't tell you what the recommended amount for my dog food because I have never read it. I do however, read my dogs daily.

Charlie

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

+1 birddogger