How much do you feed your doodle?

[Esther and Joey]

Joey is about 23-24lbs. at almost a year old. Has only gained 2-3lbs since we got her at 16 weeks but has definitely gotten taller and longer.

We feed her 2 cups of Acana a day - 1 cup in the morning and a cup in the evening.

Went to the vet for routine visit and he told us that she could actually put on another 5 lbs. After feeling her, he said she was under weight. 

How much do you feed your dog? We have noticed that she IS on the leaner side. Other doodles we've met are definitely chunkier and they have more mass. Thoughts?

[Esther and Joey]

thanks for the comment...not sure what to do...if i should increase food? or does she just have a high metabolism? in terms of activity, she's pretty chill. we take her on longer runs and walks on the weekends but during the week, just 4 pee breaks in 24 hour period...not much activity, really.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Sorry I can't help with amounts because I don't feed kibble but I can tell you that until Tara was about 1 1/2 to 2 years old she was just a little stick. OMD!  I think between growing and all the puppy energy they just have a hard time keep weight on let alone gain. I don't see any reason why you can't give her more food if she will eat it and needs to put on a few pounds. If she is about 20% below her idea body weight that is fairly substantial. I would up her food quantity if it were me.

[Esther and Joey]

how do i find out her ideal body weight?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I just added the 5 pounds (what the vet said she should gain) to her current weight and calculated the percentage difference. 28/29 pounds minus 20% equals about 23 pounds. :)

[Gregg Aprahamian]

I feed my 1yr 3 month old doodle 2.5 cups of Wellness large Breed Puppy 2x/day

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Wellness may be less calorie dense than Acana. It depends on which formula you are feeding. Grainfree foods are usually more calorie dnese, although not always.

In order to compare how much one dog eats with how much another one eats, you need to look at the kcals per cup and give the amount as calories. Each food is different, sometimes extremely so. One food can contain as much as 150 kcal per cup more than another one.  

[Gregg Aprahamian]

Also, he is 65lbs and is lean and tall. Very active when outdoors. Loves loves loves to retrieve forever. Loves running too.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Perhaps the easiest thing would be to look at the recommended feeding rates on the Acana package. If she weighs 23-24 pounds, and the vet says she should gain about 5 pounds, then use the recommended rates for a 30-pound dog. That should help her gain at a gradual and healthy rate.

Because the number of calories per cup varies between formulas and manufacturers, it is difficult to just give a quantity or to compare quantities of different brands.

Hope this helps!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

I looked at the web site for Acana, and I'm assuming you're feeding the Puppy & Junior formula?

If so, their feeding guidelines for a 33-pound dog at 10 to 12 months of age is 3 1/4 cups per day. So, I would say, for a 30-pound dog,  2 3/4 to 3 cups per day should be appropriate.

This would mean she is getting 1/2 to 3/4 cup per day more than the recommendation for a 22-pound dog (2 1/4 cups).

If you're using a different formula, the feeding guidelines may vary.

[Esther and Joey]

i actually feed her grain free duck and barlett pears...wondering now if i should be feeding her the puppy formula?

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

If she's almost a year old, I don't see any need to go back to a puppy formula. I can't really speak to the number of calories she needs--that kind of nutritional analysis is for the experts like Karen! *^_^*

But, just as a ballpark estimate, the feeding guidelines for the Duck and Bartlett Pears formula skip over the 15-kg or 33-pound dog. They recommend 1 to 1 1/4 cups per day for a 22-pound dog, depending on activity level (the higher rate for the more active dog), and 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups for a 44-pound dog, again depending on activity level. So I would estimate that the appropriate feeding rate for Joey would be 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups per day. Again, just a ballpark based on feeding guidelines.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Esther, which Acana formula are you feeding? The calorie content varies. Also, if it's one of the forumlas that contains grains, that may make a difference too, as many dogs don't utilize grains very well and can't utilize the nutrients from them.