Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Puppy Feeding - How much? So many conflicting opinions!
We got our goldendoodle, Mallow, at 8 weeks. He weighed 3.7lbs at his first vet visit. The vet said that was very small and he wanted to see him gain weight. He came from the breeder with Science Diet puppy food with a label that said to feed him 1/3 cup, 3 times a day! I don't know if that was a typo, but we couldn't get him to even finish 1/3 cup in a day. I knew we wanted to switch to Tuscan Natural, and started mixing the two foods right away. Over about a week, we transitioned him completely over to Tuscan. He LOVED the Tuscan and was eating about 3/4 of a cup a day (1/4 cup 3 x a day). He gained a pound that week. I determined the amount to feed him based on how much he would eat in a sitting and by putting his weight and the kcal info into the feeding calculator at http://goldendoodles.com/care/food_calculator.htm. He is now 11 weeks old, weighs 7 lbs and eats 1 cup a day. I don't know why I hadn't looked before, but on the back of the bag of dog food, it suggests that he should only be eating 1/4 - 1/2 a cup of food a day! YIKES!
So, my question is, should we cut back his food now that he has gained weight? Should we continue with the cup a day so he keeps growing? What is the average weight of an 11 week old goldendoodle? We have a vet visit coming up and will talk to him as well, just wanted to get some opinions from other doodle owners!
Food info:
http://tuscannatural.com/harvest-puppies-O.html
446 kcal/c
3,716 kcal/kg
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by F, Calla & Luca on
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Is he a first generation goldendoodle. What sizes were his parents. Goldendoodles like labradoodles come in all sizes now so it's important to know an approximation of his growth expectations. IF he's a mini you'd expect him to stay smaller etc. I'd speak to the breeder if you are unsure.
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Permalink Reply by Emilie & Mallow on
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He is a standard F1 goldendoodle. I have seen pictures of his parents, but have not asked their size. I will ask her what she has seen from this paring in the past. I mentioned to her that the vet said he was thin and she did say that she had to switch from PMI to Science Diet due to slow weight gain. I take that to mean that he should be bigger than he is. I guess my basic question is, do I go off the back of the bag of dog food for his weight or is the calorie calculator more accurate?
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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PMI is absolute garbage, even worse than Science Diet, it's a wonder any dog could thrive on it. I would not interpret that to mean he should be bigger than he is.
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/pmi-nutrition-dog-fo...
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There's no "average" weight for goldendoodle puppies or any mixed breed puppy, because their sizes are not consistent as puppies or as adults. The vet usually can tell if a dog's body composition (ratio of lean mass to fat) is at a healthy level during examination. Leaner is always, always, better for every dog (and every person).
As long as a puppy is getting the amount of calories he needs, he will continue to grow. In fact, he'll continue to grow even if he isn't getting enough calories, but he may fail to develop enough muscle mass. You really can't tell how much to feed them by how much they will eat, because some dogs will eat as much as they can get, so you have to be the one to limit it.
It is much healthier for a puppy to be a little bit underweight than to gain too much too fast. Gaining weight too rapidly can have a negative effect on the skeletal structure.
Tuscan food is a new one on me, and I don't see any feeding guidelines on their website, so I can't give you an exact recommendation. But as puppies get older, their calorie requirements per pound of body weight go down. If he is getting any treats, those calories count in his daily intake, too. I think I would maybe cut back his food to the 3/4 cup daily and see how he does. You can always add more if he really seems to be hungry.
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Thank you for your feedback! Tuscan's feeding suggestion is 1/4-1/2 cup for puppies 4-8lbs, 1/2-3/4 for 9-12lbs, and 3/4-1 cup for 12-15lbs. Obviously this is a generalization that puppies top out at 15lbs! I think I am going to take your suggestion and cut back his food to the 3/4 and see how it goes. He has never seemed hungry, I think it was me trying to get him to eat more because the vet worried me about his size!
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Also, the website gives the calorie content of the puppy food as 435kcal/cup, not 446.
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You are right! The back of the bag (this is my second bag with the same info) says 446 kcal/cup and 3,716 kcal/kg. I am going to email them and see what is up. This is supposedly a very good dog food. I researched for weeks before we even got the pup!
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Got a reply from the dog food company:
Dear Emilie,
First let me Thank You for your confidence in Tuscan Natural.
I apologize for the confusion, for some reason the marketing folks (brochures), the website folks and the nutritional folks can’t seem to proof read three sources the same. The bag is the correct information.
The feeding guidelines on the bag are exactly that, guidelines. Each dog has just a little different metabolism, the amount that will cause one dog to become overweight will be the perfect amount for another. Size, breed, activity levels all play a role. With this in mind, GoldenDoodle’s can lean towards overweight pretty easily. A 1lb weight gain per week is quite a lot but I agree he seems light, I would have expected 10-12 lbs at his age. Is he looking “chubby”? He may just be a small GoldenDoodle, how big were his parents. If he isn’t looking chubby, then I would say keep on your current feeding until he catches up, but watch his tummy. You want to see a sculpted upward tummy. When you run your hands down his sides you want to feel ribs (but not boney – does that make sense?). As he grows and catches up, you may find that you can bring the feeding down just a little.
I would love to have a picture of your pup. We like to post them in the office to remind us of who our Real customer is. Also, keep in touch as he grows, I am interested to see how he is doing.
Sincerely,
Stan
Pyramid Pet Products
Customer Service
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That was a very nice and helpful response from the company.
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Permalink Reply by Jennifer and Jack on
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Your puppy is so cute!!
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Thank you! Your pup is pretty darn cute as well.
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Permalink Reply by Frank & TeddyToyDoodle on
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8-Month Old 12 Pound Puppy: Rather than create a new thread, I thought I would just add to this one.
Teddy pretty much finished a 4 pound (64 ounces) bag in 1 month (30 days or so). A bit over 2 ounces a day.
Does that seem about right ?
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