How much is too much and how much is too little?

[ThomasH]

1. Your pet's name - Rocky
2. Approximate age - 5 months
3. Sex - Male
4. Neutering status - Intact
5. Breed - German Shepherd Dog
6. Approximate weight - 38 lbs
7. What's their BEAM (behavior, energy, appetite, mood) - Typical puppy - happy, playful, endless amounts of energy, intelligent
8. Diet - Oma's Pride Complete Raw meal subscription service
9. Vaccination history / exposure to toxins, other medication - Distemper at 2 months - Rabies - yesterday at 5months

I am learning the holistic lifestyle as I am going. I am very new to this even though I have spent a lifetime with dogs. I have been using a great pet nutritionist at a local pet store. I have a 6year old Rottweiler as well and I have followed their advice for years. Their recommendation when knowing how much to feed my Rottie was to take the dogs weight and times it by 4%. The answer will give you how much food you should be feed ing your dog. I used the same formula for my puppy. I was giving Rocky 1 lbs of food in the morning and 1 lbs of food in the evening. At noon I would give Rocky a turkey neck. For random treats I am using freeze dried chicken hearts.
When I took Rocky to my holistic veterinarian yesterday for his rabies vaccine she said that I was starving my puppy. Her recommendation was to give Rocky as much food as he was willing to eat in 15 minutes. I tried to do this this morning. In 3 minutes Rocky ate 2 lbs of food. I gave him a 2nd package of food (2lbs) and he finished that by the 8 minute mark. At that point I didn't think it would be healthy to give him another 2 lbs of food so instead I gave him a frozen turkey neck which he took his time with instead his usual devouring of it.
So, like I said earlier, I am learning this as I go. How much food should I realistically be giving Rocky? My goal has been for the time I got him that I want to give this puppy the best diet he can have right from the beginning. Was 1 lbs of food per meal too little? Was 4 lbs of food in this mornings feeding too much? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Thomas, great to "see" you here!

Yes, puppies need ~2x more food (on a weight basis) than adults, but I think 4+ food at once is too much. I wonder what your vet saw that caused her to say that you are starving your puppy? Did Rocky appear to be emaciated or super underweight to you (and you've seen a lot of 5 mo. old puppies!)?

If indeed he was that much underweight, then he may have been gobbling all that food up in order to make up for missing calories.

Has she checked him for worms?

My opinion is to feed based on BEAM, weight, coat etc. Rocky's super high energy means you are doing a great job, but might need to feed him more.

@Dr. Sue is a food expert and may have other thoughts and useful ideas.

BTW-Do you know Erich Grasso (he's in CT)?

 

[ThomasH]

Rocky was lean when I brought him to his appointment. I didn't realize that he was as lean as he was because he has that rich thick black coat of his.
So as a result of giving Rocky so much food this morning, he ended up having diarrhea all day long. She did suggest that I get a blood test done at my local veterinarian office as she doesn't have the ability to do that. I am planning to get a blood test done as well as a fecal just to be on the safe side. I'm thinking that I will not feed Rocky this evening just so his stomach will settle and I will give it a try again tomorrow morning. I think what I will do is to give him 1 lbs of food in the am, 1lbs of food at noon, and 1 lbs of food in the evening. I would think that should balance him out a bit. Am I on the right track?

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Sorry about the diarrhea Thomas, but it sounds like Rocky's body was just doing its job.

As a young pup, he should have plenty of vitality and ability to re-balance (and resolve symptoms as nature intends).

It sounds to me like you're on a great track Thomas!

Rocky is one lucky puppy to have you.