Feeding has become confusing

[foothillr]

I doubt I've ever been as confused about feeding a puppy as I am now, my wife shares the same sentiment! However, we have picked up alot of excellent advice from Boxerworld and for that we are thankful to you all.We've had our little girl "Hunny" for 2 weeks now, and have transitioned from straight puppy formula to puppy kibble and formula mixed in the blender(she really loves that!) Our question is one of amounts and frequency of feeding. It seems every other site we've visted gives differing advice on these two topics. By the way, Hunny is just short of 7 weeks old. She was beening fed warmed formula every 2-3 hrs round the clock but she was acting like it wasn't satisfying her appetite as she would look for the formula solids around her bowl and eagerly seek those first. She would consume usually 3-4 ounces per feeding and sometimes more. That was when we decided on the kibble and formula blended which we feed 3-4 times during the day and usually around 1-3 am. The amounts are hard to figure as she will eat 2-3 tablespoons at one time and then at other times she'll eat a couple bites and finish it later. Since its rather warm here we thought it might just be the heat stealing her appetite.Sorry this is so lengthy but I figure I'll recieve the most info by what I give.We feel like we're kinda flying blind here, so let us know if we're on the right track or if we need a total feeding restructure. On the lighter side, Hunny is everything I have come to expect from owning a boxer. She is so sweet and playful and our whole family just loves the way she prances around our feet, its so funny and cute. Of course the kids love it when she tries to "suckle" my earlobe(I put an immediate stop to that ... needle teeth!) Thanks again for all your help.

 

[gmacleod]

Wow - you did get her early! It's a pity she couldn't stay with her mother and littermates longer - it would have been better for her physical and mental development. That said, at seven weeks old, she would have been weaned from her mother by now and is really ready to be eating solid food. She's been giving you that hint for a while now, by looking for the solids around her bowl
At seven weeks old, she needs to be fed 4-5 times a day. As long as she gets a reasonably early feed and something before bedtime, there's no need to be feeding her in the middle of the night. Unless you're keen on a natural diet (raw meat and bones) then I'd suggest you give her a good quality kibble (perhaps moistened with a little water), plus a few goodies now and then like yoghurt, cottage cheese, raw meat, and scrambled egg.
It's quite normal for puppies to go through stages where they don't seem hungry. They're usually followed by periods where they eat everything in sight It's just that they grow in spurts, and the amount of food and energy they need varies accordingly. As long as she's growing well and is healthy and alert, there's no cause for worry. Take a look through previous threads in the puppy feeding forum, and you'll find a lot of previous advice on these sorts of issues. Good luck with your pup