How much to feed?

[HodiePup]

Howdy all. Hodie has been on TOTW for about 4 months now, and had been doing well with it for the most part. He doesn't eat all that I put down for him every day, but his bowl is empty after mealtime most of the time. My issue is this: no matter how much/little he eats, I'm going through a 15 lb bag every 12-14 days. It seems like a bit much, especially compared to my old boxer, who was around the same weight. I've noticed loose stools more often lately, but certainly not very often.
He's 2 weeks shy of 7 months old and, by my bathroom scale, about 52 pounds. At first, I thought it was just a growth spurt, but he's been going through the same amount of food consistently for the past 3 months or so.
Any ideas?

 

[griffdiz]

I don't really understand the question. You say no matter how much he eats you are going through a 15 lbs bag. So are you throwing away what he doesn't eat? How much are you actually feeding? For his size and age I would say about 2 cups a day would be sufficient. That may have to be increased depending on his adult weight.

 

[HodiePup]

I don't really understand the question. You say no matter how much he eats you are going through a 15 lbs bag. So are you throwing away what he doesn't eat? How much are you actually feeding? For his size and age I would say about 2 cups a day would be sufficient. That may have to be increased depending on his adult weight.

I reread what I wrote, and it does sound pretty unclear. Sorry about that! I'll try again...
Hodie is eating 15 pounds of food every 12-14 days. If 2 cups is sufficient, then I've been WAY overfeeding him. He goes through about 3 cups a day, which according to the bag is right on target. Have I been (gasp) misled?

 

[griffdiz]

Usually the bags say more than the animal needs. A way for them to sell more I guess. I work in an animal hospital and you would not believe how bad people over feed. I'm talking 45 lbs dogs getting 5 cups a day. Thats why 75% of pets are overweight, if not more! Here is a guideline for you. My dog eats TOTW as well. She weighed 52 lbs and was getting a heaping cup twice a day. She gained weight, 6 lbs that I did not want her to gain. So now she is getting a little under a cup twice a day and has lost a couple pounds. But your dog is still growing so you have to account for that.

 

[Sansal]

Sky is around 45 pounds and eats around 2 1/2 cups of TOTW a day. She is 18 month old now but for a while she was eating 3 cups a day. It really depends on your dog. If he doesn't finish what you put down and has loose stools then yes, maybe you are overfeeding. You could cut the amount of food down by maybe 1/4 or 1/2 a cup and see how he is doing. He is still growing and how much food he needs will continue to change over time. Monitor his weight and appearance. He is supposed to be lean but not skinny.

 

[HodiePup]

Great info! I'll cut back the portions a bit, I think. Hodie's not fat by any stretch, but I have to wonder how much food is just going through him "unused." Thanks for all the help!

 

[rayandsarah]

Rowdy is 58 lbs and he still eats 3 cups a day. He's not overweight you can still see his ribs. We go through a 30 pound bag of TOTW between 16-18 days and that's with 2 dogs.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

My boy is 3 1/2 years, very active and 67 pounds and eats 2 3/4 cups of TOTW per day. A 30 pound bag lasts me around 5 weeks for 1 dog.

If he isn't finishing the amount you give and is having runny stools (a sign of overfeeding) then I'd reduce the amount by 1/4 cup or so. Also I've found that most bag guidelines are on the high side. Every food I've ever fed if I fed my dogs what the bag recommended they'd be severely obese by now. You should be able to see 1-2 of your pup's ribs and a defined waist when standing over him. If you cannot then he's overweight. If you can see spine, hip bones, or more than 3 ribs he may be a tad underweight.

Good luck!

 

[HodiePup]

Hodie definitely has the "lanky kid" look that young boxers have, so if I've been overfeeding, it sure isn't evident from looking at him. I'll cut back on the amount that I've been feeding, at least until the snow clears enough that he can get some real exercise!