Jose Miguel Gome Webboard User Reg: 11-11-2008
Posts: 130
Loc: South Africa
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Hello people. I need your help again.
Our 8 month Rough Collie is now showing that it doesn't need so much food.
At the first months we were giving him 7,5% of his body weight and he was eating everything all the times. At 5/6 months it started to show less interest in that amount and we cut it to about 5% of his body weight.
Now we are giving about 4% at 8 months and thinking about reducing a little bit more. I'm using the book "Raw dog food" as an indicator and in it, it is refered to give 5-10% to puppies and about 2-3% to adults.
But what about the transition period? Am i doing ok by slowly cutting a little bit everytime i see that the dog no longer needs the previous amount?
I'm cutting a little bit of food everytime i see that he left just a little bit of his meals for some days in a row. Is this procedure ok?
Tracy Collins Webboard User Reg: 10-09-2008
Posts: 1917
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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Sure--what you're doing is great. The very best indicator is just putting your hands on the dog and feeling to make sure you can easily feel ribs and see a well-defined waist from above.
Going by hunger level wouldn't be a very good indicator for many dogs---I know mine would eat way more than was appropriate if I let them.
Feeding 2-3% of the dog's ideal adult weight throughout puppyhood right up to adult size is the easiest for me. There's no need to keep doing math. The meal sizes stay the same, the dog grows. The gradual reduction is done for your automatically.
Jose Miguel Gome Webboard User Reg: 11-11-2008
Posts: 130
Loc: South Africa
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Quote: tracy collins
Sure--what you're doing is great. The very best indicator is just putting your hands on the dog and feeling to make sure you can easily feel ribs and see a well-defined waist from above.
Going by hunger level wouldn't be a very good indicator for many dogs---I know mine would eat way more than was appropriate if I let them.
Feeding 2-3% of the dog's ideal adult weight throughout puppyhood right up to adult size is the easiest for me. There's no need to keep doing math. The meal sizes stay the same, the dog grows. The gradual reduction is done for your automatically.
Thank you.
I can easily feel ribs with just a little bit of fat above it.
"see a well-defined waist from above"
How do i do this? Do you have any photo so that i can see what you mean?
With a rough collie, you've got hair in the way, so you'll do this mostly by feel.
When you stand above the dog and look down, you don't want to see a pickle-shape---wider in the middle. You want to see (or feel) a well-defined "waist."
IMO, puppies should look like smaller versions of their adult selves. Fat puppies are not healthy. And large-breed dogs, especially, should be kept trim.
Tracy Collins Webboard User Reg: 10-09-2008
Posts: 1917
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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cups of what? These weights are for raw meat and bones which cannot be (easily) measured in cups. Cups are a measure of volume--i.e. a cup of pennies vs. a cup of feathers.
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005
Posts: 31571
Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Quote: Tracy Collins
cups of what? These weights are for raw meat and bones which cannot be (easily) measured in cups. Cups are a measure of volume--i.e. a cup of pennies vs. a cup of feathers.
Also, RMBs/meat aren't sold by cups. If you buy a one-pound package (for the sake of demonstration) and you are feeding 1/2 pound a day, what good would cups do?
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Reducing amount of food as the puppy gets older
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