"I'm hungry Mama, I'm really, really hungry!"

[Angelina03]

Ok. So Rocco is really hungry. I feed him 1 cup three times a day. He eats really fast and then sits and waits for more. I don't give him more, though. I wonder if I'm not satisfying his hunger. Should I increase the amount? He is growing so fast. Maybe he needs a little more food???...

[Emoore]

I'm sorry, please remind us of how old Rocco is and what food is he eating? What's his body composition like?

[Wild Wolf]

My pup will eat until his belly explodes, and he will eat all day long if I let him. It's hard, but maintain a healthy weight - don't give less and don't give extra. You've gotta find that perfect amount for his age, size and activity level.

Age? Food type? Activity level? Weight? Picture?

[Angelina03]

Rocco's info:
Age - 16 weeks (in two days)
Weight - 29 lbs. (almost 30lbs.)
Activity Level - he seems to have a lot of energy but he doesn't always get to spend it (on the weekends we get to do more with him like go to the park or out to stores, etc.)
Body Composition: looks just right, can't see ribs but can feel them and he has a slight indentation in the abdomen area.
Food Type: I'm in the process of switching foods right now, from Purina Puppy Chow to Wellness Super5Mix. He's currently getting half/half, 1 cup three times a day.
Picture: I'll post one tonight when I get home.

Thanks

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by Angelina03

I wonder if I'm not satisfying his hunger.

I KNOW I'm not satisfying my dogs' hunger because that would be impossible! I simply can't rely on them to know when they've had enough or too much - that's my job, not theirs. Looking at their overall condition is a much better way of determining if they're getting the right amount of food than looking at the number of cups a day they're eating, or whether they seem to be still hungry.

If Rocco looks "just right", then the amount you're feeding him is probably perfect. You may need to adjust that, however, if you're switching between foods with different caloric densities. If Wellness has more kcals per cup than the Purina, he'll need a little less in order to get the same number of calories each day, and if Purina has more, you'd need to feed a little less Wellness. That's the only time I care about how many calories my dogs are getting each day, when I'm switching foods, otherwise I look at their condition.

[Angelina03]

Here are some pics of Rocco eating tonight. What do you all think?

[ATTACH][ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[juliejujubean]

He looks fine to me
I would recommend getting a higher bowl though.. Cute though. Way to make me want another pup!

[Clyde]

Originally Posted by juliejujubean

He looks fine to me
I would recommend getting a higher bowl though.. Cute though. Way to make me want another pup!

Why the higher bowl? I have heard that higher bowls can increase risk of bloat. Of course it used to be said that eating from a bowl on the floor increased the risk. Eating off the floor seems most natural.

[juliejujubean]

Originally Posted by Clyde

Why the higher bowl? I have heard that higher bowls can increase risk of bloat. Of course it used to be said that eating from a bowl on the floor increased the risk. Eating off the floor seems most natural.

I have never heard the other way around.. let me do some research. I have always had the higher bowls to reduce risk of bloat...
to google i go..

[juliejujubean]

Originally Posted by juliejujubean

I have never heard the other way around.. let me do some research. I have always had the higher bowls to reduce risk of bloat...
to google i go..

I guess you learn something new every day... I guess back to the floor dia goes.