Should I feed my active small puppy more food for extra calories?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I would continue to feed her the small breed puppy food at the recommended amount on the bag. Puppy food is calorie-dense, so as to meet the energy needs of high-energy puppies. You can try breaking the amount into smaller, more frequent meals (ie three or four times a day) so she feels like she is getting to eat more. I would not over-feed her for fear of early onset obesity, which can lead to significant health issues later in life. You can also supplement her diet with healthy treats during the day such as carrots or green beans. After she is spayed, her energy requirements will decrease and she will need to be fed less food so she doesn't become overweight. I hope this is helpful!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to PetCoach. When we calculate the daily caloric requirements for dogs, we use a calculation called RER, or resting energy requirement. For a 75 lb dog, this value is 985 kcal/day. Since he is young and active, we multiply this amount by a factor to account for this. In his case, his total calories that he should ingest per day is between 1200-1300. This should help him maintain the weight he is currently at. Here is a link to a reputable website that offers lots of nutritional information: http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/pet-nutrition-basics/. I hope this is helpful!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! His caloric intake for now will change as he will continue to grow and his needed caloric intake will continue to increase until he becomes an adult. For now it should be about 500 calories per day. However, this will continue to increase until he becomes an adult. I would encourage you to let us or your veterinarian know as he continues to grow so that we can recalculate his needed caloric intake as he grows up. Good luck and have a great day! I hope you find this helpful.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Montana needs to be on a puppy food, almost all of which have a feeding chart on the back. There is a little variation among individuals but that is a good place to start. I can’t give you an exact calorie requirement without seeing Montana and deciding if she is thin, ideal or a little chunky for her frame. Ballpark is likely around 600 kcals per day. For most foods that’s 2-3cups. Ideally, divide that into three small meals per day. If you’d like a more exact recommendation, talk to your vet and she can calculate that for you. Best wishes to you and Montana!

I would feed Charley according to the instructions on his food bag label, as each food has a different recommended daily amount. He needs to be fed a puppy formulated food, as he needs higher amounts of calories, protein, and calcium than an adult dog, and a puppy food will provide that. I would also feed him three times a day. Divide the daily amount recommended on his bag into three equal portions and feed him morning, noon, and evening. Make sure he's up to date on his deworming treatments, as having intestinal parasites will make him hungry all the time.

I go by how hungry your puppy is not by the recommended amount of food on the bag. Young puppies need to eat more often so I feed three times daily. I would start with the amount on the bag. If he is starving at the next meal you are not feeding enough. He should be hungry at the next meal and just finish the food. Increase the amount as needed to keep him from being too hungry. As he grows up he will stop being hungry at the mid day meal so you can stop that. I continue to feed two meals dail for the rest of his life. Once he’s full grown you may need to cut back the amount if he starts to get fat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Louie.

Hello, this somewhat depends on what you are feeding Lucy. Most manufacturers will have recommendations on the bag, but in general, a puppy like this should eat about 1 cup of kibble per day or approximately 1, 13 ounce can of wet food per day. Depending on how fast she eats, or how much she leaves behind will determine if you need to make any adjustments. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.