[Kari_Ari]

Hello all. I adopted Ari a week ago today and so far, he is doing wonderful and has learned a lot this past week! I have been surprised at how fast he's been learning!

When we adopted Ari, his previous owners had him on a non-name brand dry puppy food and they told me that they were feeding him twice a day (2 cups in the a.m. and 2 cups in the p.m.)

We have since changed his food (slowly incorporating it into his diet as to not upset his tummy) and we have continued to keep him on his feeding schedule that I listed above.

My question is - are we feeding him enough??? (Note: Ari weighs roughly 70 lbs)

I am currently feeding him Pedigree dry puppy food and the back of the bag says that for his size, he should be eating just over 8 cups a day!!!

Ari seems fine with the 4 cups a day - but I'm just concerned that maybe I'm under-feeding him? He does get some milk bones throughout the day while we're training, etc...

What do you think? How much do you feed your doodles?

 

[SadieFern]

If he's not looking for more food and maintaining his weight, you're probably feeding him enough.
However, I strongly suggest that you do some research and put him on a higher quality dog food.
http://www.foodanalysis.com is an excellent place to start. They rate food from 5 stars (or is is 6?), down to 1. What you're feeding him right now is probably a 1.
A lot of us here feed Canidae although that doesn't agree with every dog. In fact, I may be switching away from it to a food with less ingredients and only 1 protein source since my Sadie has had tummy issues lately.
When you decide on a food, I'd feed whatever the guidelines suggest and if your dog is leaving some in the bowl, feed less.
Another benefit of a high quality food is that you feed less because it's more nutritionally dense...less fillers and junk in it.
Congrats on your new doodle!

 

[cobraman]

It has to do with calories. Max is almost 2 yrs old and weights 75lbs. The vet said to feed him no more than 1200 calories a day. Look on the bag and see how many calories are in a cup. I can't imagine feeding a dog 8 cups a day. Max get 1.50 in the morning and 1.50 in the evening. Some dogs are food driven and will eat constantly. Max is one of those. Labs are know for being food driven poodles aren't. It depends on the dog. We also give Max a snack mid-morning and at night. A few natural bisquites and or some fruit.

 

[cobraman]

Max is on Canidae

 

[my Boo]

Welcome Kari and Ari!
The "rib test" can also be helpful for checking a dog's weight. Here's a link:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... icleid=661

 

[Calliedoodle]

Hi Kari and Ari, welcome to the land of doodles

Disclaimer: dog foods and feeding are a bit of a soapbox for me. So I will warn you that what I am about to say is somewhat biased, and based on my own feelings and experiences.

Congratulations on taking Ari off the non-name food he had been given! The quality of store-brand foods is often questionable at best. But please consider choosing something other than Pedigree! You don't want to be feeding a dog a food with a grain as a first ingredient... ever.

You will find that there is an inverse relationship between the quality of a food and the quantity of that food that you need to feed your dog to meet his needs. The lower the cost/quality of the food, the more of it you will need to feed, and this may very well diminish any savings there might have been by choosing a cheaper food.

For an unbiased evaluation of many brands and formulas of dog foods, go to www.dogfoodanalysis.com . I have spent a good chunk of time there, and learned a great deal. It also helped me to solidify in my mind that what I am doing is sound.

I have had several dogs over the years, and have fed everything from grocery store foods like Beneful and Pedigree to high-end kibbles like Orijen, Eagle Pack, and Innova. There has been a world of difference in my dogs between them. In my experience, quality foods are well worth the money spent.

Currently my Callie eats Orijen large-breed puppy, which here in Eastern Canada is about $65 for the 13kg bag which lasts us over a month. She is almost 8 months old, pushing 60 lbs, and extremely active. She eats less than 3 cups (about 400g) of kibble a day. If I were to go by the feeding charts for Pedigree (which I have never fed her, and won't), she would be eating two to three times the volume of kibble to meet her nutritional needs (at least, as well as they could be met by a food like Pedigree).

In terms of what you are feeding, I would recommend that you do some research on dog foods, learn to read the ingredient lists (they can be very deceptive!) and choose the best quality food you can afford. How much should you feed him? When you've found a product both you and Ari can live with, he will tell you if he is getting enough. Because Labs tend to relish every morsel put in front of them, you can't always count on them to stop when they've had enough. Watch his condition... is he getting too chunky? Is he losing weight? It is a balancing act... when the nutritional needs are being met, and the calories going in are roughly equal to the calories being expended, you have one happy doodle!

Congrats on adopting your new friend. He looks like a sweetheart!

 

[deepnite10]

8 cups does seem like alot..

from Canidae recommendation s..a 70lb dog would only require
3-5 cup s of food a day..now pedigree may require more food in order
to achieve the same protein levels that Canidae provides..

the cheaper solution would be to use a higher quality of dog food..ie, spend a little more and use alot less :wink:

 

[annabelles mom]

Annabelle eats about 3-4 cups of Canidae per day depending on her activity level, she weighs around 65 pounds. She eats twice a day when she's hungry, we put her food in dish and usually she eats around 6a-7a and again around 8or 9pm

 

[lmtoth2]

Our vet told me that the food companies will overestimate on their bag...obviously they stand to make more money if you feed more We feed 3-4 cups per day of our food to both doodles.

P.S. I would consider switching food...the cost to change to some of the better foods is very minimal. Often you will feed less of a higher quality food too so in the end it may not wind up costing much more.

 

[Shaia]

Often you will feed less of a higher quality food too so in the end it may not wind up costing much more.

this is what i was thinking too. shaia gets 2.5 - 3 cups total of califonia natural lamb/brown rice per day (along with assorted "body parts" such as bully stix, hooves, bones, jerky treats type meat for training) and she's a pretty good weight - 50 lbs @ almost 8 mos. this didn't seem like enough to me, but it's what the feed chart on the bag recommends and she holds her weight fine. she does act hungry all the time, but i assume this is a doodle thing i feel very strongly about feeding the best quality food possible - one with no by-products, no junk fillers, no artificial preservatives. it's one cost i'm not afraid of b/c the results are well worth it. same thing with humans - if you eat a processed junk food diet, you're not as healthier as eating a quality whole foods diet :wink: of course, since i'm a holistic nutritionist, good quality food is near and dear to my heart!
plus, good food = they smell better and have less smelly poops (and less volume)

 

[*sharon*]

8 cups sound like an awful lot. Even at 3 meals a day that is 2 and a half cups of food at each meal.

Rosie is fed Canidae and gets 1 cup dry, 1/4 can wet and whatever I think about mixing in at that meal. Usually veggies, fruits, a little yogurt or cheese. If I give cheese or egg I usually give a little less than a cup so she's not getting too much protein. Rosie is 8 months and is about 46 pounds.

 

[Kari_Ari]

Thank you all SO MUCH for your wonderful replies! They are truly appreciated!

I think I am going to look into Canidae for Ari. It sounds like a much better food and so many of your doodles are on it as well!

I think a lot of people (like myself), seem to just assume that pedigree, purina, etc... are healthy for your pet because the advertisement says so. This is obviously not the case.

I am going to do my research and see about switching foods!

Thanks so much again for the replies!
- Kari

 

[deepnite10]

my F1b is only 25% lab..would this cause him to have seems a pitlist
stomach..

i know i promised him id feed him all he could eat after he was potty trained..he s 40lbs and i feed him 4 cups of Canidae mixed with a little
Chicken Soup..spread out over 3 meals..and he s still hungry afterwards..

if i allow it..he d eat till he barfs..then he d probably be hungry again..

 

[Tink]

Ok so let me be the devils advocate here again. lol

I have 3 lab females and as stated earlier in this thread, they DO like to eat. My vet has stated that since they enjoy eating more and do very well on it, that Purina is fine for them. I've tried Canidae and other higher quality foods and they act like I'm starving them. (especially Canada) Also, since it's an American made product, the recent problems with imported ingredients had no affect on it's safety.

So if they eat 8 cups instead of 5 but are still getting the nutrition they need and are more satisfied, I have to agree with my vet that Purina is the right choice for them.

The other comment I see often about the higher quality foods is that they eat less so they poop less. Well when I'm bent over picking it up, it really doesn't matter to me if it's a 10 oz pile or a 16 oz one... it still smells like doggie doo. :?

My dogs coats sparkle... they're bright eyed, healthy and active. I've not had any digestive problems with any of them so far and had never heard of impacted anal glands until I got online. So for some, Purina is a good choice. I think it needs to be decided based on the individual dogs involved and how they do on it.

 

[lmtoth2]

my F1b is only 25% lab..would this cause him to have seems a pitlist
stomach..

i know i promised him id feed him all he could eat after he was potty trained..he s 40lbs and i feed him 4 cups of Canidae mixed with a little
Chicken Soup..spread out over 3 meals..and he s still hungry afterwards..

both of our doodles are exactly like this. Dex is a F1B labradoodle and Kirby is 1/2 Poodle and 1/2 Irish Setter. Both look like they've never seen food before at every meal. My husband gave Kirby an extra 1/2 cup the other night around 11 (he tends to wake us up early in the morning because he wants to eat) and he scarfed that down as well. If we left 10 cups out they would eat it all. They are bottomless pits!

 

[gene]

Tink: Doodle On!
I am one that is buying very expensive food & I am the first to admit it is insanity!
If my Mom were alive she'd be telling me I'm nuts.
You're right, the holistic natural thing is out of control.....basic dog food is probably still fine.
Can't believe I got caught up in it.
Dare I say;"They are dogs!" (that should ruffle some feathers, I seem to be good at that what with letting my dog sleep in a $20,000. van with a mattress, food, water & toys-what was I thinking????)

Watch out....Megan's feeling feisty today.....and I like it!! :wink: :lol:

 

[lmtoth2]

HAHA...Gene you are funny.

You know what...I say feed what agrees with your doodle. When we priced out the "better" stuff (i.e. canidae) it didn't wind up being much more money and I felt good about feeding Dex high quality food. It didn't work for us and we are on an allergy formula, but in the end...the best food is the one that works for your dog.

 

[L's Mom]

HAHA...Gene you are funny.

You know what...I say feed what agrees with your doodle. When we priced out the "better" stuff (i.e. canidae) it didn't wind up being much more money and I felt good about feeding Dex high quality food. It didn't work for us and we are on an allergy formula, but in the end...the best food is the one that works for your dog.

I agree... but I will also add that I feed Canidae, and Lucas who is 9.5 months old and about 45lbs gets 2 cups a day... so I'ld say the math makes them about even in cost...

 

[MaxandMe]

funny i had a few friends have the same conversation just this past week here in Rochester. we all agreed feed your dog whatever they're healthy on (and you can afford)

I had priced out Canidae here to other brands sold in 2major pet food stores and 2 small mom pop....Canidae is cheaper for me at Country Max than all the other brands :shock: Dogfood prices just went up recently.