meredian

Hi there,

We just brought our little guy Wade home (see picture below!)

He has been doing great, but he seems ravenously hungry! The breeder was free feeding him, and we have switched to feeding him on a schedule. 2 cups of Natural Balance dry food per day, spaced out between 3 feedings. He is 12 lbs (big boy) and this doesn't seem to be enough. He is whining and searching for food.

Could this be because we have switched him to a schedule? We are wondering if maybe he ended up eating more at the breeder because of free feeding. We are going to his first vet visit tonight but perhaps you all have some insight! Thank you!

Sookster

I would guess it's from the transition from free feeding to schedule feeding, but be GLAD he has an appetite. Too many poodles are finicky eaters! If you feel he needs more food, increase it slightly. Just make sure you monitor his weight (as in body condition, the actual number doesn't matter, it's what he looks and feels like), and not his appetite. If you want to help him feel fuller, try soaking his kibble in water before feeding. This actually kills two birds with one stone, because then you know when he has last had fluid and it can help tremendously with house training.

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cindyreef

I have found that if you feed on a schedule the dog learns quickly he has to eat when its there, and eat it all because it will be gone. So you may think he is hungry because he doesnt know what to do when the food is gone. Or he may very well be hungry because he is used to eating a little at a time whenever he wants.
That being said, when they are a little older (4 months or so), I have always free fed my dogs. They learned that since the food is always there they dont have to gobble it all down. Not one has ever been a glutton and they have always had a good body weight. One exception was my older Golden. He was not active in his later years so I free fed him a low calorie kibble. I would ask your breeder for advice. JMHO

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Please God...... everyday, help me be the person my dog thinks I am.

sarahmurphy

It might be worth asking the vet to run a stool sample and check for worms. plenty of puppies are born with them, or somehow manage to get them in the first few months, I think. Plenty of dogs pick one up somewhere and end up wormy. Gross as it seems (okay, really is) it's no reflection on you as an owner, or on your breeder - one sniff of deer poop is all it takes - sometimes just walking in previously contaminated soil (You cannot test and treat the world...)

sarah

outwest

My puppy was a bottomless pit, too. I just kept increasing his food three meals a day until he stopped eating it all. Then he started growing so fast the vet had me stop puppy food at 4 months old. At around then I switched to two meals. At 7 months mine eats whatever is set in front of him- no question he has a healthy appetite! I keep track of his weight and adjust a little up or down depending on his ribs. I am afraid if I free fed him he would get really fat! You probably have a puppy with a good appetite, too.