How much food?

[Michellle]

How much food should a 18 week old puppy eat?
Right now he eats about a cup to 1.5 cup of Royal Canin dry puppy food and a half a can of 5.5 ounce Innova puppy food a day. He's at 5 lbs and very active. My mother and I question if he should have more, any suggestions?

[bildio]

Seems like too much food. How much does the package say to feed?

[fufufashions]

That sure sounds like a lot of food to me too!
My girls get 1/4 cup per DAY each...1/8th in the morning and 1/8 in the evening. That is the recommended serving size on our bag. My girls range from 2.9 lbs. to 8.5 lbs and are all adults. Puppies should be fed more often but not necessary more...just divide it up over several servings.
I would go by whatever the serving size recommended on the food that you are feeding. Maybe spread it out during the day in smaller meals might be helpful too.

[JeanieK]

yes that sounds like a lot to me., mine get 3 cups and that is between 5 of them.

[Michellle]

Ok, thank you everyone. It's just that Niles acts so hungry and is very lean Should I cut down to food?

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Michellle

Ok, thank you everyone. It's just that Niles acts so hungry and is very lean Should I cut down to food?

I wouldn't cut down on food if he seem hungry and lean, they go through growth spurts, and one month are starving and the next month seem disinterested in food. Joey's breeder recommended free feeding until 6-8 months, and you don't have to worry about them becoming fat, until closer to a year; they need lots of calories when they are puppies. I think it's important to limit snacks, but not wholesome food. Another thing it's hard to compare the amounts on different types of foods, Joey's adult food, requires less than his puppy food. Remember if he is active, he will require more food than an inactive dog. What does the bag recommend for a 5 pound puppy?

[Michellle]

The dry food says a half a cup a dry food a day,
The can food says 2 cans per two lbs for puppies.

I didn't know how much to judge since he only gets 1 half a can per day and roughly a cup of dry... I think he might just have hungrier days than others since he didn't eat nearly as much yesterday as he was the days before.

I must take a video of him playing so everyone can see how crazy he is!

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by Michellle

The dry food says a half a cup a dry food a day,
The can food says 2 cans per two lbs for puppies.

I didn't know how much to judge since he only gets 1 half a can per day and roughly a cup of dry... I think he might just have hungrier days than others since he didn't eat nearly as much yesterday as he was the days before.

I must take a video of him playing so everyone can see how crazy he is!

Love to see that video, the recommended amount on the bag is a guideline, and there will be many individual differences. Some dogs can't eat near the recommended amount, while others will eat twice the amount. How active the dog is, and it's own individual metabolism makes such a difference in the amount of food a dog needs. Like you say, yesterday, he didn't eat very much, and it sounds like you are doing what best, giving the food when he's hungry. Again don't worry about over-feeding until at least 6 months.

By the way, since the can says, 2 cans per day per 2 pounds that would be the same as 1 can per 1 pound. Since you are only giving 1/2 can that would only take care of 1/2 of a pound, and since he's 5 pounds, most of his calories should come from the dry. If you just supply a puppy with healthy food they will not overeat, unless there is an underlying medical condition.