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Originally Posted by ChicagoSoul That's the thing. She has never lost a pound. We took her to the vet the second day of her arrival. What I think is happening is that her breeder was right. She was slightly less than two pounds and just gained a couple of ounces after two weeks. Her first weight was not the right figure. The assistant made a mistake.
On the issue of having food constantly available, I absolutely disagree with you. All the literature on the subject and most if not all of the vets suggest a schedule for both developmental as well as training purposes. Every vet I know says that a puppy needs to be reasonably hungry for every meal.
Animals don't have a sense of fullness when they see food. They eat as much as they can handle before they are tired to eat or before they are interrupted to do something else. It's similar to humans, in order to stay healthy, we need to have portion control, schedule as well as healthy food and plenty of exercise.
It is similar with new born human babies. They need a schedule.
You should do whatever you think is the best, of course but modern day veterinary science is not in agreement on that. Depending on the size, age as well as level of activity, each puppy should eat 3 or 4 times a day. The size of their portion varies also depending on those criteria. At the same time, there must be a form of control in the portion and schedule at all times. |
As a breeder for more years than so many of you have lived I want to say that this is pure BULL ____!!!
counting the puppies pieces of food as opposed to free feeding is probably going to lead to more problems than you can count. Training doesn't hinge on feeding amount or schedule.
A puppy or dog is not like a person and absolutely will not overeat if given good nutrition - it will gain weight and get fat only if fed the same way we humans eat -that is to say that they are given food that does not meet their needs nutritionally.
Puppies should either (preferably ) be free fed or at least all they desire at feeding times throughout the day and fresh water available 24/7.
Just my thoughts but you certainly wouldn't put 6 cheerios on a babys plate and expect it to be fed with that and you can't see what your puppy needs either.