First timer needs help with feeding!!

[brightshadow]

I am a new YT member and YT owner and i have been relying on this site to get most of my info. I got a puppy, Gucci, last week from a breeder. Gucci has champion blood and so far is amazing. I am having trouble finding info on how much to feed him. He is 16 weeks old today and weights 3.09lbs.

I transitioned Gucci from Eukanuba dry food to Primal Raw food. Now i have a few questions that i still need someone to help me out with

1. How many times should i feed Gucci?
2. How much should i feed Gucci? The package says for a 5lb dog, use 2 nuggets split into 2 times a day. (1 nugget in the am and 1 in the pm)
3. Currently i feed him at 7:30am and 5:00pm is this fine?
4. It says to take your dog right out after he eats but when i do he never does anything... is this something he will be taught over time?
5. Yesterday i fed him twice Primal raw food and a small serving of dry food and he didnt poop until this morning. Is this normal?

Some more info:

During the day he stays with us free to roam around the house. At night we keep him in his crate. He doesn't seem to drink a lot of water either.

Thanks in advance!

[BonBon]

I've never fed Primal Raw (it's not available locally), so I can't help. Just wanted to bump your post up for you.

[brightshadow]

Thanks! But as for Gucci being 16 weeks old now should he be des 2x/day or still 3x??

[Britster]

I know a huge benefit to raw feeding is less poop, so maybe that's simply the case? I don't think there's really a 'rule' as to how often a dog is supposed to poop, but my 2 year old 15lb'er poops 2x a day typically, occasionally 3x if he's had extra treats, etc. But you're feeding a really great, high quality food which always = less poop! Be happy, hehe. I noticed when I started feeding the raw patties for breakfast last week, he has pooped less. Welcome to YT!

[BanditSocks2]

Since he's still so young I would think 3 times a day for feeding. Since he's still so tiny he needs the calories from the more frequent feedings.

As far as the pooping as Britster said since it's such a high quality food he'll poop less. I'm not sure the exact poop equation because I just started feeding raw as some AM meals but I do know it will be less.

Good luck with your new pup and good job picking such a great food off the bat

And welcome to YT!!!

[brightshadow]

Originally Posted by BanditSocks2

Since he's still so young I would think 3 times a day for feeding. Since he's still so tiny he needs the calories from the more frequent feedings.

As far as the pooping as Britster said since it's such a high quality food he'll poop less. I'm not sure the exact poop equation because I just started feeding raw as some AM meals but I do know it will be less.

Good luck with your new pup and good job picking such a great food off the bat

And welcome to YT!!!

Okay so i should feed him 3 times a day according to the directions on the package right BanditSocks2? Also when do i revert back to feeding twice a day?

Thank you all for the warm welcomes and prompt responses

[brightshadow]

Thanks for all the responses. When do i start feeding him twice a day? Also do i spread out his daily dose between 3 meals or add a meal in for him to get more food?

[AllDogBoots]

Welcome to YT. BUMPING again so you get more help

[rachelanne820]

If he is eating the 2 patties - serving size for a 5 lb dog - then I think he is getting enough food. So, I would just split his 2 patties up between 3 meals.

As for when you go back to 2 meals - I don't think there is a certain age to go to 2 meals. It is just when ever he is big enough to go all day on just breakfast. In a couple months you could evaluate again or ask your vet. I always free fed so I don't have any experience with that part.

Oh and welcome to YT!

[Sunnie]

This is just my opinion, and I am NO EXPERT... but I would think that at 16 weeks old, I would not be switching him to raw yet. He needs a really good quality PUPPY food until he is a YEAR old. It has extra nutrients in it to help his bone and muscle growth. A puppy requires 3 meals a day (also just my opinion) of proper PUPPY nutrition.

[rachelanne820]

I'm pretty sure Primal raw is all life stages.

Here is a link to their Feeding Calculator. You can plug in all your pup's info and it will tell you exactly how much he should eat per day.

Feeding, Transition and Safety for Raw Dog Food Diets

[Britster]

Originally Posted by rachelanne820

I'm pretty sure Primal raw is all life stages.

Here is a link to their Feeding Calculator. You can plug in all your pup's info and it will tell you exactly how much he should eat per day.

Feeding, Transition and Safety for Raw Dog Food Diets

Yep, it is all life stages. You can begin feeding it after they are weaned from their mother's milk if you wish.

A baby wolf would not eat anything different than an adult wolf, and I personally feel that most puppy, large breed, senior dog, etc foods are not all that much different and pretty much marketing. All dogs, including Yorkies, pretty much are wolves. They are taxonomically the same species, and physiologically and anatomically the same and actually share 99.8% of the same DNA. Size and appearance are in the less than .2% differences. So yeah, while a Yorkie probably could not survive in the wild, their DNA is nearly exactly the same, meaning they can eat what a wolf would eat.

There is not that much difference between a puppy food and an adult food if you go look at the guaranteed analysis and the ingredients. A caution to large breeds is often given for high protein, grainfree foods, not because of the fact that it's grain-less or high protein but it's the calcium and phosphorus levels in the food, which is why a warning is often given to wait until 1 year of age to feed. Large breed dogs grow at a rapid rate and it can affect their growth. Too much calcium has been shown to cause bone/growth problems. Calcium levels, ideally, should be around 1.4 and phosphorus around 1.0 but I would probably look for the same levels for a Yorkie puppy just to be on the safe side.

But honestly, it's totally whatever you feel comfortable giving your dog. I didn't know about raw food when Jackson was 16 weeks old, so I don't know what I would have done at that age, etc. I put him on adult food at 6 months old, he was already 12lbs. Then we switched to all life stages.

I know I was uncomfortable with raw for a long time. And I still wouldn't want to feed prey model raw (where you go out and buy meat from the butcher or stores, etc, and have to properly balance it yourself, etc), I'm not comfortable with that. It would just gross me out, lol. It makes sense to me... because that is what they would eat in the wild.... but for now, just giving him these pre-made patties a few times a week, is so easy. It's not gross, they just look like little hamburgers and he enjoys the crap out of them. I don't even hardly cook for myself so I am not about to prepare loads of meat every day for my dog, sorry. I really enjoy being able to buy $14.99 bags of Acana that will last us almost 2 months. Basically, it's easy. So I like kibble feeding and will probably always continue to do it. I don't consider myself a raw feeder, he just gets about 3 patties a week as a treat/replacement meal.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Britster

I know I was uncomfortable with raw for a long time. And I still wouldn't want to feed prey model raw (where you go out and buy meat from the butcher or stores, etc, and have to properly balance it yourself, etc), I'm not comfortable with that. It would just gross me out, lol. It makes sense to me... because that is what they would eat in the wild.... but for now, just giving him these pre-made patties a few times a week, is so easy. It's not gross, they just look like little hamburgers and he enjoys the crap out of them. I don't even hardly cook for myself so I am not about to prepare loads of meat every day for my dog, sorry. I really enjoy being able to buy $14.99 bags of Acana that will last us almost 2 months. Basically, it's easy. So I like kibble feeding and will probably always continue to do it. I don't consider myself a raw feeder, he just gets about 3 patties a week as a treat/replacement meal.

Brit, where do you buy your pre-made raw? Does the Crunchies store carry it?

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Brit, where do you buy your pre-made raw? Does the Crunchies store carry it?

Yep, Crunchies does have it but I go to a place in Annapolis called Pet Barn.

Are you thinking about trying it out? I got some of those Stella and Chewy's patties because they were on sale and I've never seen Jackson eat anything so fast! lol.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Britster

Yep, Crunchies does have it but I go to a place in Annapolis called Pet Barn.

Are you thinking about trying it out? I got some of those Stella and Chewy's patties because they were on sale and I've never seen Jackson eat anything so fast! lol.

I'm thinking about Stella & Chewy's, but I'm afraid the boys will never want anything else again, lol. However, they do like crunching on kibble, so maybe I'm wrong. I know they would never go for something like Honest Kitchen because of the texture.