Hey guys!

I've been reading up on all the questions about feeding amounts with chis and I'm yet again confused.

I took Fluffers to the vet the other day for his shots and it seemed as if he gained an amazing 0.2lbs!!!!!!! The vet was not impressed. For a 4 month old dog, 1.8lb total weight was not too impressive.

Fluffers used to eat barely 1/4 cups of Oven Baked Tradition a day split into two meals and it was a little nerve racking to watch. I had to even hand feed half of the portions most of the time just to encourage eating. I decided that if he was going to eat that little, I might as well switch to a higher protein/quality food.

I got a bag of Orijen puppy the other day and have been mixing it in with his food. I give half 1/8 cup of old food first then when he's done, top it off with Orijen. And holy ****, he finishes everything!! WITHIN 5 min!!!!!!!!

The guy at the petfood store said that 1/4 cups a day of food is normal....but the bag says 1/2 cup or 3/4 cups a day. I am so confused. He seems to be finishing all his food now and I'm not sure if I should add more food or stick with what he was barely finishing before >___<!!

Has anyone had a chi at this age that eats 1/4 cups a day?

__________________

What you are feeding sounds about right to me but every dog is different. It's not unusual for a puppy's growth to slow down. What did the vet say about his body condition? Is he too thin? You should be able to feel his ribs but not see them and the layer of fat on his ribs should feel like a tshirt, not a sweater. Feeding him more isn't going to make him grow any bigger if it's not in his genes.

The vet said he should be gaining weight x_x. I can feel his ribs (the dog's) but its hard to tell on him because he's sort of fluffy and getting more fluffy...I can't see anything but fur.

I also don't free feed because I'm still house training...

__________________

I have a five month old that weighs 2.75 lbs. I just started using Ziwipeak but before that she was eating 1/4 c dry plus 1/4 c canned split into two meals daily. Most of the time the amount listed on the bag is too much, but based on what my girl was eating I would feed your little guy 1/4 c twice a day and and adjust from there. He sounds a little bony to me from what you are saying. Can you feel the bones in his backbone?

That's great that he likes the Origen that well. I am really impressed with that food from what I've read about it.

I think as long as he's eating all of his food, and is gaining at least some weight that you're doing a great job! I wouldn't worry about over feeding him, unless he's making himself sick. During part of Odie's puppyhood, we did scheduled feedings, but would let her eat as much as she wanted every 2 hours. Unless it's a puppy food, the amount on the side of the bag is for adults as well, and is generalized and not specific for the size of the dog.

I am transitioning from Royal Canin to Orijen I am doing a mix of 2:1 Royal Canin: Orijen ~ mixed it in a snack size ziplock ~ am watching the poos to make sure they stay firm and will adjust from there. I feed 4 times a day: 6a 10a 2p & 6p we're potty training as well.

This morning Rio ate like a freight train. Yesterday though she played her little heart out so I figured she might be a bit hungrier this morning ~ also 6 pm to 6 am is her longest stretch without food. With puppies I have usually just let them graze within reason. I keep the bowl down about 15 minutes or so so she can eat at a pace she likes and top off within the time the bowls are down. If she doesn't eat a bunch at one of the feedings after the 15 minutes the bowls come up and she has to wait until the next. My family has never had an animal of any sort that wouldn't eventually eat when they were ready so unless we rescued something very tiny or injured ~ we didn't get into the hand feeding (everyone does things different though).

Once they get a bit older and potty training is about locked in I just go by looking at them & by how they act act the bowl I don't measure. Additionally when she gets older she won't eat 4 times a day, most likely we'll go to 3 times and then 2.

When I feed her at 10 I will use a measuring cup just to see how much she is eating for a comparison. But her eating 4 times a day and yours eating twice could mean a big difference in quantity. Rio doesn't weigh 2 pounds yet so the weights are pretty close. I do think at 4 months old you might want to consider/ look into / talk to someone about adding another meal just because Fluffers is young ~ a few smaller meals a day might help with him gulping food down so quickly ~ but that would be something someone with more experience would know more about. I'll let you know after 10 about how much is going into her bowl and how much she is eating at that feeding for a comparison ~ that's not to say we don't have very different dogs on different schedules but it will at least be something to compare to.

I filled the bowl as usual and then measured. My 1/4 cup measure was in the dishwasher so I grabbed my 1/3 and it seems like I am putting in about 1/4 cup a feeding or there abouts. the 10 o'clock snack attack she only ate a little bit (few pieces) because she had a bigger breakfast I guess.

So we'll say she has access to 1/4 cups of food 4 times a day ~ but only a few times since we have had her has she completely chowed it. This morning she did and I remember 1 other time I had to top her off as well within the 15 or so minutes its down. Seems when she plays a bunch she builds up a hunger

Teddy goes through periods where he is really not hungry and won't eat much at all. If it goes on for even two days he starts to look noticeably too thin. He's dropped as much as half a pound (from 5 lbs to 4.5 lbs).

I like Orijen but I found that ZiwiPeak was more enticing for him to eat. I guess because it's softer. I think the size of the Orijen kibble was deterring him but it doesn't sound like yours has that problem.

The way that I help boost his appetite is I feed (once daily) 5.5 oz of canned Weruva dog food, early in the morning. He usually takes his time to eat over the course of a few hours so I leave down whatever he doesn't eat until he finishes it. If he goes back to check his empty dish at all I will feed him a second 5.5 oz can later in the evening. I warm it in the microwave in his ceramic dish for about 15-17 seconds and then stir it some to distribute the heat. After that I sprinkle some Wysong DentaTreat on top. (I don't use the DentaTreat for oral health-- it's a cheese powder that is full of enzymes and probiotics. It also makes the food more enticing to eat.) Aside from that, he has a bowl of ZiwiPeak down all day.

__________________


Thanks to Jan for my siggy!