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You all have been so helpful, so I have another question! To help with potty training we have put puppy on a feeding schedule. Before her food would be left all day to munch on. She didn't eat a lot.
Now she is on a schedule, we give her two meals a day. One in the morning and one in the evening. The recommended serving is one cup for her size. She eats it up and then picks up her bowl and throws it at me for more. She will then pick up her water bowl and spill out the water asking for more food.
I have tried doubling her portion in the morning and evening, but she still seems hungry. I know some breeds will just eat and eat and eat (she is a miniature poodle). She didn't do this before, so I want to make sure I am not starving her. Any suggestions are appreciated!
If she's at a healthy weight, I wouldn't feed her anymore. You don't want the dog to be overweight just because she's begging for food. I would stick to the recommended portions, and ask the vet the next time you go.
If it a dog is too overweight, it can cause serious problems later in life with arthritis.
My border collie used to munch here & there...there would literally be food in his bowl all day. I guess maybe a couple of years ago, after he was 2, he started scarfing down his food, and begging all of the time. He will even eat his sister's food if we don't watch him.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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I just Googled Bil-Jac food and it's definitely a below-average food, with lots of fillers and meat by-products. Meat by-products are not meat -- it's beaks and feet and... yuck. It's worse than having corn as the main ingredient.
Can I suggest something? Can you try her on a grain-free food that has a good solid level of protein? Before you gasp at prices, just know that you'll feed her less because there are no fillers. (She'll also have smaller, less stinky poops. Win-win.) The least expensive one that I know of -- and it truly is reasonably priced, especially considering that you'll feed less -- and that my dog loved, is Taste of the Wild, bison/venison flavor. He also liked the chicken (fowl) one, but hated the fish. Taste of the Wild is MUCH less expensive than many of the grain-free, high-protein foods that you'll see out there, and many people on this forum swear by it... and their dogs thrive on it.
Gt a bowl sit up that she cannot throw. Feed her the recommended amt. Give her ice cubes or carrots for treats...no calories, but satisfies her need to chew.
Taste of the Wild is good food, but the size of the pieces might be too much for a miniature Poodle puppy. But I do agree she should try something a little better than Bil-jac. Maybe Blue Buffalo? If I remember, that is a smaller kibble. Maybe someone else can chime in with a good choice for puppies and smaller dogs.
PS, Hi Dawn!
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by subject2change
Taste of the Wild is good food, but the size of the pieces might be too much for a miniature Poodle puppy. But I do agree she should try something a little better than Bil-jac. Maybe Blue Buffalo? If I remember, that is a smaller kibble. Maybe someone else can chime in with a good choice for puppies and smaller dogs.
PS, Hi Dawn!
Thanks everyone! Frustrating as all hell we asked for recommendations at the pet store (stupid now I realize!) We haven't been able to find a kibble she would eat. She loves this stuff. But it makes sense! Back to the drawing board!
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by veuvegirl
Thanks everyone! Frustrating as all hell we asked for recommendations at the pet store (stupid now I realize!) We haven't been able to find a kibble she would eat. She loves this stuff. But it makes sense! Back to the drawing board!
Don't berate yourself. When I first got Artie, I fed him IAMS because I thought that would be an "upgrade" to the Science Diet he was eating when he came to me. He had loose stools and wasn't eating much, so I thought I was doing him a favor. Same thing with that food too, though: loose stools and not much eating.
I asked vets -- plural! -- why his poops were loose. *shrug* "Some dogs are just like that."
Only on THIS forum did someone -- many people, actually -- say that perhaps he was grain intolerant and that I should switch him to grain-free, no-filler food. Bingo! Problem solved. No loose poops AND he loved his Taste of the Wild. So if vets don't know everything about nutrition, then we can't expect clerks at a pet store to know either, I guess.
And that's what we're here for anyway -- so you learn from our experiences.
Best of luck with your girl and her food. I suspect that you're going to be in for a happy surprise when you start her on grain-free, high-protein food.
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