How much should I feed my puppy?--Science Diet?

Question

On the side of the bag, it says for his age and weight (11 weeks and around 13 pounds) that you should feed 1 3/4 cups. However, I know you're supposed to feed him atleast three times a day. So, do you feed him that much every sitting, or is that all together?

It seems like it's not enough if it's all together in a day, but it seems too much for every sitting..Help?

Thanks, but I'm using Science Diet as of now. The rescue group I got him from says they've had him on it since his solids, and when I tried switching him to another type SLOWLY, he got sick and had dirrahea. So, for now, I'm keeping him on it. He's healthy, as I've taken him to the vet twice in the 2 weeks I've had him, and that's just fine with me. I'm not willing to pay $30-50 just for food, either.

Yes, ckm. I definately agree. Just because I don't feed him raw meat and veggies doesn't mean he's going to die or have huge problems when he's older. If the vet says he's fine, he's fine. Point blank.

Answer 1

I agree with the first person about dividing up the food.

I DON'T agree about premium foods. We've fed our pets premium food (Science Diet) for years. One dog & one cat are healthy and active at 16. The other cat died a few months ago. The other dog (diabetic) lived until age 15, on Hill's Prescription diet.

Answer 2

Science Diet Feeding Guide

Answer 3

Science Diet Puppy

Answer 4

Do not feed him Science Diet..it is a low quality food...even switching slowly can cause a dog to have diarreha especially if going for a low quality food to a better quality food. Getting use to a new food can take 6 weeks or longer. If you tried it for less then that then you have no way of knowing if the food was going ot agree with him or not.It is very obvious from your post that 1) you did NOT switch him slowly 2) you did NOT give the food adequete time to see if it would work since you've only had the dog 2 weeks.
He should be on a good quality food that doesn't contain all the cheap fillers...corn, wheat, soy or by products.
Some good choices are Canidae, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Merrick,Fromm, Innova, Solid Gold, percise just to name a few.
It takes up to 3 times more of a low quality food for a dog to get proper nutrition then it does of a good quality meat based food.Also there are recent studies out there that strongly suggest corn & soy are linked ot unexplained seizures in dogs. Corn, wheat & soy are high allergens and not easily digested by dogs.
Dogs are carnivores (NOT omnivores) they are designed to eat meat and extract proper nutritional value from meats and meat proteins not grains. A dog should be fed a food free of corn, wheat, soy & by products and a food that has at least the first 2-3 ingredients as a meat source.

As a long time vet tech I have worked with many, many dogs and I see pretty much daily the effects of the low quality store brand foods..itchy dry,flakey skin, infected ears, weepy eyes, chewing feet, obese dogs, etc yet people continue to feed these foods. Sure a dog can thrive on these foods and even look/act healthy so can a human that eats fast food every day and smokes a carton of cigarettes but that doesn't mean it is good for them. I have done lots and lots of research into foods and feeding, more then most vets (I love vets & have worked with/for them for years, but unfortunately when it comes to nutrition they are sadly lacking and tend to recommend those foods that they hear the most about without even knowing what the ingredients really are) Thankfully there are vets that are beginning to study /research canine nutrition & feeding more in depth. These vets will tell you that store brands are not good..these vets are also getting away from selling brands such as Science Diet (except for prescription diets) and are selling and promoting better more canine friendly foods such as Solid Gold, Wellness, etc.

The amount is for the day and would need to be divided between 2-3 meals. Remeber the guidelines on the food bags are simply that guidelines and you change it either higher or lower to meet the needs of your particular dog.

Answer 5

If you want to eat truly healthy, lose body fat consistently, normalize your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, prevent cancer, and even boost your brain health and energy levels, you may have heard all over the news that the Paleo Diet has been found to be one of the best methods of achieving all of these benefits compared to any other popular "fad" diets out there. Go here https://tinyurl.im/aHLx9

The truth is that the Paleo Diet will never be considered a fad because it's just simply the way that humans evolved to eat over approximately 2 million years. And eating in a similar fashion to our ancestors has been proven time and time again to offer amazing health benefits, including prevention of most diseases of civilization such as cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, and other chronic conditions that are mostly caused by poor diet and lifestyle. One of the biggest misunderstandings about the Paleo Diet is that it's a meat-eating diet, or a super low-carb diet. This is not true

Answer 6

The recommended feeding amount is the total for the day. So if the instructions say 1 cup, and you feed 3 times a day, each feeding would be 1/3 cup.

Also, I don't recommend Science Diet. It's not very nutritional and is chalk full of fillers.

Here's the top 5 ingredients:
- Ground Whole Grain Corn
- Chicken By-Product Meal
- Soybean Meal
- Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid)
- Dried Beet Pulp

Which translate into:
- filler
- dried leftover chicken parts (no muscle meat)
- filler
- unspecified fats (anything unspecified is never good)
- filler

Here is a review of Science Diet puppy food:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1028&cat=all

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On choosing a dog food:
Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.

Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=ingrd

And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients

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Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/orijen/
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)

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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)

Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)

Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.

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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A

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EDIT (additional information):
It may seem like the initial cost of the better food is more expensive, but it really isn't in the long run. Right now, you're feeding your dog fillers (expensive fillers at that!). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. By feeding better food, your dog will eat less (and poop less, so less cleanup for you!). Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.

Answer 7

Just FYI, Science diet is a very cheap brand on dog food. Here is a site that reviews every brand.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
Here is the review of Science diet.'
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=139&cat=7

As far as how much to feed, it is hard to overfeed puppies due to how much they are growing, so unless the seem to be too fat, you can feed until they are not hungry, just do not let them do this if they are putting on too much fat.
Once you get to where the growth is slowing and you need to restrict the amount fed, just follow the guidelines on the bag until you find an amount that maintains the right weight.
There should be a decent amount of flesh over the ribs, but you should still be able to feel each rib when you run your hand over the rib cage.

Answer 8

Paleo diet its a diet based around eating real food unprocessed and organic. Learn here https://tr.im/Mb4wG

Whether you have or not, what you probably don't realize is that it’s the fastest growing “diet” in the world right now. From celebrities, chefs, elite athletes. Even fitness experts is eager to try it or adopt it.

And for good reason, because no other diet or eating plan provides so many benefits so fast.

Answer 9

NO.. Never Science Diet. GARBAGE! No Iams/ Eukanuba, NO Purina at all.. No Ol Roy, No Kibbles N Bits, NO Pedigree, No Beneful.. Read the dog food bag farther than just how much to feed.. Read the ingredient listing.. It's a garbage food with poison ingedients.. If you like cancer causing ingredients, Science Diet will provide that..

There are MANY good dog foods out there.. Find one and stick with it.. Forget crap food, a puppy raised on crap food has a lifetime of chronic ailments.. You want the best start possible..

Answer 10

Hi, I understand that you are looking for some advice or resources to help fully train your dog or fix behavior problems. If a professional dog trainer is not an option at this time, or if you want to trt training your dog on your own (a great way to bond), I'd suggest you https://biturl.im/aU2Cr

A friend recommened it to me a few years ago, and I was amazed how quickly it worked, which is why I recommend it to others. The dog training academy also has as an excellent home training course.

Answer 11

It's the recommended amount that the puppy should be fed in a day. If you want to do 3x feedings, you'll split that amount, into three.
It may not seem like enough, but with time, you'll tell. Increase the feeding if the puppy seems to be losing weight, decrease it if the puppy is becoming overweight.