Think I've been underfeeding but not sure - help!

[SaveTheUnicorns]

My lab pup is 12 weeks old now, doing fab with everything but when we collected the breeder said to carry on with a manly handful four times a day of Dr John's puppy kibble and some for treats for training so that's what we've been doing. He's typical active, sleeps well and always loves a treat when we're out training.

I've looked to increase his food now he's at the mark but the guidelines which I stupidly didn't look at say we should have been feeding him 250g-600g, we've been feeding him roughly 150g a day plus a little for treats. When we accidently fed him twice an hour apart he regurgitated it so we thought we'd overfed him and he had a couple of very soft poos recently so again we thought overfed. I'm in a panic and he's not at the vets til Thursday so can someone just confirm this looks right as his tummy is only small and this looks loads for three feeds! I'll have to keep them at 4 feeds a day I think for another week so he gets used to more.

Thanks for any advice I feel like the worst owner right now

Assuming he is not significantly underweight and still growing at a normal rate, you will have done him a massive favour. Much better to keep them lean at this age - easier on the joints.

I wouldn't worry too much and wouldn't change anything until you see the vet. Then just ask them for their opinion on his weight and growth to check he's on track with both.

Manufacturer recommendations are (ime) widely out sometimes. Better to go by the dog's appetite and body condition to determine if food needs to be increased or decreased. (In a lab, give a bit less priority to their appetitites, which lie ).

I wouldn’t stress about it , there is a massive variation between 250-600 so I’d take that with a pinch of salt . I don’t think I’ve ever fed my dog what is recommended as he would be the size of a small house if I did . Are you planning on changing his food eventually to something a bit better quality ?

We also have a 12 week old lab. I'd read that the amount on the packets is often an overestimation so haven't worried that we're only feeding 200g when the minimum says 240g. She's having treats on top of that now, at 8 weeks we were reducing her food allowance depending on extras given. We've seen the vet 3 times (initial health check, worming, vaccinations) and she's been pronounced perfect so I'm fairly happy this is the right approach.

Do you know how much be weighed at 8 weeks and how much he weighs now?

Don't go by the recommendations on the food packet, they are frequently way too high, unless your dog is a working dog that's on the go all day.

I feed my 5.8 kilo ten year old dog 190gms of her wet food a day, the recommended amount on the tin for a dog of her size is 315gms a day.

She'd be seriously unwell if I fed her that amount, as it is she's at her ideal weight, is lively and happy and her weight is stable.

You have to look at your dog's condition, weight and, with a puppy, growth to tell if you're feeding enough or too much.

Your vet will tell you if your puppy condition is okay.

There are far too many overweight dogs around and I'm sure that in part that has to be blamed on the fact that people are feeding according to the advice on the food packet or tin.

It's quite hard to know exactly how much to feed, but just keep a track on his weight and condition and you'll get there.

If it were me I'd keep him on the four feeds with the same amount you've been feeding him until you have a chance to speak to your vet on Thursday, although, having said that vets aren't always great at giving feeding advice. In my experience the vet nurses are the best people to speak to for feeding advice.

Thanks!! Lots of great advice there feeling a bit better now.

I don't have anything to weigh him with so I'll wait for the vet visit.

I was going to speak to the vet about food too, the puppy check was done the day I got him and jabs, worming etc so I wasn't there but had a little chat with vet afterwards about his health (it's a small town) so he was perfect when I got him. Can feel his ribs but he doesn't look ill or anything. Blah think I'm overthinking, he's active, happy and sleeping through with training going well so if we can get the biting under control we'll be laughing.

I've added a little extra in his feeds today to make it to 200g total and will see what vet says and how we get on. Really appreciate everyone's advice

i had a very similar sotuation with star pup i'd read the feeding guidelines wrong as they were based on estimated adult weight not as i thought current weight so i upped the food and poor dog was fed up of eating after a day of constant meals so i went back to his old amount plus a bit extra and hes fine not an ounce of fat but puts on 2kg a month

I am feeding my 6 month old puppy 20gm/kg body weight, as recommended by the Kennel Club (she’s a mongrel, medium sized)
She’s 13.5kgs so 270gms /day and she doesn’t always finish it all.
So long as she’s got a ‘waist’, I can easily feel her ribs and she’s active and well then that’s fine.
If she’s starting to still appear hungry after eating then I will up it slightly.
The feed recommendation is 190-400 for her age and size!

star pup is 9.5 months now and has around 350g a day in two meals plus treats chews and whatever else he manages to con out of us lol hes around 15kg springer mastiff cross

I always think feed companies have a vested interest in telling you to feed more of their product than necessary.