Puppy cleaning every bowl - underfeeding or just a good eater?

[FuckingHateRats]

Our labradoodle puppy is 11 weeks old and 3kg.

She is on three meals a day - Gentle complete dry food with a little 'something' mixed through.

Sometimes it's a spoonful of unseasoned scrambled eggs in the morning, often she has a sardine through her meal, or she'll get a spoonful of beef mince or chopped roasted chicken meat.

I calculated the amount of dry food using the calculator on the manufacturer's website - she gets 70g spread throughout the day, plus the calories from the small amount of whatever the extra tasty is.

She is so excited when she gets fed, like she's been starved for days haha. She cleans her bowl completely and looks for more (she doesn't get more).

For a puppy, she's very active. Has already learned to fetch a ball and does a lot of pelting about in the large garden.

She goes for a pop once or twice a day - well formed, easy to pass.

But my grandmother (whose dog is a terrible eater!) says it's not normal for a puppy to eat all their food so well and she must be hungry / being underfed.

Do you think this sounds too much?

She's expected to be 10kg - she's a mini labradoodle, not a full-sized one.

How do I go about finding out how much to give her? I don't want to just guess.

Can anyone recommend a better calculator?

She has gained 700g in the two weeks we've had her. So she is gaining, but maybe not as much as she should?

How much do they recommend for a 10kg adult? I'd go for something closer to that. We've always fed a similar quantity of food from about 12 weeks to a year. As although obviously much smaller when little their requirements are much greater when young.

Why did you choose that food? I'd use the last of it to mix with a new brand with a better calculator.

it doesn't sound much for her breed(s)/size/adult size

Both of our dogs clean their bowls every meal and look for more, the younger one now has to have a slow feeding bowl because he eats so fast.

Check with the vet to make sure the quantity you are giving is correct. I was concerned that our younger dog was underweight, however the vet said he is the ideal weight.

It's the best-quality complete food within our budget (it gets 93% on allaboutdogfood.com)

Eating everything in your bowl (or anywhere else, often!) is a common trait in dogs, and absolutely nothing to worry about unless she is thin / losing weight or body mass. Every creature has certain "evolutionary traits" - not all will have the trait, or to the same degree but it will be commonplace. For dogs, one of these is "eating until they are round" if given the opportunity. Dogs, like humans, are pack animals, and generally poor hunters / predators (also like humans). The pack increases the possibility of ensuring a food supply - greater numbers increases your chances of catching something / enough to sustain the numbers. So the instinct of a canine (unlike a feline, which are generally great hunters) is to take every single opportunity to eat everything in sight, because you don't know where your next meal is coming from, or when.

Wolves, for example, have about a 14% kill rate when hunting. That means that they may go a day or two without eating, or eating much, so when dinner is served, it’s best to stuff a lot of it down your throat. Of course there are always exceptions – African wild dogs are some of the most prolific hunters in the world with around an 80% kill rate. The same discrepancies exist in the feline world too. Generally speaking cats hunt successfully, and are therefore often solitary – they don’t need a lot of help to find food. But lions, contrary to what a lot of people think, are awful hunters. On their own, their success rate is a lot less than 20%, but as a group it goes up to about 30%.

So I wouldn’t worry. Speak to the vet yes. But don’t worry inordinately because scoffing down every morsel is far from odd in dogs. And, like I said, some would be round and roll if given the chance. Provided they are not significantly underfed, no dog will suffer from having a little less than they want.

I’m not really sure why that food is rated so highly. The ‘original’ has only 37% meat content. Seems very expensive for its composition. Agree with others, look for a better alternative- the stupid calculator would put me off for a start!

Based on how many calories it says it has, and calorie requirements estimated for a labradoodle pup I'd be feeding something more like 125g. Agree with previous poster that their crappy feeding guide would put me off.

The person who runs that website isn't a qualified nutritionist. I know it's always trotted out and recommended as the place to look for decent food, but just be aware of that.

Thank you all. I'll have a look for an alternative we can use (and up her feed a bit in the meantime).

I asked my niece who has 2 of same breed how much kibble if fed 3 times a day with something run through it as you described, at your pup's age. She said she fed 125 morning and evening and 100 midday. Her dogs are now older, still full of energy, but feed twice a day. Apparently feeding less at midday helps them to cope with 2 feeds as older.

Sorry just spotted yours is mini labradoodle. My niece's are full size ones not mini.

Is she cross poodle or cross miniature poodle? 3kg seems tiny

I have a labrador (yours is part labrador) and the one determining factor of him is...he is always hungry. We had to get him a slow down bowl from 12 weeks as he would eat so fast it would give him awful wind and tummy pain, and he would happily eat all day if we let him. Labradors have to be among the hungriest /greediest dogs out. If your pup is gaining weight as she should be and the vet is happy with her progress, I wouldn't worry. Try and distract her with toys and games (walks eventually) to take her mind off her tum. But it's true, if we are doing something calm at home, the dog is grazing about for food (and believe me, he gets more than enough!)

She's an F1B miniature labradoodle. Mum is a labradoodle, dad is a miniature poodle.

That is the correct amount of food for Gentles and for a 3kg dog most kibbles will be recommending between 40-120 up to 11 weeks.

What is your dog crossed with?

A lab will be much more than 3kg at 11 weeks more likely to be about 5 kg at 8 weeks so using lab to compare food allowance it does seem like a small amount. However if your dog mix is with a small breed which I guess it is if only 3kg at 11 weeks (that is a pretty small dog)

A dog eating its meals is a healthy dog and does not mean you are not feeding enough. Look at your puppy and if they are full of energy and have a small waist and you can not see the backbone and all the ribs it should be fine but always worth checking with your vet to confirm

Cross post and just saw the mix so a small dog and that food amount is probably right for her.

Obesity in puppies will cause her way more issues than being a bit lean. Just remember the Andrex puppy was obese not normal.

Is she happy, full of energy and growing well (not really ribby with hip bones poking out)?

If yes, she's fine.

One of mine will eat EVERYTHING offered, licks out her bowl, polishes off the other dog's leftovers, licks that bowl, cruises the kitchen in search of dropped scraps, has lie down, hears action in the kitchen and races back through in hope.

Not even a Lab, so no excuse!

Hi,

Don't be hard on yourself, the ranges given on food bags are often so vague it's really tricky to know the right amount, especially for growing pups.

I highly recommend using a growth chart for puppies, this way you'll be able to track that she's following a good growth curve and can adjust her food as appropriate if you notice her straying off it.

And ask your vet about how she's doing body condition wise if you're ever worried she's under or above her ideal weight, they will be glad that you've brought it up as vets can be hesitant to discuss weight in case it offends owners.

Best of luck with your new pup