# Proper Puppy Food Portions



## Kerry (Aug 2, 2016)

I just brought Cooper home yesterday. He is 8 weeks old and I have chosen to feed him Acana kibble after reading this forum. I'm about to start to transition him to Acana puppy food. I read on the Acana puppy food package that the proper portion for a dog of his size (about 11 lbs. right now) is one cup a day. It also says that a puppy of 1 1/2 - 3 months old should be fed 2x the portion size of an adult dog. Should I be feeding Cooper 2 cups a day?

Also I've read in the book Versatile Vizsla that a puppy should be fed 4x a day until it is 10 weeks old. Then 3x a day until it is 14-16 weeks old and 2x a day after that. The breeder told me that they had already started feeding him 3x a day. Should I keep this schedule or go with 4x a day for 2 weeks?

Thanks


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## einspänner (Sep 8, 2012)

Keep in mind that the portions and feeding schedule are guidelines that you may need to stray from if Cooper is looking skinnier or bulkier than you'd like. But yes, based on those guidelines I'd try feeding him a total of 2 cups divided across 3 meals and then reevaluate. It's kind of crazy how much food puppies' growing bodies need!


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## Kerry (Aug 2, 2016)

By the way, here is a picture of Cooper.


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

Cooper is beautiful.

Do feed "by condition" as opposed to a predetermined amount. Keeping a V puppy on the lean side is wise. You can see he will be a very powerful V. 

He looks great!

Bill


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## my5wee-ones (Apr 1, 2015)

That is an AWESOME picture! ;-) We had to feed much more than the portions on the back of the bag when they were pups. I think perhaps because Vizslas are SO high energy and burn so much. Because we feed a lot of homemade, I started looking into calorie requirements. I love this calculator on Dog food advisor - it gives you lots of room for adjustment based on energy level. For us, this calculator is spot on for keeping our girl at a healthy weight... (We do Acana also, I know you have to search on the bag for the calories per cup, but it is there). 

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

hope that helps


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