Maddy only eating small amount

She is very small and is probably eating a quarter of a cup of the following mixture

cottage cheese
purina hard food
purina soft food

Is that enough?
Pam

I hear they are supposed to do 1/4 cup, three times a day. Wesley is good with his breakfast and dinner, but sometimes doesn't do all of his lunch. I started hand feeding him to help him out and that has seemed to work really well.

i often worry that my puppy doesn't eat enough she eats about 3/4 cup and is 9 weeks, but as long as she doesn't look underweight and is playful she's probably ok. And some dogs like people just don't eat a lot. Does she have a lot of exercise like walks and lots of playtime? Lady always eats like a horse after she's had a mad half hour. Also do you free feed or have regular times thoughout day for feeding?

Our vet advises to feed 5 times a day with very little meals up to 16 weeks. 4 meals up to 20 and then 3 meals after that until 6 months. She says their tummies are tiny and can only manage a certain amount.

the breeders told me the same as u joanna!

I would not worry to much freddie takes his time eating his food so just watch him and he should be fine!

Lots of tiny meals are your best plan of attack

Their tums are only tiny, and hence they fill quite quickly. Though, they also empty just as quick

Try adding some sardines in oil, or something similare thats fishy. Puppies are driven to eat things they have a high smell, as are cats

You could also try a live yughurt instead of the cottage cheese, or a goats milk (deffinately not cows).

My fussy puppys will always fall for a little ground chicken or turkey meat in their biccies, thats worth a try too.

At the end of the day though, provided their is nothing wrong medically, she wont starve herself, they arnt silly Just like to see how far the boundaries can be pushed!

Kyla

our breeder told us to feed 5 small meals but she doesn't seem intressed in them i give her 3 meals a day and the 4th meal in a kong so that she has someting to play with while we have to go out. Should i try to give her another meal to bring it up to 5 or keep her as she is?

Abby eats 1/2 cup of Royal Canin Dry food twice a day. I dont supplement anything else except treats, dog biscuits,Sometimes pieces of Ham or hot dog.
do you think this is good for a pup of 7 months. She definitely isnt skinny but not fat either, just a big girl.I am talking Maybe 2 biscuits and 3 small pieces of ham or hot dog.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Gillian that sounds like a lot of food unless she is exrtemely active and a very large dog. The best test for fitness is whether she has a very distinct waist from above. Pics: www.roycroftcavaliers.com/manualfeeding.htm

I woul.d have fed at most a cup of food a day total for mine and they get a minimum mile and a half walk total daily and at least a two hour run on the weekends which is very vigorous, plus Jaspar does agility.

Regarding the cottage cheese -- go easy on dairy products; they can cause upset so really you;d not want to be feeding more than one or 2 tbsp per day. Dogs generally cannot digest the main enzyme in milk and it will give them the runs.

If you want a good quality food there are better choices than Purina. Generally anything you can buiy in a supermarket will be mediocre quality with lots of filler (rice hulls etc) preservatives and additives. Also protein sources are poor (meat derivatives, things like poultry meal not a specific meat source like chicken meal. With foods you very much get what you pay for them. The same link above has at the end a list of top grade foods.

I think I found the problem. At the breeders she was eating off paper plates! So I made up the mixture, added three or four tiny little flakes of cooked fish and put it on a paper plate out on the patio.
She gobbled it! She seemed actually hungry.
I felt a lot better. I think she didn't like the deep dish.
Pam

Problem solved. It is anxiety producing, isn't it?

I purchased stainless steel dog food dishes for Tucker. I place a smaller bowl in the well of the stainless steel ones, for both food and water. It brings the food up closer to him so he doesn't have to lean his snout in there. He's never eaten as much as the portion suggested on dog food packaging.

How's the weather down there?

The weather has actually been a little chilly in the mornings so I had to buy her a little coat for early morning/late evening potty outside.
It is supposed to be in the 80s tomorrow, but tomorrow night I have to come back up to NH until Friday. Maddy will remain in Florida with hubby.
I will miss her so much!
Pam