When I get my next pup, a Border Collie/Working Sheepdog, I will be feeding Burns mini bites. However, I have no idea of how much a pup would eat in a day. I know it's four meals a day, but I wouldn't even know where to begin with amounts. My last pup was fed on tripe, potato and veg because his stomach was so sensitive (he had been fed on Eukanuba by the breeder! Nuff said!). He is now on Burns and is fine. Thanks for your help.

Burns will offer help with feeding amounts, tel 0800 018 1890. generally they will say 20g per kg of body weight per day divided initially into four meals, down to three at 4months or so, then two from about six months, and there after.
Adult feeding amounts are 10g per KG og body weight.
hope this helps a little.

Thanks for your reply, I have already contacted Burns and they said 100gms a day, split into 4 meals, at 8 weeks, but it seems pathetic! I weighed it out and when I looked at it, the first thing I thought, was my other dog would have eaten that in one go as a pup, let alone one day!

Do not confuse volume with nutrient density.

This would be as foolish as to compare a tonne of feathers with a tonne of lead :D

Size, as they say, is not everything.

You may have to feed twice as much of other brands because they do not contain the same level of nutrition as others and my include lots of empty "fillers" such as SBP, peanut hulls, cellulose etc etc.

I raised my last litter on Burns mini bites and I would not do it again. The bitch (also on Burns) had little milk, the pups were actually half the size of previous pups and they were really hungry.
I've never heard such a noise at mealtimes and it was just hectic.
I do believe in growing pups slowly but I think that is a bit to slowly. The pup we kept ate her own & other dogs poos as she was so hungry!
If i gave any more than the recommended amount they got the runs. Out of 7 dogs 5 were far too thin(you should not be able to see a Lab's ribs) and it only suited 2.
When puppy owners contacted me their vets were saying the pups were too thin. I tried it for a good 9 months before giving up as I did want to feed a healthy diet. I have now changed to Autarky and all dogs are doing well, no diarrhoea and all have a nice covering.
I know Burns will not be pleased by what I have said, but just thought I should warn you that Burns doesnt agree with all dogs.

Actually Labsrus that is what Burns say on their website too, that not all dogs are the same and just occasionally Burns just doesn't suit for some reason ;)

I agree with everything you say Labsrus, I put my Setter pup on Burns and he lost loads of weight and was always hungrey.  Burns recommended changing him to large breed puppy but to be honest it didnt make much difference.  If I tried to increase the amount it would go straight through him.  I changed him on to Barf and within a week you could see the difference.  He is now going off Barf :rolleyes: so he is now on "all in one" from the natural dog food company / naturediet / raw depending on what he will eat

How are you getting on with the all-in-one ?
michelle

Well fabulous for the first week when he was eating the freebie 2.5kg bag the man in the pet shop gave me - for the first few days he even ate 3 meals a day without even leaving a bit now ive gone out and bought a huge bag he is back to his "take it or leave it" attitude   I am persisting though :D :D   I must admit I put him straight from raw onto it without introducing it gradually and his poo stayed solid - which is more than I can say for the burns :( 

My dogs have been on Burns now for the past 2 months............they have improved no end, really nice coats (at last) the slightly overweight ones seem to have slimmed down, the smaller ones seem to have filled out..........so it obviously agrees with my lot...............poo is nice and firm and not so much of it either as their bodies are absorbing what they need.

But like Burns do point out, it may not be suitable for all dogs............just like everything in life I suppose........lol.

Excellent food!

Blondebird, interesting about the poos (sorry) both mine initially went huge and soft, (ok now, one better than the other though)hence my interest when I heard you were using it.
Michelle

His have always been huge () but when he was on BARF they varied in firmness depending on what he had been eating, with the all in one they are really dry but firm, thats even when he has tripe or naturediet the same day. - lovely topic to cover at lunchtime :D :D

I suppose it might depend on what food you fed yours to start with, because Barf is so natural it didnt upset his stomach to move on to something equally as natural in ingredients. 

mine were on Burns before, and very lean, and like you up the amounts and poos go very soft...but i must admit i also have to be careful on the amounts with the all-in-one or the same thing happens.
ummm i agree what a subject.
michelle

Personally I have both of my BCs on Burns and it has worked a treat.  The older one was on Butchers complete when we got him as a pup and changed him across to Burns pretty quick and he now looks lovely.  He has never looked unweight if anything the complete opposite.  The younger one was the runt of the litter and only weighed about 4kg when we got him,  Burns built him nice and quickly and he is now a stunning dog.  I am always complemented on the way the dogs look and asked what I am feeding them.  They do have some naturediet or pilchards in the evening just for a bit of variety but thats it.

Different horses for different courses as always in life!

Claire

I have the feeding sheet from burns, for mini bites you feed:-

1-5 kgs.....................50 - 100 grms per day
5-10kgs....................100 - 200 grms per day
10 - 20kgs................ 200 - 300 grms per day

These measures are exactly the same for the adult food too.

I changed mine over a couple of months ago and it has worked miracles, my smaller dog has now filled out and my slightly overweight ones have lost weight..........their coats are in top condition, better than ever before..........not wishing to talk disgusting, but even their poo is firmer and smaller, so less waste.

Excellent I would recommend it!

Hmmm, I need to re-check my feeding guide, that's not the measurements I'm going by for the adult food...eek

the feeding guide for the adult dog is 10g per kg of body weight
for puppies 20g per kg of body weight
HTH

Yes that's what I do.  Well that's not what my feeding guide said, it said for dogs of 5-10kg to feed 50-100g of food, so as Millie is about 8.4kg I always feed about 84g - just because it seemed to make sense.   Phew, feel better now, thought I was starving her!

Sorry should have said the measures are the same for canine extra, not just the ordinary adult food!

It's 10grms per 1kg of bodyweight

Hi
Can I add to the debate by saying that our Toller pup is being raised on Burns and she's doing great - growing nicely and not too lean, just enough of a fat covering to look healthy. I am feeding their Extra though, cos she came to us with a bag of Arden Grange which is high protein and I thought Mini Bites would be too great a drop.
She doesn't seem extra hungry between meals and loves the food.
Other then the Extra she gets a bit of added boiled rice for tea and a pigs ear to stop her chewing the place to pieces!

Thanks for all your advice. However, I have decided to be careful of what the breeder feeds and then leave the pup on that for a few months. I have taken my other dogs off Burns as they were so skinny and hungry and they were always having diarrhoea.