Hi,

I bought a wonderful new eight-week old labrador puppy last week, and have decided to switch (over a course of several days) from Vitalin to Burns puppy food. Now I'm slightly concerned about the various feeding details I've been given, as I don't want to overfeed her, and I definitely don't want to underfeed her.

I'm currently feeding my dog four times a day.
8AM - Half tin of rice pudding.
12PM - 2oz of Vitalin dog food.
4PM - 2oz of Vitalin dog food.
8PM - 1/3 tin of rice pudding.

I would like to change this so that I am feeding her three times a day, just using Vitalin/Burns dog food.

Now the list on the bag of Burns states that for a 3-5KG dog, only 3oz of food should be given per day. But 1oz of food per meal just didn't seem enough from me, so I phoned the breeder. He said to feed her a small teacupful of food per meal, which works out to just over 2oz per meal, meaning 6oz of food per day. Could this mean that Burns is more rich than the other food, and so requires less food?

So to sum up:
1. Is 6oz of dried food too much per day for an average-sized labrador pup?
2. Would dried food fed three times per day be fine for my dog?
3. What times would be recommended for these three meals? (I am considering 8AM, 12PM and 6PM).

I would appreciate any answers that you can give regarding this very varied subject. Thank you!

She's really a bit young to drop the fourth meal yet - that's usually done around 12 weeks of age. Until then, stick to the times the breeder has told you, as they're ideal. However, I'd certainly change the fourth meal to 'proper' food, rather than rice pudding.

All dried foods vary - the right volume of one isn't necessarily the right volume of any other.

Hiya,
We changed our lab puppy from his breeders food to Burns mini bites when he was 9 weeks old (he is now 13 weeks), when we chaged over we found that he just stopped putting on weight with the amount that Burns recommend, which was worrying. I rang the Burns nutritional team (who are very helpful) and increased the amount of food to 250g a day (I don't know what that is in ounces), also because he is your typical greedy labrador i still soak the food in water because it seems to fill him up more, I think your safe giving him more food, just keep an eye on him anf make sure he's not overweight. Also we are still on 4 meals a day because everything in sight would get eaten if he had to wait longer than a few hours!

Sarah

Thanks all, that's helped a lot. 250g is roughly 8oz, so that's more than enough food a day for my little pup. I've been doing some research in the meantime as well and, as was suggested by someone in this topic, she'll be on four meals up to twelve weeks. Thanks again,

Aureus.

Rice pudding is just stodge and milk - why on earth give this to a puppy?  I agree on keeping the four meals at the moment.

Burns food is very digestible so dogs do not require so much in quantity as some other dry complete diets.

Wendy

Our Lab pups have always had four meals a day up to sixteen weeks old,dropthe lunches then, and at six months stop the suppers,but increase breakfast and teas.
Sheila.

I was going to start a new thread on why breeders and pet owners feed rice pudding ,is there any nutritional value in this? Pups have got teeth when they go to a new home,do they not?

Surely they would be much better off nutritionally being fed meat or commercial dry food than rice?

This has always confused me.I've never had this problem as none of my dogs would eat rice pudding,i tried mixing in a little into their meat meal once and they wouldnt eat it !

Hi Rose,

I think this is just one of those foods that's somehow been passed down generations as "puppy diet" :rolleyes:  To my knowledge there is no genuine value in feeding this to puppies even as a partial weaning method - but then again there have probably been thousands of puppies over the years who've had this as a part of their diet and not come to any harm.  Personally I wouldn't use it and those breeders with whom I'm very friendly and tend to pick their brains on ideas and experiences have unanimously confirmed that they would not give it to their litters nor recommend it to anyone else.  I think it's a bit like the whole "weetabix" thing that some breeders go in for - again, I have neither seen nor heard of any benefit (if anything the opposite) but some others swear by it.

As an aside, my OH likes rice pudding but our dogs (who are rather partial to offering an alternative *pre-wash cycle* to the one for the dishwasher) won't lick bowls with the residue of rice pudding in it :P and weetabix has never been on my shopping list - far too boring for a morning pick me up :D  They do like their hot buttered croissants and seedless raspberry jam though .....

Teri
and so, to bed !  ;) 

I remember when we got a Beagle puppy in the '70s the book I bought recommended a slice of buttered toast for breakfast as well as wheetabix and rice pudding raw meat tinned meat and mixer.

First time I fed complete was in 1982 and I've been feeding raw for about 2.5 years I think with feeding as with everything ideas change we try things and keep or discard what suits us

Anne