Am I feeding Enough?

[goldensammy]

I feed sammy twice a day. ~1 cup each time. He's not skinny, not fat. Seems just right. But I'm not sure. He seems small (height) for an almost 1 year old dog. (birthday is july 11). When I bring him to my friend with the goldens when i go to hawaii, I'll see if he looks small compared to them. But do you think that he could be small becasue I may not be feeding him enough? Or is that not possible... would he just get very skinny if he was underfed? Like any golden is, Sammy is always hungry, always eating his breakfast and dinner to the last drop. But that's normal, especially for a golden retreiver. Do you think I should keep up with this feeding?

thanks, goldensammy

[Moo]

I don't know what kind of food you're feeding, Golden. One of my foods; if I read it, I could be giving KIRBY up to 2 cups a day, based on weight. My other food says up to 1 cup a day. What does your bag say?

It's good that he's not skinny or fat, it sounds good. I wouldn't worry too much, as long as he isn't over or under weight. He is a growing puppy though, and could well grow until he is 2 years old.

How tall is he at the whithers?

[goldensammy]

I'm off to do all the tasks you have given me moo!
I'll be back soon! lol

[goldensammy]

Okay. He's about 70 pounds. Maybe more, just an educated guess. He's about 60 cm at the withers. Just checked, and I've been feeding him Purina One Large Breed Puppy Formula. I'll be switching to adult formula as soon as he turns one year. According to the bag, I should be feeding him about 4-5 cups daily. I feed Sammy about 2.5 cups daily. Hope that helps. Thanks.

[eXile]

2 cups a day isnt enough. Oscar gets 4 cups a day and is still hungry but I balance him with excersise. I see alot of advertising about "Feeding your dog less" I dont beleive in that. In my opinion thats an excuse for lazyness.

[goldensammy]

How much do you think I should be giving him? Do you think this could be a cause of him being smaller, if he is?

[Moo]

2.5 cups daily; I assume there are some treats on top of that? If not it could be too little. On the other hand, every dog is different and you don't want him over weight.

That's not a bad height, Golden. 60 cm is about 23 inches. And according to the AKC a full grown male Golden Retriever should be 23-24 inches at the whithers. Sounds big if you ask me, seeing as he is not 1 year yet.

[goldensammy]

Originally Posted by Moo

2.5 cups daily; I assume there are some treats on top of that?

That's not a bad height, Golden. 60 cm is about 23 inches. And according to the AKC a full grown male Golden Retriever should be 23-24 inches at the whithers. Sounds big if you ask me, seeing as he is not 1 year yet.

Oh, really? So I guess he isn't that bad. I just remember going to my friend with the god knows how many goldens a few months ago and Sammy looked like an ant! I'll definetly check it out when I go there in a couple weeks. Oh and of course, there are plently of treats on top of that. So, hmmm who should I listen to. Moo or exile ? Thanks for the help you two.

[goldensammy]

Bump...

Anyone have any thoughts? Any would help. Thanks

[BabyElephant]

Well, he sounds like a good height, can you run your fingers down his spine and feel it without pusing too deep (I know he has a lot of hair but take that into account) and what about ribs, how easy are they to feel? Can you see a waist through all that gorgeous fur???

I need to know what you mean by 2 cups - are we talking tea cups, ordinary cups or what??? Being in the UK I can well imagine that I might give you bad advice as my cup size may be different - LOL...

I'm off to do a bit of research but in the meantime if you can answer my questions...