Feeding an always hungry puppy

[gritsar]

Kane (GSD) is 4 months old, weighs 45 lbs. He's from pure german lines, so he's going to be bigger (stockier) than GSDs from american lines. He'll be stockier than Jax even, who takes after the dam (a west german dog).
He's totally healthy. The vet has checked him over from head to toe. No parasites of any kind.
The thing is, he's always hungry. His diet is:

6 cups of Diamond Brand Naturals for large breed puppies (split between two meals). That's at the upper end of the feeding guidelines for his age.
1/2 lb. of raw chicken or beef with his evening meal
Yogurt, every other day
Treats are liver baits or sweet pot./chicken "cookies"

When Kane finishes eating, he licks his bowl and looks around for more. He's ready to eat at all times.
If we let him have access to Jax's bowl, he'll finish it too.

I don't want to overfeed him and have him have trouble with his hips and joints later on, but he makes me feel so bad; like I'm starving him.

 

[krcote]

You are feeding him plenty. Don't give in to the puppy-hungries. He likes food. Period.

 

[Bluemoon420]

Maybe it's Kiki. She must be whispering in his ears....You are hungry Kane, Must eat more....

Bluemoon

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

I'm watching my back right now. The cats are out of food until I get to the grocery store in a bit. If looks could kill, I'd be dead and it would be KiKi's doing.

 

[Bluemoon420]

It's all part of Kiki's plan. I have an old siamese type cat. Ivan the terrible. He is 24 years old. We have had a love/hate relationship over the past 24 years. You would think at 24 years old he would mellow out some, but nope, he's here to annoy me. I swear he's tried to smother me several times while I was sleeping. So, never under estimate the power of a siamese. They are crafty, and have shifty eyes.

As for Kane, I wouldn't feed him too much more. If the vet hasn't found anything wrong, just keep doing what your doing, and he'll be fine.

Sampson was similar to that as a puppy. He would have you think he was starving, but he wasn't by a long shot.

Bluemoon

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Does he FEEL ribby? Is his coat glossy? His teeth good and erupting when they should? Poop and puddles normal? That is how I tell if I am feeding enough. If he IS ribby, I add more dry dog food. If not, then I give more hard bones to chew on. BTW I rarely feed what the bag says. I go by the condition of the dog. Sometimes that means I am "overfeeding" according to the bag and sometimes I am giving way less. Some dogs have higher metabolisms than others, that's all.

HTH

Rusty

 

[Amanda0609]

Might be a good idea to have a stool sample checked by the vet too, make sure he doesn't have any worms.

 

[ntiveheart]

i wonder if you put smaller portions into several bowls at a time, if it would slow him down a bit and help him realize that he's full? kwim?
other than that, i agree with rusty. go by his condition, not the package directions.

 

[dntd]

You can buy food pacer balls to put in food dishes, if he eats slower he might get satisfied longer.

 

[Gonzo]

I hear ya! Zelda is right on track to eating us out of house and home! Shes a pig! She'll eat all the dog food, then try to hit the trash can, and anything else she can reach! She grabbed a raw hamburger patty of the kitchen table over the weekend! Forbid I have a cup of coffee on the coffee table, she'll get that too! If she wasn't so healthy looking, and perfect weight wise, I'd swear she had a tape worm! Right now I'm convinced shes part goat!

I'm scared to leave her outta the kennel when we leave

I'm afraid she'll eat the cat! She was the smallest female in her litter, Both her parents are normal size GSD's, today, Zelda was standing next to Klaus, and I noticed her front legs are soo much thicker than Klaus's! Klaus weights 87lbs on a slim day! I'm scared she's gonna be a monster!