[Sadiesmomma]

Sadie is fed 5-6 times per day, and the vet advised us that we should feed 1-2tbsp kibble mixed with 1-2tbsp cooked white rice or pumpkn because when we got her she was sick with coccidiosis and had bad diarrhea.  We have had her on this diet since then (about two weeks) and now she is doing much better. She is growing fast and is no longer sick.   (and I want to point out that her energy has  been restored!!) :dance:

My question is, when should we start with the 4 meals per day? I was thinking that since she is doing so well we could start that soon. When we do, is it the same volume of food per day just split into four instead of 6? She is 8 weeks and a few days old...

 

[southerngirls]

i have never personally fed four times daily. When we got Reese she was 12 weeks and we fed 3 times daily. i think once she hit about 5-6 months we went to twice a day feedings.

 

[Kate]

Sophie was born on the 4th of July, so I think she is about the same age as Sadie.  When we got her (6 wks old) we were feeding her 4 times a day, but as of about 5 days ago we went to feeding 3 times a day and she eats about 1/3 to 1/2 c. kibble mixed with teaspoon of pumpkin and about 2 tablespoons of wet canned food mixed with the kibble, no more water added and she is loving it.  She is growing really fast now.  She has however been totally healthy (knock on wood) and has had no problems at all.  Good luck with Sadie, but 4 feedings sounds like plenty if she can tolerate food.

 

[AnnArtisan]

At her age, I'm pretty sure you're safe to follow a typical puppy diet , and while I think three meals a day would suffice, since you've been feeding five or six up to now you may need to make the transistion to only three over a week or two.  As for exactly how much to feed at each meal, it depends on her expected adult weight.  Boxers can vary from 60 to 90 pounds as adults, but the average seems to be around 70-80, with females tending to the lower end and males to the higher.  Given that, it's probably safe to assume her ideal adult weight is 65-70 pounds.  An adult 70 pound dog needs 1690 kcals daily.  Divided by weight, that's  just a tad over 24 kcals per pound (of dog).  Puppies need double the calories-per-pound that adult dogs do so  your puppy would need  48 kcals per pound of her body weight (or double the adult need-per-pound) daily.

Geez, I hope that made sense!

 

[AnnArtisan]

Please don't take offense at this, but I have to ask both Sadiesmomma and Kate why their puppies were separated from their mothers at such tender ages.  While eight weeks is considered "generally safe" studies have shown that there is still much to be learned in weeks eight through ten or twelve.  And six weeks?  Oh, my.  It just breaks my heart to think of a pup wrested from her mother and littermates that young.

Please understand this is NOT an admonition of any sort directed to either of you Boxer-moms; it's just me trying to understand what goes on and why.

 

[Sadiesmomma]

Thank you all for your tips, I think I will go to four feedings now for a couple of weeks and see how she does...

4 feedings sounds like plenty if she can tolerate food.

:lol: She LOVES to eat!! She gobbles it up fast than we can say "good girl"! So no worries there  :wink:

Anna- We got her at six weeks because the breeder in our area had placed all the pups already so she would have been alone regardless. After reading on this forum and elsewhere, I probably wouldn't get another pup at six weeks. If we decide to get another Boxer down the road I will defiantly look for a better breeder that will keep the pups 8 wks or more. I don't regret getting Sadie one bit, that breeder was giving up her pups at 6 weeks either way, so she needed a good home. She is doing really well and is learning very fast. Would it have been better for her to stay with her litter mates until 8wks or more?-probably, but she was going to be gone at 6weeks regardless so the way I look at it, it's better that she ended up with a loving family like us.  But like I said, in the future I will do it differently either better breeder or rescue.

 

[Kate]

When I bought Sophie her breeder explained that I had the choice of taking her that day or leaving her with the breeder for a few more weeks.

 

[spoiledrottenboxers]

I would switch her to 4 times a day, and then about a week or two later start with 3 times a day.

I just got Jersey home on Thursday, and she is 7 weeks old.

 

[Kate]

Can't wait to see pictures of Jersey!

 

[spoiledrottenboxers]

Can't wait to see pictures of Jersey!

They will be coming shortly.  I have been so busy this last week with work, the babies, and I'm starting school again tomorrow.  I'm trying to catch up on everything I missed before I post some pictures.

Sorry to hijack your thread Sadiesmomma!!!