[JeanenesBoogerBabies]

Alright...I KNOW we all go through this at some point...but, I haven't until now...I'm used to my BIG BOYS...who were rolly polly and chubby and heavy all of the way through...now we have our little package of dinomite...and she has started to stretch out and up and looks like a bag of bones!!LOL! She weighed 8.5#'s at the vet Wednesday when we went in for shots...and she has TONS of energy...but, she would eat from sunup to sundown EVERYDAY if I let her...if you go in the kitchen, you can count on Pua sitting at your feet looking up at you like "Um...so, where is it?"LOL! We are feeding her 1 cup a day of the Merricks( 3-12 pounds is 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups a day) and we are feeding it in three meals...with pumpkin and yogurt mixed in more often then not...yet, every time she eats...she finishes up and immediately sniffs around for more...now, here's the thing...her hip bones are showing...so, even though I know I am feeding her the recommended amount...I feel like I should feed her more...and she certainly thinks I should...I don't want to overfeed...as I know that causes problems as well...we started giving her some peanut butter...should I give her more of that? Cottage cheese? Or should I not worry so much...I know my perspective is messed up because Mic and Indy have NEVER looked gangly...they are six months old and most people mistake them for adults...except for the chest, they look like their dad...I can tell she is going to be lighter...but, I have heard that hips showing is a problem! ANd they are SHOWING...do I go with the max for her weight range now? She is only 8.5 the top feeding is for 12 pounds...I know I am neurotic...So, I am including a couple of pics...you tell me!

Ok...this one does show her ribs...but, I confess...it was just too funny NOT to include!LOL!

 

[Guest]

With Jetta, her hips were showing bad and stuff...and we have never followed the directions.  What we were told is to feed her 3 cups of food a day of the Canidae...we feed her 1 cup 3 times a day...

At this age, it's ok for them to eat more than recommended...

 

[Barbs2Ks]

I am sure that Sharon will have a better idea but I have heard that amounts to feed are only a guideline and boxers seem to be so much more active then a lot of other breeds.  I would increase it a bit and see what happens.  You may also want to have her checked for worms again.  Just my non-professional opinion  

 

[tootsie]

I'm with Barb on this one. As long as she has no intestinal issues (worms, mites) I would up her food a bit. I wouldn't add too much good stuff yet, PB or cottage chees. She looks fine to me, but puppies will go through those stages of really skinny gangly looking and the next day will look like a chub! She'd be adorable anyway though!  

 

[Soccergk1987]

she looks exactly like dungy... and he loves food but he keeps getting longer and taller but not thicker lol

 

[JessiesMom]

Jessie was the same way at that age

 

[JeanenesBoogerBabies]

tyvm...I think I will up her food...we haven't seen any worms or anything(been watching her poop) and he did another "worming" when we were there...so, I don't know...but, I will ask...and you're right...SHaron will have a better idea of anything to watch for...I have no clue!LOL!

Thanks again!

 

[Guest]

Here is Jetta at 8.5 weeks...soo skinny!

 

[sharonL]

one cup of food a day does not sound like enough regardless of what the label says  Give that poor baby some more food!!!!!  :lol:  You said she got wormed when you went in but did she get checked for worms?  There is always things they could have that the "general wormer" does not catch like coccidia and giardia....But considering she has nothing then I think just a little more food is needed.  I must admit I dont know much about the kind you are feeding her but like I said one cup is not alot and spreading it over three feedings is not alot at one time.  You said she is active so I am guessing she is burning it off in between feedings....Her pic does not look bad though she is not to skinny....

 

[sully]

I don't even bother looking at the recomended servings anymore.  Every food I've bought recomended too little food for Oggie. The vet told me he was a little on the skinny side.   It finally dawned on me to up the food and he's been growing like crazy ever since.  And this is healthy growth, he's still thin and has a few ribs showing.  Just increase it slowly and see how they respond. Another good way to add some weight is to just add an extra meal that's not kibble.  Ya know, like yogurt or pumpkin or cottage cheese.  Once I did that, Oggie really started to respond.

 

[Ky_IsisnOnyxsMama]

i think shes sooooooooooooo darn cute !!1 haha i love everyones pup pics that they posted ..so so cute !!

Pua probably is running more than the avererage pup since shes got 2 big bros...i wouldnt worry..and you know Sharon would tel ya if she thought something was wrong...

shes probably just burning it off...

OMG @ THAT LAST PIC...AAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAH THATS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CUTE !!! HAHAHA

 

[Guest]

also, jetta grew rather slowly in the weight department until 3.5 months...she was like only gaining like 1lb or less a week, and then voila...3-3.5 lbs a week at 13-14 weeks...puppys do strange things...try not to worry *(yea right ,lol)

 

[JeepKuntry]

I don't know Merrick, but there suggestions by weight typically are for adult dogs.

 

[CrazieKC]

I was going to say the same thing as Sharon...has she been checked for worms. Kaci was very skinny and eating all the time as well...it ended up that she had tapeworms. I'd get her checked, just to be sure. It's not very expensive to check for it or to treat it...or at least from what I remember.

 

[lulu]

Delila is 15 lbs at 12 weeks and she to looks like a sack of bones. She is a picky eater but I got her pinnicle chicken and potatoes and she eats 2 1/2 cups a day in 3 servings.

 

[Brutuss]

Alright...I KNOW we all go through this at some point...but, I haven't until now...I'm used to my BIG BOYS...who were rolly polly and chubby and heavy all of the way through...now we have our little package of dinomite...and she has started to stretch out and up and looks like a bag of bones!!LOL! She weighed 8.5#'s at the vet Wednesday when we went in for shots...and she has TONS of energy...but, she would eat from sunup to sundown EVERYDAY if I let her...if you go in the kitchen, you can count on Pua sitting at your feet looking up at you like "Um...so, where is it?"LOL! We are feeding her 1 cup a day of the Merricks( 3-12 pounds is 1/2 to 1 1/2 cups a day) and we are feeding it in three meals...with pumpkin and yogurt mixed in more often then not...yet, every time she eats...she finishes up and immediately sniffs around for more...now, here's the thing...her hip bones are showing...so, even though I know I am feeding her the recommended amount...I feel like I should feed her more...and she certainly thinks I should...I don't want to overfeed...as I know that causes problems as well...we started giving her some peanut butter...should I give her more of that? Cottage cheese? Or should I not worry so much...I know my perspective is messed up because Mic and Indy have NEVER looked gangly...they are six months old and most people mistake them for adults...except for the chest, they look like their dad...I can tell she is going to be lighter...but, I have heard that hips showing is a problem! ANd they are SHOWING...do I go with the max for her weight range now? She is only 8.5 the top feeding is for 12 pounds...I know I am neurotic...So, I am including a couple of pics...you tell me!

Ok...this one does show her ribs...but, I confess...it was just too funny NOT to include!LOL!

Wow 1 cup = 8oz. 1 cup broke down in 3 meals is way to less.thats just 2.6oz per seving.Would = you eating not a whole piece but just 1 bite of bread 3 times a day.I kinda lean in this

 

[Nexu]

I don't know Merrick, but there suggestions by weight typically are for adult dogs.

I was going to say/ask the same thing.

 

[Brutuss]

so that website is saying 1/2 - 1 1/2 cups for puppies.and under it is the key.

Puppies up to 6 months old may be fed 3 to 4 times daily.  Puppies six months to a year may be fed twice daily.

So thats 2-6 cups per day.now that sounds more logic.

 

[sully]

If you want to gain quality weight, you eat lots of quality meals.  Gorging at mealtime is a good way to get fat. Rapid intake can't be processed by the metabolism and is more likely to be stored as fat than actually processed.   Ask a bodybuilder what he eats, they eat like 6 meals a day!  The guy who skips breakfast and eats 2 huge meals a day is much more likely to be overweight.  More frequent meals keep the metabolism burning fat while the consistent supply of nutrients provides what muscles and bones need.  So when the vet told me my dog was underweight, instead of feeding him more per meal, I just added a 4th meal per day.  Kept him lean while his weight and height exploded....

 

[sully]

so that website is saying 1/2 - 1 1/2 cups for puppies.and under it is the key.

Puppies up to 6 months old may be fed 3 to 4 times daily.  Puppies six months to a year may be fed twice daily.

So thats 2-6 cups per day.now that sounds more logic.

I don't think that's what it's saying though.  See, I had this same confusion when reading the back of the label myself.  I'm still not sure but the label below says:  

Puppies up to 6 months old may be fed 3 to 4 times daily.  Puppies six months to a year may be fed twice daily.

The above Daily Feeding Guidelines are a good starting point on the amount of food suggested to be fed on a daily basis. If you feed more than once per day, simply divide the Daily Feeding Guidelines by the amount of times fed per day.

So it's not saying 2-6 cups per day, its saying 1.5 to 2 cups (for 10-25 pound puppies) per day, and divide that by how many meals per day you feed because it's saying those are daily guidelines and to split them up.  

It's very very confusing, and if you actually followed this, it's just not enough food for a boxer puppy.  I tried!