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Cocker Spaniels/How much food for an 8 wk old?

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Expert: - 9/11/2010


Question

Our baby girl, Chloe!
Hi! We just picked up our 8 week old cocker spaniel puppy.  We are slowly transitioning her to our new food, Blue Buffalo.  But we are wondering how much to feed her everyday? We can only feed her twice a day because we are not here at lunch time. The vet recommended a 1/2 cup total a day but she still seems hungry.  Should we feed her more or is this adequate?

Thanks!

Answer
You can feed her more than twice a day...and should.  At this age they need about 4 to 5 meals a day due to such a small tummy.
Your vet is wrong - she needs far more food than that so, of course, she's always hungry.

If you're gone all day (and, if so, I wonder how on earth you're going to housebreak her?) - then give her half her breakfast the minute you get up and the other half just before you leave.
Feed her again when you get home and again later in the evening.

Look at the feeding instructions on the bag - puppies eat TWICE what an adult dog the same weight would eat.  She's entering a massive growth spurt and needs top notch nutrition.  Blue Buffalo is "okay" but hardly a great food.
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Delores Beck

Expertise

Health, nutrition, training. Please note: I used to highly recommend Innova products but, unfortunately, as with Canidae, they have sold out to Proctor & Gamble. This guarantees lower quality to a dangerous point so I will no longer be advising anyone to buy it.

Experience

20 years of owning this breed.

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Psychology, MA

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