GSP Puppy Feeding issue

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MSU Aggie
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GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by MSU Aggie » Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:38 pm

I have a female GSP that is just turning 4 months old. I am concerned with her weight at this point. She is 12 pounds and 17 inches at the shoulder, and we have seen her side by side with littermates and mine is noticeably smaller. I am feeding 1.5 cups a day of Native Level 3 Puppy, this is at the top end of their recommendations for her weight and month. My thought is that she is not doing well on this food and should switch to something else, probably Pro Plan. Or am i worried about nothing.

Also, both parents are smaller sized and this litter was planned to be smaller dogs.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by shags » Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:48 pm

How does she look other than being small? good flesh, nice haircoat, bright eyes? Is she alert with plenty of energy? If so, she may be just a pocket rocket type dog.
Usually unthrifty pups look poor, feel lousy, and smell funky.

MSU Aggie
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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by MSU Aggie » Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:53 pm

Bright eyed, good coat, tons of energy. I cannot see ribs but can feel easily, I would just like a little more flesh on her.

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ezzy333
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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by ezzy333 » Mon Dec 15, 2014 6:01 pm

My first concern is why are you thinking what is written on a bag trumps what you see when you look at your pup. Every dog is different as well as activity level, environmental temperature, housing conditions, and a few more subtle things that enters into how much a puppy needs to sustain adequate growth and condition. You asked about changing food and you could but I wouldn't till I proved that your present feed isn't working. And as of now. you are judging the feed by what the feedbag has printed on it and not that your pup isn't doing well. A pup the age of yours would normally eat about twice what it will when it is three years old but the bag won't change. Your pup will eat 50 % more if kenneled outside in cold weather and may eat about that much extra when it is running and working everyday compared to laying in the warm house most of the time.

My advice is to slowly increase the feed till the pup is not hungry any more and then see what the results are in a few weeks. If it works great and if it doesn't let us know and we can go from there. Good luck.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by Windyhills » Mon Dec 15, 2014 10:20 pm

I quit pro plan when they decided to go with the latest designer food fads and switched to Native some years ago (I think they have long since reverted back with Pro Plan Performance, but I have liked Native Better). Level 3 during hunting season, Level 1 in off season less active times. Other than it being a bit of a pain to obtain here, I've been very happy ever since--I wouldn't count on switching foods making much difference here. Ezzy is right on the mark. Amount recommendations aren't intended to apply to every dog, the dog's condition should inform the amount you feed. I had a bitch who i could free feed even in the off season and she'd never get much out of condition, and a male who I have to watch lest he get too big--and they were Mother and son. BTW I believe native puppy is the same thing as straight level 3--only difference is kibble size.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by Sharon » Mon Dec 15, 2014 10:40 pm

MSU Aggie wrote:Bright eyed, good coat, tons of energy. I cannot see ribs but can feel easily, I would just like a little more flesh on her.
Sounds like you have nothing to worry about. I have a runt setter and she will always look small and on the thin side. Doesn't keep her from running hours a day.:).... 35 pounds , 9 years old.
I like a roughly 30%protein to 20+-% fat combo for a working dog.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by mowermandan » Mon Dec 15, 2014 11:03 pm

also I would not really consider size comparison to litter mates my female pup at 8 weeks is considerably smaller than her three brothers are shes 7 and ahalf pounds versus their being 10 to12 pounds but she is rather small but eats like a horse 2 cups a day split morning and night well not quite 2 cups more like 3/4 am 3/4 pm

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by MSU Aggie » Tue Dec 16, 2014 9:35 am

Thanks for the input. Up until this week she acted full with her current amount, and wasn't acting like she wanted more. So I wasn't realy concerned about the recommendations, just extra info. More concerned about her being full every day and still on the smaller side. I love the Native food for my labs and was hoping to only have one brand to buy. I will bump her intake and see if she eats it and if it makes difference before changing

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by RoostersMom » Tue Dec 16, 2014 11:02 am

at 4 months old, my Pointer pup ate 6 cups of puppy per day. Nothing wrong with him or the food, he just needed that much. At a year and a half, he's around 5 cups per day (in two feedings of course). Your pup might just take a bit more.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by shags » Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:17 pm

Nothing will change her genetics.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by gspup » Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:25 pm

My female GSP is still skinny at 7yrs she's ~43 lbs, and is free fed. Sometimes she eats as much as our 90 lb spinone, other times she wont eat at all. She runs a lot though.

Watch the dogs weight but some pointers can eat as much as they want and not gain wait...others get fat. Run them enough and they stay skinny :D

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by MSU Aggie » Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:09 pm

I'm going to slowly bump her food, never had a dog that wouldn't let me know it's still hungry. Usually have the problem of plump dogs.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by SubMariner » Wed Dec 17, 2014 10:18 am

RoostersMom wrote:at 4 months old, my Pointer pup ate 6 cups of puppy per day. Nothing wrong with him or the food, he just needed that much. At a year and a half, he's around 5 cups per day (in two feedings of course). Your pup might just take a bit more.
With all due respect, if your puppy "needs" 5 cups of food/day then that food is not giving him what he needs. Personally, I would be looking for something with more protein & fat.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by MillerClemsonHD » Wed Dec 17, 2014 12:29 pm

MSU Aggie wrote:I have a female GSP that is just turning 4 months old. I am concerned with her weight at this point. She is 12 pounds and 17 inches at the shoulder, and we have seen her side by side with littermates and mine is noticeably smaller. I am feeding 1.5 cups a day of Native Level 3 Puppy, this is at the top end of their recommendations for her weight and month. My thought is that she is not doing well on this food and should switch to something else, probably Pro Plan. Or am i worried about nothing.

Also, both parents are smaller sized and this litter was planned to be smaller dogs.

Should be feeding that pup as much food as it wants. They are growing. Who cares what any recommended amount is. My 5 month old pups are all 30-45 lbs. They are eating less now then they were 1-2 months ago. They constantly have a full bowl.

I have a small 38lb bitch and she was more than 12lbs at 4 months and she ate way more than 1.5cups.

You need to worm your pup too.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by ezzy333 » Wed Dec 17, 2014 12:43 pm

SubMariner wrote:
RoostersMom wrote:at 4 months old, my Pointer pup ate 6 cups of puppy per day. Nothing wrong with him or the food, he just needed that much. At a year and a half, he's around 5 cups per day (in two feedings of course). Your pup might just take a bit more.
With all due respect, if your puppy "needs" 5 cups of food/day then that food is not giving him what he needs. Personally, I would be looking for something with more protein & fat.

FWIW,
The op said he was feeding 1.5 cups to his 4 month old pup.
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by MSU Aggie » Sat Dec 20, 2014 11:33 am

Well it would help if my scale wasn't broken. Had her in to the vet today for shots and their scale says 21 pounds. So not as concerned, her food has been upped though. Vet said she is in great shape.

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Re: GSP Puppy Feeding issue

Post by gdc23 » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:21 am

My GSP is on Pro Plan Puppy, I feed considerably more than what pro plan recommends. Just turned 5 months and is at 3 cups a day and she is in super shape. She will only top out at approx. 48-50 lbs according to her breeding but is at approx. 27-30 lbs now. At 4 months I believe she weighed 22.5 lbs. At 4 months I would be feeding approx. 2 1/4 cups a day

Good luck any questions PM me

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