How Much To Feed 6Month Old Dobe?

[Mackenziejw]

Hi guys! Quick question around nutrition. Our boy is now 6 months and up until a few weeks ago we had him eating 635G of kibble (little over 6 cups). Recently he had a bought of diarrhea, not sure what from, but up until that he was eating all that kibble and some extra toppers/treats daily and processing everything fine. Stool was normal and not wet, sometimes soft but never anything to worry about. It’s come to my attention that apparently 6 cups was too much? He weighs 60 lbs and is a very active dobe. Are we on the right track with that much food or or we totally over feeding him. He’s so lean and not over weight at all. In fact I feel as though his ribs are a little too visible (maybe from his recent bout of diarrhea he lost some weight). I’ve attached some photos, let me know what you guys think!

 

[Gpcoguy]

He looks fit. I never paid attention to "recommended amounts"
I just look at them...too thin feed more, too thick feed less

 

[JanS]

He looks pretty good and on track to me. Seeing the ribs a little is never a concern to me.

What food are you feeding? Six cups seems like a lot to me for this age. Elroy is just over 5 months and gets a little over 4 cups/day between the two feedings.

 

[Mackenziejw]

We are feeding Fromm large breed puppy but are going to switch over to their 4 star line as per breeders suggestion, cause we are thinking the Chicken has been upsetting his stomach. He gets 6 cups and has normal stool, we were under the impression if we were over feeding that his stool would be super loose. So how do we know if we’re feeding too much / not enough. He was super thin for a few months, more than 3 ribs showing and that’s why we upped his food to get him to this place where he’s looking lean and healthy (like he is in the photos)

 

[Rits]

He looks good. I'd maybe have him with a tiny bit of weight on him to be perfect but honestly that is just nit picking and can be difficult to achieve at this age when they fluctuate so much.

6 cups does sound like a lot, but it can depend on the food! The amount of kcals per cup is different for everyone unless feeding the same food. So 4 cups for one person's puppy on one food could be equal to 6 cups for another on a different food.

Activity has an effect too, if you are going for lots of hikes and out for training, your puppy is going to need more than the puppy that only goes outside to potty.

 

[Ravenbird]

I wouldn't worry so much about a slim fit puppy. Much better for them to be on the slim side than fat, especially when growing. I generally don't like the idea of "large breed" food for Dobermans, as they aren't defined as a large breed and many of those LB Puppy formulas have protein ratios that can definitely cause loose stools. Not familiar with the 4 start ration you are changing to, but hopefully that will help. You can also add toppers occasionally, like a can of sardines (packed in water) or an egg for extra calories but avoiding more kibble. That much kibble needs a lot of water intake. I always soak my kibble in water or salt-free broth.

You have a nice looking youngster, let us know how the food change helps.