How many times a day should puppy eat??

[lovely2bme]

Hey guys my dog seems to have soft stools when he pottys. I recently bought him on sunday from a rot breeder. Aperrantly he was giving BEAR adult dog food I purchased PURINA Puppy chow and as of Sun. I've been eating it, everytime i give him food he acts as if his been starving and if given,he will eat a second helping. What do you suggest i do??? How many times a day should i feed him?

[stella123]

how old is your puppy, and how much are you feeding him?

[RottsNScotts]

How old is Bear? Many Rottie breeders/owners feed their pups adult dog food as there is no benefit to accelerating puppy growth which many puppy foods can do. Since I feed raw, my analogy is that mommy wolf does not go out and catch "puppy" rabbits; pups eat what she does.

Anyway, the breeder should have given you a feeding schedule. Since I don't have Bear's age, I can give you a rough plan. I feed 3 - 4 times per day 2 months to 6 months; 2-3 times per day 6 months to a year; 2 times per day until roughly 2 years of age then 1-2 times a day until elderly when we go back to twice a day.

PS Purina Puppy Chow is a really AWFUL food.

[lovely2bme]

BEARS 10-11 Weeks. Really purina is awful what do you recommend? for his puppy tummy. I have'nt seen any changes in his stool it's still soft since his been eating purina. As of now i'm feeding him twice a day but i feel i'm under feeding him or do you think i'm doing okay?

[SWEETBREW]

in another post this OP stated her dog was 1 month old.
lovely2bme - please reread that post and the link that I provided to critical stages of canine development. You are in for a lot of hard work and issues if you decide to keep this pup!

[lovely2bme]

Yes correct i did post he was 1 month but that was before checking with my brother about his age. I told him what i read that the dog has be with his mother That he was WAYYY to young So we contacted the breeder and he told us BEAR was 10-11 weeks. We are waiting on the birth certificate that will help on his accurate birthday.

[RottsNScotts]

I saw that later but upon checking, lovely2bme found out that Bear is actually 9-10 weeks of age.

Lovely2Bme - there are a number of threads both under this thread and puppy development discussing various dog foods. I would recommend that you read each one then decide. As I said, I feed raw.

[rottielover2004]

sweet, she then went back after she spoke to her brothe to find out he is 9 - 10 weeks old. I would also bring a stool sample to the vet for parasites. At this age they can get them very easily. Especially if the deworming did not work the first time. And switch food.

[stella123]

i know that james wellbeloved food is very good. Thats what i use. I thought that puppy poop was always a bit on the soft side....lol nice images here...

[hmeadq]

Soft stools could very well be food. Purina has A LOT of corn and LOTS of dogs cannot digest it...

You might look for posts on Innova and Candiea if you are looking for better foods. Problem with puppy food is that the puppy can grow to fast! This can cause problems. A really high qaulity adult food is better then puppy foods...

[SWEETBREW]

sorry did not see post about dogs actual age.

[SWEETBREW]

Check out this link, very good food manufacturer.
http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=home-tab

[2rotts]

What was the pup originally being feed from the breeder? How long have you had your pup for? I wonder if the soft stools could be partially because you switched food so quickly and partially due to the lower quality of food.

[lovely2bme]

I've had Bear since 1/22/06 (Sunday night). The previous owner gave him adult food. He been having the stool problem since he arrived, I was hoping the puppy chow would help his stool problem but its the same.
HMMM.... I didn't know purina was that awful. I have to find better then. Any suggestions how many times a day i should feed him???????
ps.thank you all for your comments i really appreciate it. if you want to see bear i dunno much how to upload it to the forums but here is a link i have of him. Do not post links to photo albums on the forums

[lovely2bme]

OHHH i forgot to include this on my last thead... I dont know what kind of food he was fed but i do know it was adult food