How much should I feed my new bassett hound puppy?

by Madisen
(San Antonio, Texas)

My puppy is 6 weeks old and always VERY hungry. I'm afraid she's going to become over weight.

How much should she be eating exactly?



Hi Madisen
At 6 weeks old, your puppy is a tiny baby and will need to eat between 3 and 4 times a day.

It's possible that she has worms, as many puppies do. This can make them extra hungry as the worms get most of the nutrition from what they're eating. It can also make a puppys' tummy look very round and distended.

Puppies are generally wormed at least 3 times, usually at the same time as vaccinations are given.

As for how much to feed her. Start with the guidelines on the bag of food that you are using. Make sure you choose a high quality food, as your pup needs optimum nutrition. You can find out more about choosing the best food on my Puppy Kibble page.

As a 'rule of thumb', give her as much food as she can/will eat within about 10 minutes. If she gobbles it all down in 5 minutes, give her a bit more next mealtime. If she leaves some in her dish and walks away, offer her a bit less next time.

Bear in mind that puppies are like children and they go through 'stages' where their appetites increase and decrease quite rapidly. Try to keep on top of these changes so that she gets what she needs.

Best of luck!