Puppy Food - how much is too much?

My neighbor wants to know how much you should feed a 12-week-old beagle?

His dog will eat and eat and eat and then eat some more probably if you let him.

We are concerned. please help!




Hi
Generally a puppy won't eat way more than it needs, and the guidelines for feeding amounts on the bag are a good place to start.

I don't recommend 'free feeding' - ie leaving food down all day, this leads to a lot of 'snacking' and bad habits. Offer food three times a day at this age, and allow the puppy to eat as much as it wants within about a 10 min period. If he eats it all right away, offer a bit more next feeding, if he leaves some, offer a bit less. Many Beagles tend to be 'chow hounds' and certainly enjoy their food.

This works well in most cases, however occasionally you come across a puppy that will eat until it looks like it will explode. This isn't healthy, and in rare cases can lead to problems.

If you think this puppy may fall into this category, try offering an extra meal every day. By feeding a bit less at each feed, but more meals in the day, the puppy will still get the nutrition it needs, without guzzling until it's fit to burst!

If this doesn't improve the situation, I'd recommend that your neighbor talks the situation over with his vet, he may be able to offer another solution.

Best of luck!