Puppy overeating / How much to feed her?

Question

I've got a 10 week old mini dachshund, and we've just been letting her eat as much as she wants, whenever she wants.  The only time she doesn't have access to her food is when we're gone during the day for a few hours, and when we're in bed.  

I never thought she'd been eating too much, but last nite I noticed it seems like she's got a little gut. She's a real tiny girl, so it shows.

I think I'm going to start putting her on a regular schedule for eating. I was wondering with a puppy as small as her (last week at the vet she was 1.8 lbs), how often should I feed her?  Should I only give her a limited amount, or just wait til she's done? Any other advice for weening her onto this schedule, or any other advice in general?
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Also, one more thing, last nite it seemed she was having a tough time getting comfortable when sleeping on our laps.  She usually plops down and is out like a light. Could it be something more serious than overeating? I don't think she in pain or anything

triphazard99 · Accepted Answer

Some dogs will eat and eat, sounds like you've got one of those! On the plus side, much easier to deal with than a picky eater, on the negative, you need to start weighing out her food.  Whatever brand you are using should give you a weight/feed ratio on the side - normally based on adult dog weight.  Divide the daily amount into four meals for now - you can gradually decrease this to two by six months of age, or even one (I prefer to feed mine twice a day, but that is a personal choice).

With a big distended belly food of food, she may have had indigestion!  Keep an eye on her, and take her straight to the vet if you have any concerns.

toefu · Answer

She probably needs to be wormed...All puppies have worms and should be treated for the worms several times when they're puppies..
Also, feed her 3 times a day, as much as she'll eat in 20 minutes...Don't let her "free feed" as this will lead to being too fat when she's an adult....:-)

Saved from TN · Answer

for puppies three times a day. follow the feeding instructions on your pet food package for puppies her size. You can mix in a little bit of raw veggies too. Make sure her food is made special as puppy food. You switch them to adult food at 5-6 months.

charlie b · Answer

we found that our dog did this when we got him cuz the people who had the litter let them do it and we found it hard to break but all we did was obvisily read the bag and weight you dog to find out how much it need and put it down for her. she will prob cry not long after cuz she will now be use to getting what she wants!! (there so quick learners!!) but give her one of that chew toys that you can put stuff inside, i think there called kongs, you can put a little peanut butter on the inside, and that will distract her till her next feed. also, if she is eatin very much and has a bloated tummy, i would take her to the vet right away as she may have a bout of worms too. good luck.

Ty B · Answer

You should probably feed her three times a day and use the side of the bag to determine how much she should get.

Free-feeding isn't a good idea

Megan M · Answer

do not let a dog eat whenever she wants!! Dogs almost always will overeat. Read the food bag and there will be a recommendation...if you're still not sure, call your vet for a suggestion. Feed her half in the morning and half in the evening (that works best for us). She may be uncomfortable because she is eating too much for her little body.

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Puppy overeating / How much to feed her?

6 Answers