Amount of food question

[eric29]

I have two labs that are just over 5 months and feed them solid gold wolf cub. I have been following the direction on the amount of food to give them and it seems now that they are getting bigger and older it says to start giving them less food. I thought this is weird bc id think it would go the other way but i could be wrong. Any help?

[Bryce]

By "about" 6 months, skeletal growth is complete in labs. Hence the decreased diet. We've always told our buyers that at 6 months, add 10-15 pounds and that should be your finished product. 6 months is also a good time to switch over to once a day feedings.

[eric29]

ok thank you, i never knew that

[311Hemi]

 Originally Posted By: Bryce

By "about" 6 months, skeletal growth is complete in labs.

Not sure exactly what "skeletal growth" all implies.....but I wanted to mention that joints in labs are NOT fully developed at 6 months of age, just in case others got that impression from this.

IMO...puppy food (and directions) should should still be adhered to until 12 months of age to allow the proper growth rates in pups (adjusting as needed). Joint are still growing at 6 months of age and diet should be payed attention to.

Also personal opinion......but I don't see a specific need to move to once a day feeding vs twice a day.

[eric29]

Whos advice should i use???

[311Hemi]

Talk to your vet and see what they recommend. I don't know that I offered any advice in my post.....more just information to be aware of.

Other than that read the information posted and links associated with each. You can also search other forums to see what people have to say.

Do a google search for refugeforums and retrievertraining and do some searching on the forums that come up from these searches. These are other forums that also have many users/owners and opinions.

In the end no one will be able to tell you "exactly" what is right or wrong....it will be up to you to decide based on the information provided.

From what your saying, I would say follow what your dog food directions recommend decreasing at a certain age (to a point). I say "to a point" because you don't necessarily have to feed the higher side of the recommendation....your pup may be fine on the lower side. If your pup is looking a bit heavy.....think about decreasing daily amounts. Vise vesa if your pup is on the lite side.

[Bryce]

Good point on the joint formation up to 2 years. My point was just for bone formation which needs more energy or increased diet. Once a day feeding is certainly a personal choice but I have never run into anyone who's switched and regretted it. Would definitely like to hear some draw backs to once a day feeding.

[LABS4ME]

I've done once a day feedings all 40 some years of my life! From when I was kid all the way through today. Never had a problem... never had a finicky eater.... never had a dog turn their nose away from a dish of chow when on a hunting trip... alwyas in peak physical shape.

If twice a day is what makes you comfortable... then by all means go that route. If once makes you happy go that route... if you like free feeding and your dog does well on it, do that. THERE ARE NO RULES!!! Do what keeps your dog in good physical condition... it's no different than finding a food that works for you.

On the puppy end of things... I go three times a day till they are 4 months old, then 2 times a day until somewhere between 8 and 12 months... usually around 9-10... but if it's a bigger male, I'll keep that second feeding going longer to help him fill out. Then it's once a day after that.

Good Luck!

Ken

[jbdragon17]

Just do your dog a favor and DO NOT overfeed. I have seen WAY too many fat hunting dogs around...Heard too many stories about how cool it is to have a 100lb lab. Not so healthy.