How many Lbs to feed a puppy?

[Jgk2383]

My German shepherd puppy will be here Dec 29th. He will be 3.5 months old and around 30/35 lbs. How many lbs will I feed him? Im conflicted. I heard to feed a percentage of their estimated adult weight which for Ivan would be 80lbs and ive heard to feed a percentage of their current weight but dobviously that will always change. What do I do? I feed my current working German shepherd 2.5 lbs a day he is 80lbs and 14 monthd old.

[jdatwood]

You'll want to feed 1.5-2.5lbs a day depending on activity levels...

[DaneMama]

If your pups projected weight will be 80 pounds he will need 1.6-2.4 pounds per day depending on activity levels as an adult. Since he will be already 30-35 pounds when you get him, he will already be passed the amount you'd feed based on his current puppy weight.

Puppies need 10% of their CURRENT weight per day UNTIL that surpasses their projected adult weight. So your pup would eat 10% of his weight per day until he weighs 16-24 pounds (because 10% of 16= 1.6, and 10% of 24= 2.4 which are his projected adult feeding amounts). If you were to feed him based on his current weight at 30-35 pounds he'd be getting 3-3.5 pounds per day which is likely far too much food.

Does this make sense?

[Jgk2383]

Thanks! He will also be a working dog eventually so I will start at an even 2lbs and see how he does. If he gets porky ill drop it to 1.75 if he is too thin i will up it to 2.4. Sound good? Also when feeding tripe (puke) do I substitute it as a meal? In other words Elvis eats 2.5lbs a day on a tripe feeding day do I feel 1.25 lb in lieu of a meal? He eats 2x a day.

[RawFedDogs]

In other words Elvis eats 2.5lbs a day on a tripe feeding day do I feel 1.25 lb in lieu of a meal? He eats 2x a day.

Yes, tripe is part of his meal volume but don't get real hung up on numbers. You will find that meals are not the same size. Sometimes the items you feed will be larger than other times. Over time they will all equal out but he will get large meals and small meals. You are never going to find a 1.25lb chicken quarter or a .5 lb back everytime you feed. :) Don't worry about feeding the exact size meal every time.

[DaneMama]

Personally I would start your pup at 1 pound for the first 2-3 days to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible. Then add in more food gradually over the next week. Don't worry about him being a bit thin in the beginning, it doesn't harm him in the slightest.

Tripe is pretty darn rich stuff so I'd say to feed it sparingly with other bone in meats or if by itself give a 1/4-1/2 portion than regular.

[Northwoods10]

Yeah Tripe is pretty rich.....I'd mix it in with something first for a while before just feeding a straight tripe meal.

You will also get a feel for what they need based on their body appearance and activity level. I tend to feed more when we are competing because they burn so much energy.