how much to feed my Newfie puppy\?

Question
My Newfie is 13 weeks old.  He weighs 30 lbs.  He is very healthy.  I am feeding him Purina Pro Plan Puppy Chow for Large Breeds.  2 cups in the morning, 2 cups in the evening.  He looks just about right.  Is this the right amount?  Should I be feeding him Pro Plan for Giant Breeds?  Should he be getting adult chow?  When to start giving him more than 4 cups a day?

Answer
Autumn, have you seen my dog food page? If not, here is the link: http://dogfoods.angelfire.com

When you have a minute, go and take a look. You will learn why ProPlan is not considered a good food, and you will also learn how to tell whether a food IS a good food or not.

At just over 3 months of age, your puppy sounds like he's right on track. I generally discourage people with large and giant breed puppies from feeding puppy food, because it can cause them to grow too fast, which can lead to bone and joint pain. Adult male Newfs can weigh between 130 and 150 pounds when fully grown. According to the feeding recommendation on ProPlan's web site, a dog within this weight range should receive 6.5 to 7.5 cups of food a day. That is a LOT of kibble! Measure it out and take a look for yourself.

For comparison, here is the recommended feeding amounts for a few higher quality foods:

Canidae All Life Stages - 3 to 5.5 cups, depending on activity level
Nature's Variety Prairie - 4.125 to 4.5 cups
BLUE - 4.75 to 5 cups
Orijen (grain free) 3.75 to 4.6 cups
Taste of the Wild (grain free) 5 to 5.75 cups


Other than that, you sound like you're on the right track! Good luck with your puppy!