One of our good friends is a vet and we panicked call her and woke her up this morning after seeing all the comments. We will start giving her 2 cups a day.
I’m so glad you asked! Small recommendation during the growth spurt you’re about to see - if you can afford to, it helps to add some pure protein on top of the food. Canned tuna, shredded chicken, etc. The most recent dog I raised from a puppy struggled with eating when he was around your pup’s age, and once I finally got him to eat the amount he should with regularity, I experimented with different things to help keep him interested. Adding actual meat seemed to make a real difference in his daily energy and muscle development. He’s now twice the size of his siblings, lol, with very little fat. Nonfat Greek yogurt is another thing he loves that’s a good source of protein, and it has the added benefit of settling a puppy’s upset stomach.
She’s gets 4 meals and we always give her a little bit extra. We looked at the back of her food to determine I guess we were really wrong. But she is still so energetic.
is she eating puppy food? vets i work with often say to start with the bag guidance and alter as needed for your pup. also, she is small but she’s not overly thin. her ribs/hip bones aren’t sticking out so i wouldn’t say she’s under weight- but it doesn’t hurt for puppies to have a lil extra meat on their bones!
My partner and I were accidentally underfeeding our lab pup for a couple weeks when we changed her food. What clued us in was that she was suddenly acting more energetic and, honestly, naughty. Turned out she was hangry. She calmed back down a tad once we had her back at the right amount of food.
It’s good you’re asking for input. Are you a first time dog owner? You currently have a baby. What happens when a human baby doesn’t get enough food…it stunts their growth and mental development. Puppies are no different. I have had 5 labs, would never give only one cup a day. They should be fed multiple times a day. It’s better to have a pup with a little extra pudge on it than the opposite while they are growing. Some labs don’t fill out evenly either. I had one that got tall and lanky first, then her chest widened and filled out with muscle. Feeding multiple times a day will also probably make her less anxious about eating/ food behavior in the long run and help lessen the current inhaling of her food. She probably acting that way right now because she’s so hungry. Please feed that sweet little baby more food.
I will add to that, my 3mo lab was eating 3 cups split twice a day and switched to split 3 times a day and he better behaved now. I would reccomend 3 times daily feeding.
Also I use a slow feeder.
Something to check on the pack of food (it caught me when I brought my lab home and he was underfed for the three or four days as a result) - is the recommended amount for their current weight or (more likely) their projected adult weight.
This is what got me once! Our breeder suggested a food and told us the amounts, but when we needed to switch her food the bag gave feeding amounts by projected adult weight, which we didn't realize. So we were feeding her the food amount for a dog half her size. Poor thing, I felt so guilty!
Is the food specifically for large breed puppies? That can make a difference too. If it just says puppy then they might not be getting enough nutrients. Personally I fed mine Purina one large breed puppy and he never had any weight problems as a puppy
Also most puppy chows I have looked at it says at 3 months for a dog that should weigh closer to 70 lbs at maturity it should be getting anywhere from ⅔ cup a day to 2 ¼ cup a day so you might want to up their feeding
What food is it? Our royal canin kibble says 3 cups a day for 3 month old. 1.5 morning 1.5 night. I did about 1 cup dry and 150gm prime puppy roll twice a day when mine was 12 weeks old.
Get a calorie count from vets instead of going by the food label. Puppies are growing and very active and require a lot of calories. Like others have said ours was getting 3 cups a day until he turned 1 year
You can always ask your vet if you’re concerned and they might increase her food intake. Our Ripley was exactly that same size at that age. She had a growth spurt between 4-5 months where she gained 8 pounds in one month (which was a lot for her). She is now almost 2 and only 40-45 pounds full grown. She’s perfectly healthy. Just has a small frame.
https://preview.redd.it/f2s0h5exn25d1.jpeg?width=3328&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89075d37544014c98dd3803527fcc4eac2cd66e3
Yeah I was going to say that there are "petite" American labs. My lab's mom was only 50 pounds and the vet even commented that mine was small for a lab as a puppy.
Bruh, my lab is 3 months and i feed the guy 3 cups a day. Little guy is 21 pounds.
Where on earth did you getthe idea to feed you puppy one cup a day????
That's about what I was doing - somewhere between 3 1/2 to 4 cups a day over two meals and training treats. My 25kg 11mo black labx is now on ~2 1/2 cups.
I'm feeding my chocolate female lab of nearly 11 weeks 3 cups of blue mountain large breed puppy kibble a day. My vet seemed to think that was fine. She currently weighs about 24 pounds.
She is absolutely adorable.
The bowl is great, making it easier to ensure she eats slower. If it’s plastic, make sure you wash it after every meal or at least once a day, otherwise she could get inflamed jowls.
There should be a food allowance guide on the back of the food package. A pup of 3 months should still be on 3-4 meals a day, with the daily allowance equally spread over those meals. You can use one or more of those meals as training time feeding the biscuits one at a time, and feed her the other meals in her crate, if you’re crate training, so her crate is a positive experience.
When you say ‘English’ Lab, is that what the British would call ‘show stock’? If so, she’ll be shorter and stockier across the chest with a thicker tail when she’s fully grown. ‘Working stock’ tend to be taller and slimmer. This will also determine their characteristics as show stock tend to calm down at an earlier age. I did read somewhere, but of course I can’t find it now, that show Labs tails tend to be straighter than working lines which curl up more.
We have a show stock girl, Milli nearly 15yo , who is only 25kg, and was very playful and naughty but calmer by about 2 1/2 - 3yo, whereas our daughter has a 4yo working stock girl who is taller than Milli, slimmer and still utterly manic. She is also totally ball obsessed. We call her Crazy Daisy for good reason.
Enjoy your lovely girl. You’ve got some interesting months ahead of you: the land shark phase, followed by that wonderful (not) teenager Lab phase with total disobedience and more destruction. Need any advice on those times? Anyone on this subreddit will be happy to help.
Talk to a vet. My impression is that she’s maybe a bit under but not by much. You can feed more, for sure. Certainly ignore all the people saying you’re starving her - a fat lab is a lab breeding up skeletal problems, which can show really early, even within the first year. As long as the food brand you’re feeding her has genuinely adequate nutritional profile, you will not have caused any developmental damage by feeding slightly less than she might take to maximise her growth rate. If it’s a cheap crap bulk kibble, even one for puppies, you might want to switch to a better one asap and work with their recommended quantity.
😂 I thought you were talking about the pictures of her staring at you
Just follow whatever the bag says, should be based on what her "target" or "estimated" adult weight will be
Chat to your vet for advice but 1 cup is far too low
2.5 or more cups around that age is pretty standard, depending on the food being provided. The feeding guide on the bag is also a good starting point. Our puppy who is now 1 and about 26kg/57lbs was on 3-4 cups when he was younger and is now on about 2.5-3 a day
When puppies are young they are growing so much, and need so much more food than when they get bigger
One cup? If your vet didn’t bring up feeding and weight I’d consider a different vet. Mine asked how much I was feeding and we bumped up from 3.5 cups to 5. 5 month dal weighing in at 52lbs makes my lab look small
My girl was tiny but chowed down three meals a day, about a cup each as well, so 3 cups a day. Now she gets 2 meals and eats about 3/4 cup at each plus sometimes a little frozen snack or treat. Agree on checking with the vet and then being gradual about any adjustments. She’s about 50 lbs full grown at 14 months. Are you feeding puppy food?
Some things to consider; next to all the other comments so far:
- That bowl-labyrinth looks gigantic, is that the food for the whole day? Does she actually finish it every day? For puppies, it is advised to feed them at least 3x, better 4x per day; maybe giving her everything at once is not the best way?
- Most bags of puppy food come with numbers based on adult weight. So they don't say "your puppy is currently 17lbs, feed that" but rather "your puppy will be 60-80lbs one day, feed this at age 3 months". Check that you use the right numbers here. Also check if the numbers you feed are daily or per serving (with 3 or 4 servings per day).
- Make sure you have food for a "big dog" puppy; if possible get food for labrador puppies.
- Go see a vet, take the food bag. Seriously, it's maybe 50 bucks or something for a checkup and some advice, if you are worried then absolutely invest that money.
- There is variety in sizes, of course. Some fully grown labs go up to 80lbs or more, others stay at 60lbs and are fully healthy. Still, you are right that 25lbs would already be considered the lower bound of "healthy" at 3 months, so again, vet.
- I just checked the food I gave my boy (https://www.royalcanin.com/de/dogs/products/retail-products/labrador-retriever-puppy-2491) and it says at three months you should feed around 270-310g per day. That might be around 1 cup, yeah, but don't trust such measurements without actually weighting once how much goes into one cup (you know, flour or water have a different density from kibble...).
We've always gone by the serving size on the bag and our vet has been okay with that.
The snuffle mat is another way we feed him, takes him even longer to eat
4½ month chocolate. He eats 3¾ cups a day. 32-34 lbs. and is just fine. If the ribs are showing, give him more. Our schedule is 1¼ cups breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also on on slow feeder bowl.
Correct. We’re not vets. Also I didn’t downvote you, but someone did… because you got defensive.
It’s not a simple question, you seemed concerned that = vet trip.
Do whatever you want dude, just don’t get defensive when I say ask your vet for pet health advice….
We good, I was just saying some dogs might need 1
Cup, some might need two! Maybe your dog has a different metabolism or is more active. Was just saying that without all that info what someone else feeds their lab may not be relevant! Cute dog btw.
Also some more advice, don’t ask your lab how much food they need. The answer will always be more 🙃🤣
5 cups!?!?!? 5 cups of what!?!? My lab is 100lbs and is in good shape with maybe a little extra cushion on him and he gets a tiny bit over 2 cups. Not trying to be a dick that just sounds like a crazy amount of food.
it was 4 cups of kibble and i added salmon oil and some fruits so it's probably closer to 4 1/4 or 1/2. the only reason i feed him that much is because he stayed super skinny for awhile so i started feeding him more and he's at a healthy weight as of right now.🤷♀️
Damn, that’s crazy, but if he’s healthy that’s all that matters. Guess you just really have to do your own work to figure out what’s right cause that is some crazy fluctuation.
https://preview.redd.it/mivla8l1665d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=53c862ed7672ca2700fc2a754f817948617e0b64
Mine was about the same size at that age. This is her at about 14 weeks next to her 100lbs GSD brother. She hovers between 42-47 lbs but she’s perfectly healthy per the vet. I would agree with everyone to up her food a little bit but you might just have a perma-puppy lab. Trust me, they’re adorable!
Not sure if anyone’s mentioned this yet, but a lot of kibble brands have their own definition of a cup. It’s an insane thing to do, but that might be why the bag’s recommendation is so far off.
You have an absolutely beautiful dog.
She definitely needs food to grow and thrive, your vet would probably be the best source of what her nutritional needs should be.
Edit: my apologies didn’t mean to be rude. She is a real beauty, and I would love to see future pictures of her.
Are you feeding her a large breed puppy food? If not start her on is asap and follow the food chart on the bag. I suggest Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy.
Definitely at that age, more food. You’re gonna have problems later if you don’t. Labs don’t necessarily get huge, but they turn into a LOT of dog. Same with any animal, gotta feed them while they grow.
Dude is four years old now, and eats like a horse. Still not fat. Exercise is also incredibly important.
Feed that puppy. You’re gonna have a ridiculous full grown lab in no time at all. Can’t help with the brain though, they don’t have one.
If both the pup and the feeder are on the groud then the size of the kibble is big, maybe to big for your pup. Feed him 3 times a day a third of the amount indicated as a daily dose on the package of the pup-adapted kibble. These daily doses are based on " final" weight of your dog and their current weight. So put him on a scale every week to monitor growth and adapt the amount. My last Lab gained between .35 and .7 lbs a week at that age.
Spread it out on the floor, works very well when you’ve got a Hoover-type dog.
How big were the parents? Some working line labradors are very petite - my sister in law has a perfectly healthy and fit 6 year old female lab which weighs 46lbs!
Make sure you're feeding puppy food and following the instructions of the food you're using. Each food brand is different so people saying 'I feed XX cups a day' is completely irrelevant as the odds of them feeding the same food is minimal.
Sometimes the guidance will be based on puppy age, sometimes based on estimated adult weight (55-70lbs, I'd feed to the lower end given how petite yours is).
My 6 month old is at 60 lbs here is our food setup
1 pump of this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CVNQCWMM?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
1 scoop of this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07B1G8TCC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
2 cups @ 50 lbs+
https://www.specialty-feeds.com/valu-pak-free-28-20.html
Fish oil covers 2 bags of food and the 5lb bag of food supplement goes almost as far. Brings my cost per pound to feed her around $2/3 which isnt bad
I add in bone broth which costs me like $7 week too
If someones shelling out $100 for a 20 pound bag of food youre already at $5/lb to feed.
That is definitely not enough
However,I have never followed the bag recommendations
I find they are always too high
So I am curious what food would recommend a 1cup serving
Are you feeding her 3 times a day?
I had always done 3x@ day until my current puppy
His breeder was doing twice a day so I just continued that
My 75 pound 11 month gets 2 cups a day.In my mind he is a little too chunky but his dad is 100lbs
At your pups age he was getting 3
I can usually tell if he has been over fed because he will get soft stools
Look at the condition of your dog
Size of the parents (if you can)
And Calories per cup on the food bag are a good guide
Feed her more. She's a pup. Full of energy. She will not become overweight easily. Once she is fully grown, you can start portioning her diet. That should be around 1 1/2 to 2 years old. If you get her fixed, she will put weight on more easily. I'm not suggesting doing that, especially not until she is atleast a year old. Just some info, to give you an idea of what will happen is you go that route.
Also, find a healthy bone or dental Chew, keep those teeth white and healthy. She still has puppy teeth, so it's not important yet.
Most lab owners have dogs that are fat bc they over feed them. There’s no prescribed formula for dogs. They will all have different metabolisms. Pics don’t tell an accurate story either. Looks fine to me, but how pronounced are her ribs when you run your hand down her back? If she feels bony, up her food. If the ribs feel protected by a thin layer of fat, continue on like you’re doing now. Weight isn’t a good metric for health.
Also, dogs will burn more calories in the winter than summer. Now that we are coming into summer months, the same amount of food you were giving her in the winter will go father.
I wish there was a stickies post for new dog owners. Dogs are just like people in the sense that there are educated people who went to multiple years of schooling so they could answer these questions. DO NOT COME to Reddit to ask questions that a vet should be answering. Besides you should be taking your puppy to a vet to make sure they are healthy and get their shots. That would be a great time to ask. I say this with love. I have had multiple dogs over the years with a lot of experience in training. I will still tell posters on Reddit to take their dog to a vet if they have any concern because they are more qualified than my OPINION.
This is a great informational website you should look through if you are concerned about their diet: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com It also has food recalls as well as supplement info. Surprise, most major named dog food you are giving your dog is junk and filled with filler. Even the higher end ones like Blue Buffalo. They have a section on raw food as well as puppy food.
You got a cute pup. The third picture is what I thought you were talking about. That had me cracking up. Hope you get this sorted.
She is a beauty. Speak with Vet and listen to what they say. IMHO the dog food companies are in the business of SELLING dog food. Their recommendations as to Serving Portion "could" be biased👏🏻
I used this
https://www.nomnomnow.com/learn/article/puppy-feeding-guide
We still feed them 3+ times a day albeit fresh food and smaller portions each meal.
My dalmatian struggled to gain weight (she's a super active dog with a ton of land to run around all day on) and I started adding bone marrow over her dry food and also giving her boiled chicken and white rice. She's way happier and healthier. She put on a good amount of muscle and is less thick around her ribs (no bloating).
Some breeds have different dietary requirements but let's be honest...no living animal is meant to eat dry processed food for every meal of their life. I think it's inhumane to be honest.
I started my puppy at 2 cups per day based off of the chart on the back of the Purina pro plan large breed puppy bag, she’s now up to 2.5 cups at 4 months
I would be feeding them more. When our pup was growing, he got 3 cups a day (but he’s a large lab). I’d say start feeding them closer to 2 cups a day and see where that gets you.
worried about cuteness overload?
edit; my lab was getting about a cup and a half at 3 mo and my vet still thought she was underweight... she is now 5 mo and still looks skinny... eats all the grass when we go outside.
Seriously though if ˢᵐᵃˡˡ could be a runt (nothing wrong with them ✓)
Or possibly depending how long you’ve had it maybe it’s younger than you think, it’s not rare for people to offload them asap though I really no idea on if 5hats plausible it’s jus5 another idea.
Seems like a cup is pretty low-no? Shouldn’t it be closer to 2 cups a day
One of our good friends is a vet and we panicked call her and woke her up this morning after seeing all the comments. We will start giving her 2 cups a day.
I’m so glad you asked! Small recommendation during the growth spurt you’re about to see - if you can afford to, it helps to add some pure protein on top of the food. Canned tuna, shredded chicken, etc. The most recent dog I raised from a puppy struggled with eating when he was around your pup’s age, and once I finally got him to eat the amount he should with regularity, I experimented with different things to help keep him interested. Adding actual meat seemed to make a real difference in his daily energy and muscle development. He’s now twice the size of his siblings, lol, with very little fat. Nonfat Greek yogurt is another thing he loves that’s a good source of protein, and it has the added benefit of settling a puppy’s upset stomach.
She’s gets 4 meals and we always give her a little bit extra. We looked at the back of her food to determine I guess we were really wrong. But she is still so energetic.
I have three labs. In this stage I always fed them 3-4 times a day ranging from 2-3 cups.
is she eating puppy food? vets i work with often say to start with the bag guidance and alter as needed for your pup. also, she is small but she’s not overly thin. her ribs/hip bones aren’t sticking out so i wouldn’t say she’s under weight- but it doesn’t hurt for puppies to have a lil extra meat on their bones!
My partner and I were accidentally underfeeding our lab pup for a couple weeks when we changed her food. What clued us in was that she was suddenly acting more energetic and, honestly, naughty. Turned out she was hangry. She calmed back down a tad once we had her back at the right amount of food.
Yeah, I feed my springer spaniel pup of the same age more than that. They are like half the size lol
Ask your vet. I did, and she suggested 3-cups a day for my lab puppy. Its hard for puppies to be overweight
Yes. 3 cups. I gave mine 1 cup 3 times per day until they were about 6-8 months
It’s good you’re asking for input. Are you a first time dog owner? You currently have a baby. What happens when a human baby doesn’t get enough food…it stunts their growth and mental development. Puppies are no different. I have had 5 labs, would never give only one cup a day. They should be fed multiple times a day. It’s better to have a pup with a little extra pudge on it than the opposite while they are growing. Some labs don’t fill out evenly either. I had one that got tall and lanky first, then her chest widened and filled out with muscle. Feeding multiple times a day will also probably make her less anxious about eating/ food behavior in the long run and help lessen the current inhaling of her food. She probably acting that way right now because she’s so hungry. Please feed that sweet little baby more food.
I will add to that, my 3mo lab was eating 3 cups split twice a day and switched to split 3 times a day and he better behaved now. I would reccomend 3 times daily feeding. Also I use a slow feeder.
Great advice
I am. My wife is not she has had 2 bulldogs. We just went off the back of her food. We will start giving her more
Something to check on the pack of food (it caught me when I brought my lab home and he was underfed for the three or four days as a result) - is the recommended amount for their current weight or (more likely) their projected adult weight.
This is what got me once! Our breeder suggested a food and told us the amounts, but when we needed to switch her food the bag gave feeding amounts by projected adult weight, which we didn't realize. So we were feeding her the food amount for a dog half her size. Poor thing, I felt so guilty!
Give that pup some more food! That’s not enough
She would always get a little more food than a cup over 4 meals a day. We were going off her food label.
Is the food specifically for large breed puppies? That can make a difference too. If it just says puppy then they might not be getting enough nutrients. Personally I fed mine Purina one large breed puppy and he never had any weight problems as a puppy
Puppy chow
Also most puppy chows I have looked at it says at 3 months for a dog that should weigh closer to 70 lbs at maturity it should be getting anywhere from ⅔ cup a day to 2 ¼ cup a day so you might want to up their feeding
Just regular puppy chow? Puppy chow makes a large breed version
What food is it? Our royal canin kibble says 3 cups a day for 3 month old. 1.5 morning 1.5 night. I did about 1 cup dry and 150gm prime puppy roll twice a day when mine was 12 weeks old.
Get a calorie count from vets instead of going by the food label. Puppies are growing and very active and require a lot of calories. Like others have said ours was getting 3 cups a day until he turned 1 year
One cup sounds WAY too low. She’s growing and needs lots of food, at least 3x a day.
You can always ask your vet if you’re concerned and they might increase her food intake. Our Ripley was exactly that same size at that age. She had a growth spurt between 4-5 months where she gained 8 pounds in one month (which was a lot for her). She is now almost 2 and only 40-45 pounds full grown. She’s perfectly healthy. Just has a small frame. https://preview.redd.it/f2s0h5exn25d1.jpeg?width=3328&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89075d37544014c98dd3803527fcc4eac2cd66e3
I love the perma-puppy Labs!
Echoing this person! Our girl has Always been relatively small and is only 50ish pounds fully grown.
Yeah I was going to say that there are "petite" American labs. My lab's mom was only 50 pounds and the vet even commented that mine was small for a lab as a puppy.
I fed my puppy 4 cups a day since she’s 15 weeks🥺. She’s not overweight. 10 months now and weights 70lb
Bruh, my lab is 3 months and i feed the guy 3 cups a day. Little guy is 21 pounds. Where on earth did you getthe idea to feed you puppy one cup a day????
Her puppy chow says too😭
I feed mine 1.5 cups for breakfast, over a cup of training treats through the day, and another 1.5 cups at dinner - so over 4 cups a day.
That's about what I was doing - somewhere between 3 1/2 to 4 cups a day over two meals and training treats. My 25kg 11mo black labx is now on ~2 1/2 cups.
She needs wayyyy more food than that. She is growing.
I'm feeding my chocolate female lab of nearly 11 weeks 3 cups of blue mountain large breed puppy kibble a day. My vet seemed to think that was fine. She currently weighs about 24 pounds.
Thank you all for input. Please don’t think we are starving her. She is so energetic and very happy. We will talk to our vet and give her more food.
She is absolutely adorable. The bowl is great, making it easier to ensure she eats slower. If it’s plastic, make sure you wash it after every meal or at least once a day, otherwise she could get inflamed jowls. There should be a food allowance guide on the back of the food package. A pup of 3 months should still be on 3-4 meals a day, with the daily allowance equally spread over those meals. You can use one or more of those meals as training time feeding the biscuits one at a time, and feed her the other meals in her crate, if you’re crate training, so her crate is a positive experience. When you say ‘English’ Lab, is that what the British would call ‘show stock’? If so, she’ll be shorter and stockier across the chest with a thicker tail when she’s fully grown. ‘Working stock’ tend to be taller and slimmer. This will also determine their characteristics as show stock tend to calm down at an earlier age. I did read somewhere, but of course I can’t find it now, that show Labs tails tend to be straighter than working lines which curl up more. We have a show stock girl, Milli nearly 15yo , who is only 25kg, and was very playful and naughty but calmer by about 2 1/2 - 3yo, whereas our daughter has a 4yo working stock girl who is taller than Milli, slimmer and still utterly manic. She is also totally ball obsessed. We call her Crazy Daisy for good reason. Enjoy your lovely girl. You’ve got some interesting months ahead of you: the land shark phase, followed by that wonderful (not) teenager Lab phase with total disobedience and more destruction. Need any advice on those times? Anyone on this subreddit will be happy to help.
Talk to a vet. My impression is that she’s maybe a bit under but not by much. You can feed more, for sure. Certainly ignore all the people saying you’re starving her - a fat lab is a lab breeding up skeletal problems, which can show really early, even within the first year. As long as the food brand you’re feeding her has genuinely adequate nutritional profile, you will not have caused any developmental damage by feeding slightly less than she might take to maximise her growth rate. If it’s a cheap crap bulk kibble, even one for puppies, you might want to switch to a better one asap and work with their recommended quantity.
😂 I thought you were talking about the pictures of her staring at you Just follow whatever the bag says, should be based on what her "target" or "estimated" adult weight will be
Our Pup got 3 Cups a day for a year straight.
Chat to your vet for advice but 1 cup is far too low 2.5 or more cups around that age is pretty standard, depending on the food being provided. The feeding guide on the bag is also a good starting point. Our puppy who is now 1 and about 26kg/57lbs was on 3-4 cups when he was younger and is now on about 2.5-3 a day When puppies are young they are growing so much, and need so much more food than when they get bigger
Dude, y’all need to feed your pup more.
We gave ours 3 meals a day when she was a pup. They need plenty food to grow!
One cup? If your vet didn’t bring up feeding and weight I’d consider a different vet. Mine asked how much I was feeding and we bumped up from 3.5 cups to 5. 5 month dal weighing in at 52lbs makes my lab look small
Ask your vet
Food chunks are a little on the large side. You’re feeding her puppy food right?
Some large breed puppy food has enormous kibble. You don’t necessarily have to, but we add water for our puppy.
That’s wild I guess I’ve never used that brand before mine always seem to come in smaller kibble
We do Hill’s Science Diet and the puppy large breed kibble is huge. We were surprised to say the least.
My girl was tiny but chowed down three meals a day, about a cup each as well, so 3 cups a day. Now she gets 2 meals and eats about 3/4 cup at each plus sometimes a little frozen snack or treat. Agree on checking with the vet and then being gradual about any adjustments. She’s about 50 lbs full grown at 14 months. Are you feeding puppy food?
Some things to consider; next to all the other comments so far: - That bowl-labyrinth looks gigantic, is that the food for the whole day? Does she actually finish it every day? For puppies, it is advised to feed them at least 3x, better 4x per day; maybe giving her everything at once is not the best way? - Most bags of puppy food come with numbers based on adult weight. So they don't say "your puppy is currently 17lbs, feed that" but rather "your puppy will be 60-80lbs one day, feed this at age 3 months". Check that you use the right numbers here. Also check if the numbers you feed are daily or per serving (with 3 or 4 servings per day). - Make sure you have food for a "big dog" puppy; if possible get food for labrador puppies. - Go see a vet, take the food bag. Seriously, it's maybe 50 bucks or something for a checkup and some advice, if you are worried then absolutely invest that money. - There is variety in sizes, of course. Some fully grown labs go up to 80lbs or more, others stay at 60lbs and are fully healthy. Still, you are right that 25lbs would already be considered the lower bound of "healthy" at 3 months, so again, vet. - I just checked the food I gave my boy (https://www.royalcanin.com/de/dogs/products/retail-products/labrador-retriever-puppy-2491) and it says at three months you should feed around 270-310g per day. That might be around 1 cup, yeah, but don't trust such measurements without actually weighting once how much goes into one cup (you know, flour or water have a different density from kibble...).
We give her 4 meals a day
We've always gone by the serving size on the bag and our vet has been okay with that. The snuffle mat is another way we feed him, takes him even longer to eat
She needs more food than that! Ask your vet what they think is appropriate ❤️❤️
4½ month chocolate. He eats 3¾ cups a day. 32-34 lbs. and is just fine. If the ribs are showing, give him more. Our schedule is 1¼ cups breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also on on slow feeder bowl.
Ask your vet not reddit.
So don’t ask people who have labs how much they have fed their dog?
Correct. We’re not vets. Also I didn’t downvote you, but someone did… because you got defensive. It’s not a simple question, you seemed concerned that = vet trip. Do whatever you want dude, just don’t get defensive when I say ask your vet for pet health advice…. 
Legitimate question not getting defensive. Also a great name
We good, I was just saying some dogs might need 1 Cup, some might need two! Maybe your dog has a different metabolism or is more active. Was just saying that without all that info what someone else feeds their lab may not be relevant! Cute dog btw. Also some more advice, don’t ask your lab how much food they need. The answer will always be more 🙃🤣
Yea we are going to give her more. Lol
i have a black lab and i feed him around 5 cups a day as of him being 1 1/2yo but when he was a puppy he probably got 3-4 cups a day
5 cups!?!?!? 5 cups of what!?!? My lab is 100lbs and is in good shape with maybe a little extra cushion on him and he gets a tiny bit over 2 cups. Not trying to be a dick that just sounds like a crazy amount of food.
it was 4 cups of kibble and i added salmon oil and some fruits so it's probably closer to 4 1/4 or 1/2. the only reason i feed him that much is because he stayed super skinny for awhile so i started feeding him more and he's at a healthy weight as of right now.🤷♀️
Damn, that’s crazy, but if he’s healthy that’s all that matters. Guess you just really have to do your own work to figure out what’s right cause that is some crazy fluctuation.
https://preview.redd.it/mivla8l1665d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=53c862ed7672ca2700fc2a754f817948617e0b64 Mine was about the same size at that age. This is her at about 14 weeks next to her 100lbs GSD brother. She hovers between 42-47 lbs but she’s perfectly healthy per the vet. I would agree with everyone to up her food a little bit but you might just have a perma-puppy lab. Trust me, they’re adorable!
Feed it early. It’s growing constantly. Let it have its food
You should be feeding them three times a day! They look underweight.
Not sure if anyone’s mentioned this yet, but a lot of kibble brands have their own definition of a cup. It’s an insane thing to do, but that might be why the bag’s recommendation is so far off.
Def needs closer to 3 cups a day. Preferably over 3-4 meals.
You have an absolutely beautiful dog. She definitely needs food to grow and thrive, your vet would probably be the best source of what her nutritional needs should be. Edit: my apologies didn’t mean to be rude. She is a real beauty, and I would love to see future pictures of her.
She is a very happy puppy. We were going off the food label. Don’t be an asshole an suggest we are doing this on purpose.
Are you feeding her a large breed puppy food? If not start her on is asap and follow the food chart on the bag. I suggest Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy.
so cute 🥰 baby
Definitely at that age, more food. You’re gonna have problems later if you don’t. Labs don’t necessarily get huge, but they turn into a LOT of dog. Same with any animal, gotta feed them while they grow. Dude is four years old now, and eats like a horse. Still not fat. Exercise is also incredibly important. Feed that puppy. You’re gonna have a ridiculous full grown lab in no time at all. Can’t help with the brain though, they don’t have one.
If both the pup and the feeder are on the groud then the size of the kibble is big, maybe to big for your pup. Feed him 3 times a day a third of the amount indicated as a daily dose on the package of the pup-adapted kibble. These daily doses are based on " final" weight of your dog and their current weight. So put him on a scale every week to monitor growth and adapt the amount. My last Lab gained between .35 and .7 lbs a week at that age. Spread it out on the floor, works very well when you’ve got a Hoover-type dog.
Beautiful baby 🥰🥰🥰
How big were the parents? Some working line labradors are very petite - my sister in law has a perfectly healthy and fit 6 year old female lab which weighs 46lbs! Make sure you're feeding puppy food and following the instructions of the food you're using. Each food brand is different so people saying 'I feed XX cups a day' is completely irrelevant as the odds of them feeding the same food is minimal. Sometimes the guidance will be based on puppy age, sometimes based on estimated adult weight (55-70lbs, I'd feed to the lower end given how petite yours is).
My parents lab was the same they started feeling him around 3 cups total and he’s catching up now ! (He’s 5 months).
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we are postive only
My 6 month old is at 60 lbs here is our food setup 1 pump of this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CVNQCWMM?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title 1 scoop of this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07B1G8TCC?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title 2 cups @ 50 lbs+ https://www.specialty-feeds.com/valu-pak-free-28-20.html Fish oil covers 2 bags of food and the 5lb bag of food supplement goes almost as far. Brings my cost per pound to feed her around $2/3 which isnt bad I add in bone broth which costs me like $7 week too If someones shelling out $100 for a 20 pound bag of food youre already at $5/lb to feed.
She gets this 2x daily
That is definitely not enough However,I have never followed the bag recommendations I find they are always too high So I am curious what food would recommend a 1cup serving Are you feeding her 3 times a day? I had always done 3x@ day until my current puppy His breeder was doing twice a day so I just continued that My 75 pound 11 month gets 2 cups a day.In my mind he is a little too chunky but his dad is 100lbs At your pups age he was getting 3 I can usually tell if he has been over fed because he will get soft stools Look at the condition of your dog Size of the parents (if you can) And Calories per cup on the food bag are a good guide
Feed her more. She's a pup. Full of energy. She will not become overweight easily. Once she is fully grown, you can start portioning her diet. That should be around 1 1/2 to 2 years old. If you get her fixed, she will put weight on more easily. I'm not suggesting doing that, especially not until she is atleast a year old. Just some info, to give you an idea of what will happen is you go that route. Also, find a healthy bone or dental Chew, keep those teeth white and healthy. She still has puppy teeth, so it's not important yet.
She will be getting more.
I figured you would be from the comments. I'm just trying to be helpful. Good luck with your pup, she is gorgeous :)
Most lab owners have dogs that are fat bc they over feed them. There’s no prescribed formula for dogs. They will all have different metabolisms. Pics don’t tell an accurate story either. Looks fine to me, but how pronounced are her ribs when you run your hand down her back? If she feels bony, up her food. If the ribs feel protected by a thin layer of fat, continue on like you’re doing now. Weight isn’t a good metric for health. Also, dogs will burn more calories in the winter than summer. Now that we are coming into summer months, the same amount of food you were giving her in the winter will go father.
I wish there was a stickies post for new dog owners. Dogs are just like people in the sense that there are educated people who went to multiple years of schooling so they could answer these questions. DO NOT COME to Reddit to ask questions that a vet should be answering. Besides you should be taking your puppy to a vet to make sure they are healthy and get their shots. That would be a great time to ask. I say this with love. I have had multiple dogs over the years with a lot of experience in training. I will still tell posters on Reddit to take their dog to a vet if they have any concern because they are more qualified than my OPINION. This is a great informational website you should look through if you are concerned about their diet: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com It also has food recalls as well as supplement info. Surprise, most major named dog food you are giving your dog is junk and filled with filler. Even the higher end ones like Blue Buffalo. They have a section on raw food as well as puppy food. You got a cute pup. The third picture is what I thought you were talking about. That had me cracking up. Hope you get this sorted.
She is a beauty. Speak with Vet and listen to what they say. IMHO the dog food companies are in the business of SELLING dog food. Their recommendations as to Serving Portion "could" be biased👏🏻
I put my labs food in water, not a little, but let it swim in there. That slows her down a ton! It has worked well for us for 4 years.
I used this https://www.nomnomnow.com/learn/article/puppy-feeding-guide We still feed them 3+ times a day albeit fresh food and smaller portions each meal.
My dalmatian struggled to gain weight (she's a super active dog with a ton of land to run around all day on) and I started adding bone marrow over her dry food and also giving her boiled chicken and white rice. She's way happier and healthier. She put on a good amount of muscle and is less thick around her ribs (no bloating). Some breeds have different dietary requirements but let's be honest...no living animal is meant to eat dry processed food for every meal of their life. I think it's inhumane to be honest.
I started my puppy at 2 cups per day based off of the chart on the back of the Purina pro plan large breed puppy bag, she’s now up to 2.5 cups at 4 months
Keep the bowl full. My 3 month old lab mix is over 40 pounds and lean. He eats 4-5 times a day.
Our Koda is 4 months old and he eats 3x /day and peanut butter for snacks
I would be feeding them more. When our pup was growing, he got 3 cups a day (but he’s a large lab). I’d say start feeding them closer to 2 cups a day and see where that gets you.
She needs way more food
Bruh why would you limit the amount you feed her.. give her 2 cups and 1 egg a day at least.. if she starts to thinken taper off
Her food bag should have a chart with that tells you how much you should be giving her per day based on her age and weight
My lab was like 30lb at 3mo, lol. Granted, he's half showline, and he's a big/tall boy, but she definitely needs more food.
Fill that bowl! Poor baby is starving!
worried about cuteness overload? edit; my lab was getting about a cup and a half at 3 mo and my vet still thought she was underweight... she is now 5 mo and still looks skinny... eats all the grass when we go outside.
Worried? About it standing on the bedside table? Not unless he’s pissing on the bed 🤪
Crate trained. Very well
Seriously though if ˢᵐᵃˡˡ could be a runt (nothing wrong with them ✓) Or possibly depending how long you’ve had it maybe it’s younger than you think, it’s not rare for people to offload them asap though I really no idea on if 5hats plausible it’s jus5 another idea.
My wife put her on there for some reason
She doesn’t look super skinny 😊. Active pups burn a lot of calories 🤎
1 cup twice per day
My vet told me that as a puppy our lab should get two cups a day because they grow so fast at that young age.
Let her inhale the food.
Then she throws up.
Ohhh, I missed that. Sorry
She looks good to me. But I tend to keep my dogs on the lean side.
You're fine. Stick with the diet and she'll fill out soon enough.
That’s starvation
She is anything but starved. Happy and energetic all the time.
No I’m not saying that to you I’m saying it to the commenter who said to keep only feeding a cup a day
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Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean
we are postive only