[james m]

I have a question, on required calories. Jerez is an active 3.6 pound Havanese who is 10 weeks old. We wexpect that he will get to about 12 pounds.

Most guides seem to indicate 600 to 700 calories per day for our breed of puppy ( ie. Bruce Fogles books)

We are feeding him Acana Puppy small breed, it indicates 454 calories per cup on the back of the package.

Acana indicates 2/3 of a cup per day for our size of dog and puppy, that is equal to only 300 calories per day. This seems low to me and Jerez who is really hungry.

[crazy4cats]

Hi James M-
Those tables on the back of bags are just guide lines. Every pup is different. I took a look at the dog food calculator on this site and it indicates that an average 12lb active dog would require approximately 446 calories. You are just going to have to keep an eye on him and increase the food if he is not gaining the appropriate amount of weight and decrease if he gets chubby. I’d add a tablespoon or so of high quality canned food to his kibble. Canned food is healthy and it often makes the dog feel fuller due to its high moisture content.
I bet he is adorable. I think Havanese pups are sooo cute! Have fun!

[james m]

The trrouble with that calculator is that it then below says you should use a factor of 3 for puppies under 12 weeks so that is too much?

This calculator warns:
The Dog Food Calculator was designed for adult dogs only — not for puppies.

Typical calculators multiple the ideal weight in kilos by a factor of 70x.75 and then times 3 for a puppy ration.

The Acana package is the problem, at 150 to 300 calories perday

[crazy4cats]

Yes, sorry, I didn’t mention that in my post. I do realize it is for adults. That is why I used his target weight, not his current weight. You are just going to average it all out and feed what you think is working best. But, again, I think it is important to add in some type of fresh or canned foods with the kibble. It will keep your pup healthier and fuller!

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