# How much should I feed?



## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

We recently decided to switch Chloe to Ziwipeak from Fromm. We're also going to do about 2 meals a week of raw for the dental benefits. We did a fairly quick switch because she doesn't really ever have stomach issues. I did the food calculator on their site. It said to feed 0.6 scoops a day, so 0.3 scoops a meal. I went ahead and counted her as an adult. For a puppy it was 0.7 scoops. I'm wondering if I'm feeding too much though? I'm thinking that when I eye 1/3 of a scoop that maybe I'm actually giving more because it seems like a lot. I've read on here that it is supposed to seem like a lot less than kibble since it's air dried. Is that right? Would someone who feeds that amount of food mind counting how many pieces you feed to make sure I'm giving the recommended amount? I know that I may need to change the amount when I see how she does on it, but while her poops are somewhat smaller, they don't seem that small like everyone talks about. It makes me feel like it's not the right amount.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

What does she weigh? How active is she?


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## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

She weighs 4.0 pounds. We walk for 35 minutes 3-4 times a week. She plays fetch for about 15 minutes a day regardless of if we exercise or not.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Mine weigh 3 1/4, 3 3/4 and 4 1/4 and they each get about 1/8th cup at each meal.

The biggest one gets more of a rounded 1/8th and the other two more level.


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## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

I just measured out 1/8 of a cup to get an idea what that is. It is about half of what I've been feeding! I had a feeling it was too much. But Chloe is one of those dogs who will eat everything you give her. Thanks Karen! We'll feed that much for a little bit and see how she does with it.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

I don't have a scooper, but I have a kitchen scale. .06 scoop of ZP is 34g, and 34 grams on my scale was about 90 pieces. So that would be 45 pieces per meal. That does seem like quite a lot. I'd go with Karen's recommendation to start. I feed Gemma 2 tbsp (1/8 cup) of Acana per meal but she is 2.8lbs. Chloe would need more kibble than Gemma, so 2 tbsp of ZP per meal sounds appropriate since you need less ZP than kibble.

By the way, a funny little thing while I was measuring the ZP... Gemma smelled the ZP when I opened the bag and came running into the kitchen. She hates ZP, though. So when I bent down and offered her a piece the look on her face was like "Oh god, no! Not this stuff!"  Lol.


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

Her body will be your guide. My little one is a ball of energy and eats the same as the others just fine. Hope is more cautious, moves more slowly than the other two and has a tendency to gain weight. Ruby can get too skinny too quickly. I just adjust a few pieces more or less as I see what each needs. 

Mine are all 3 GREAT eaters and are very food motivated.


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## Lindsayj (Apr 18, 2012)

jesuschick said:


> Her body will be your guide. My little one is a ball of energy and eats the same as the others just fine. Hope is more cautious, moves more slowly than the other two and has a tendency to gain weight. Ruby can get too skinny too quickly. I just adjust a few pieces more or less as I see what each needs.
> 
> Mine are all 3 GREAT eaters and are very food motivated.


Yeah, I am definitely going to keep a good eye out for if her weight changes too much. But I didn't want to start off feeding the completely wrong amount. This will help me a lot. I keep thinking she's going to gain more weight, but she's been the same size and weight for about 2.5 months now.


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## My_Hunny (Jul 25, 2012)

My 10 lb chi eats hardly anything at all and is moderately active, yet the 2 lb chi I just adopted eats more than her does. I swear these lil guys just figure it out for themselves.

Ziwipeak is easy to over feed on, though. That's why I started it for the 10 lb one, but go with the guideline and use your best judgement from there. You will see the results pretty quickly. 


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

It is easier for me to feed by tablespoons rather than weight or scoops. I figured it out for Jaxx who was supposed to get .6 of a scoop. It equaled out to a little over 2.5 tablespoons per day. I plan on starting Jaxx out on 1.25 tablespoons per meal and see how he does on it.
I have taken his Orijen down some and adding ZP to his meals and I have already noticed he has gained a little weight so I am sure that I will have to be careful once he is getting full ZP


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