Yet another poop question...

[Mirela]

My puppy,Leo, poops 6, sometimes even 7 but at least 5 times a day - once or twice in the morning (6:30-ish and then around 8), once at noon-ish, twice in the evening (around 6 and before crating him for he night, around 10). Quantity wise - sorry for TMI - about 1 1/2 the size of my index finger each time...

He's being fed 3 times a day, 1/2 cup of Acana Puppy and Junior and gets occasional/training treats - bits of kibble and freeze-dried chicken and sometimes a bit of freeze-dried liver for an extra special treat.

His poops are on the softish side but definitely not loose, he's growing well - gained 5 lbs in a month- and has A LOT of energy
Also, he goes to the door when he needs to poop so that tells me that he's able to hold it for a bit (there were no pooping accidents in the house or crate for the past three weeks - Yay him!!!)

So is this normal, will it change as he gets older or should I be worried??

[DoubleRR]

He will poop less often when you feed less often, and it might just be his age. Lyric pooped 5 times a day as a young pup--now twice a day at one year of age, so might just be the age. It takes time for their systems to mature. As long as he is healthy and can tell you he needs to eliminate...if it ain't broke don't fix it!

[Mirela]

Any idea about what age should I move him to two meals a day?

[DoubleRR]

At about 6 mths they are mature enough for two meals a day, depending on their size and energy level. Usually they will show you by eating less enthusiastically at the midday meal. Some can do so much earlier--Lyric, even though small, was fine with two a day at 3 mths. on Orijen.

[Dee-O-Gee]

[QUOTE=Mirela;909950]He's being fed 3 times a day, 1/2 cup of Acana Puppy

3 x 1/2 cup each feed?

Also, he goes to the door when he needs to poop so that tells me that he's able to hold it for a bit (there were no pooping accidents in the house or crate for the past three weeks - Yay him!!!)

Yeah for the signs!
QUOTE]

The more you feed, the more they poop. If you're feeding 3 times a day then he's gonna want to poop that much more. If you reduce to a morning/dinner feed I would suspect that his movements would also decrease as well. It's great that he's at least showing you the signs and if he's doing this with 3 feedings, it could become least frequent with only 2.

[Mirela]

[QUOTE=klmccallum;910551]

Originally Posted by Mirela

He's being fed 3 times a day, 1/2 cup of Acana Puppy

3 x 1/2 cup each feed?

Is that too much??
I was going by the lowest amount indicated on the bag for his age and weight range...
Sometimes he eats everything, sometimes not...should I feed him less?

[hazelrunpack]

Often the amounts on the bags are overstated and if you follow those guidelines your dog gets too much to eat. So you have to adjust according to your pup's ideal body mass. Your vet can give you guidelines for how to judge if your pup is at the proper weight and then you can adjust your dog's diet if necessary.

If the vet thinks his weight is optimal and he's growing properly, I wouldn't worry about the number of poops. As he gets older and eats less he'll get less poopful.

You'll get to the point where just feeling your dog will tell you if he's at a good weight

[Mirela]

We're seing the vet in three weeks for the third vaccine booster. I think it will be OK to wait till then to ask.

As for feel I - I can feel his ribs and spine under the coat, so I don't know, he does not feel overweigth...

....I guess I'm just being a bit over-cautios but I'm blaming it on my lack of experience with puppies. He looks and acts fine though so that's what matters...and I'll keep scooping

[Dee-O-Gee]

[QUOTE=Mirela;910634]

Originally Posted by klmccallum

Is that too much??
I was going by the lowest amount indicated on the bag for his age and weight range...
Sometimes he eats everything, sometimes not...should I feed him less?

The bags can be mis-leading especially since they don't know what kind of puppy you have.

Personally, we've just found it easier to do only a breakfast and dinner feeding giving 1 cup each per feed. Our Mollie puppy (9 months) pooped quite a bit when she was younger but this is starting to come to a routine.

Good luck at the vets and would love to see some pictures of your little guy!