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My 6-month-old puppy seems hungry and looks skinny. How much to feed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 38 lbs

I rescued a mutt (might be a pit mix or catalouha type medium ish dog) from a shelter a few months ago, he is now 6 months. We feed him 2 cups a day, but he still seems hungry and eats quite fast. He seems to be a healthy weight but sometimes the stomach right in front of the back legs looks a bit on the skinny side. How much should we feed him a day? We don’t want to underfeed or overfeed. Please help, thank you!

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 17th, 2020

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Smokey. The average American dog is quite overweight. So if you have one at a healthy weight, it will usually look too thin. You want a thin covering over the ribs when you run your hands along his sides. He should have a waist the curves in from the top and size views. There is a one through nine scale of body condition scores. A healthy weight is a four or five. Every dog food contains a different amount of calories per cup. At six months of age, he should still eat puppy food. Look at the side of the food bag for feeding recommendations. Keep in mind, these are typically too high for most dogs. His weight looks great in your picture, but it obviously hard to tell for sure. Your current feeding amount is likely adequate. I hope this information helps! https://www.justrightpetfood.com/blog/dog-body-condition-score

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Smoki. I would read the instructions on his bag of food That will tell you how much you should feed him daily. He should be on a puppy food. Best of luck.

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