3 questions for a proud new Berner puppy momma!

1. I got my puppy 5 days ago. He is 9 weeks. I was told to feed him 3/4 cup 3 times a day. He has gotten a big belly over the past few days. Put him on a scale and has gained about 5 pounds! Is this normal? Should I cut back on food?

2. His eyes look bloodshot. I just noticed this yesterday. Any thoughts?

3. What are thoughts on Greenies? He loves them, but I heard they are really bad for puppies. What is the best thing to give him for teething? I am having a hard time stomaching raw hides... I am a vegetarian!

Please help!

I'm sure other posters will weigh in that are more knowledgeable than me, but here goes nothing!

1. That does seem pretty steep. What does the bag of food say to feed a dog that's in his weight range? We started off feeding Barney three times a day but switched to two times a day at about 10 weeks.

2. Are they bloodshot all the time? Barney gets red eyes when he's tired. Keep in mind that puppies need a LOT of sleep, but he'll want to be up and around you as much as possible. He might be fighting to stay awake so that he can be around you more, which is making him tired and his eyes red.

3. Greenies are not for puppies under 6 months of age, if I remember correctly. It should say on the package. As for teething things, we've had a lot of luck with bully sticks (like a natural rawhide, since rawhide can be hard for puppies to digest), marrow bones and a puppy kong. He especially likes when we fill the kong with peanut butter and plain yogurt, and stick it in the freezer overnight - I think the cold is soothing on his gums.

That's a lot of weight for 5 days. You better cut the food. Gaining a lot of weight in a short time is not healthy.

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Bernese Mountain dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have.

Hi and congrats on the new puppy. I'm sure your head over heels in love already. I don't think that amount sounds like to much to me. Has he been checked for worms lately? Worms can make them look bloated. Also, have you seen him poop? Is he acting uncomfortable. Maybe he is constapated and that's why the belly look big. He might be packed with poop lol. If he hasn't gone you can try giving a couple of teaspoonfuls of canned pumpkin( not the mix just solid pumpkin) after the next couple of meals and see if this helps. Mine get canned pumpkin all the time. THey love it. I think the bloodshot eyes are normal. Mine looked the same way but if they are really red you could ask the vet to check and make sure he doesn't have pink eye or some other infection. Are they goopy at all? I used to give Greenies but then I got scared because I kept hearing bad things. I don't give rawhides because they are hard to digest and now thinking about it if your puppy has eaten one he could be constapated. I give raw marrow bones. Big enough so he can't swallow but they love the marrow inside and love to chew on them. They don't seem to get slimy like the rawhids. Being a vegetarian, these might also be hard for you but I thought I would mention it. Good luck, keeps us posted
Katie

I would watch the bloated stomach if he shows any signs of being extremely uncomfortable or retching bile get him to your vet immediately.

As for the greenies not a fan never used them rawhide as others have said hard to digest. You can freeze carrots or give them raw good for chewing or wet a tea towel pop it in the freezer till frozen solid helps with teething and cooling the gums. Of course supervise so the puppy doesn't shred it and swallow pieces.

Good luck with your new puppy.

Molly's eyes were red as a puppy often and still get red when she's tired.
We give her bully sticks as well, ours are made in Canada too which I like! THey're expensive and get a bit stinky but aren't messy - it's a pure beef muscle chew which is good for them, unlike rawhides. We also did a frozen washcloth, nylabone and now she often eats a deer antler which she loves. We bought one about 2 months ago and she's still working on it- not messy or stinky at all either.

Bailey was gaining about 5lbs per week steadily when we got her. The vet said it was normal for a large bbreed. Our breeder told us to switch to adult food when she reached 25lbs, which we did.

The red eyes seem to be normal too, especially on in the inner corners. Not so much now at 6 mos but they were red a lot at that age too.