is my puppy over weight
Can anyone give me advice? thanks |
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| Its hard to tell just from her age and weight - this is a breed with great variation. I have a three year old female who is I would say medium sized and 65 pounds - and she has a bit of muscle on her.
My guess is if your vet mentioned weight it is a real problem, most of them don't bring it up unless it is an issue (and I have a very overweight male who the vet never comments on unless I do first). The best test is the rib test (Ron we really need a sticky here!) If you run your hand over your dogs ribs and it feeels like the back of your hand (you can feel the distinct ribs but they aren't justting out) there is no problem. If it feels like the other side of your hand (no rib bones or under a distinct layer of "fluff" then the dog is overweight. |
| Yipes, I've never fed the prescribed amount on the bags! I remember one bag said my St. Bernard should eat 14 cups a day......he got 5! He was not active so didn't need to support a lot of muscle.
The amount to feed will be by how active your puppy is, the breed and the food quality. Low quality you end up feeding more just to get the nutrition. I let my fingers tell me how much to feed. While a pup can be "fluffy", by 8 months they should be moving into a more mature body. Thus the pronounced belly and soft sides must give way to a trimmer body and the ability to feel the ribs easily.....but they should not be "proud" that is sticking out. If you stand over your dog and look down you should be a prounced waist.....tapering behind the ribs. How often are you feeding? By now twice a day is fine or 3x if you just give small amounts. Try reducing the amount fed at each meal by 1/2 to 1 cup. Vets do like to see "slim" dogs instead of tubby ones because of the strain it puts on the developing bones, muscles, etc. |
| thanks for everyone getting back to me. she gets fed burns food- so a good food and has 450g a day 150g morning and 300g eve. we were thinking about reducing it to 300g a day 100g in morning and 200g in evening. as the vet wouldn't be saying it for no reason. he has also said we can take her in every 2 weeks for a free weight check and advice. |
mariamcsorley wrote: as the vet wouldn't be saying it for no reason. he has also said we can take her in every 2 weeks for a free weight check and advice.
No, I agree. He may have noticed that he had to cut through an excessive amount of lard along with connective tissue to get to her reproductive organs during surgery, so that may have really brought the point home to him that watching her weight is in order. It's kind of unusual to see an overweight 8 month old. They're normally so active they burn through the food like nobody's business. But if she's getting too much food by chance for her metabolism, cutting it back a bit should begin to give results. There's no need for a crash diet. Just like humans - slow and steady works fine till you find a balance where what you're feeding her is maintaining her at the body condition you want. Kristine |
| I have just had both of mine spayed and the vet did say that we should cut back on their food a bit now - not that he said mine were overweight but that after spaying they need less food as their activity levels usually go down.
Welcome by the way! |
| well i couldn't understand it, she's always on the go, if we go out like into town she's with us and she has about an hour walk- off lead a day come rain or sun. she doesn't get a lot of treats and we have always weighed her at the vets every month and no one has said anything to us before now. just a bit of a shock |
mariamcsorley wrote: well i couldn't understand it, she's always on the go, if we go out like into town she's with us and she has about an hour walk- off lead a day come rain or sun. she doesn't get a lot of treats and we have always weighed her at the vets every month and no one has said anything to us before now. just a bit of a shock
Just like all animals they hav edifferent metablisms. One other thing to conside ris she may be getting ready for a growth spurt. Our Newf did this. he was a tad "fluffy" just before he grew a couple of inches. My kids used to do that too. If its new, keep an eye on her a bit and don't make any drastic changes. |
| never thought of that. i got told that oes do most of their growing between the ages of 9month and 18months is that right? this is our first dog so not too sure what to believe |
Mo did more or her growing around 6-7 months and then slowed greatly. I kept waiting for "more." Plus the thought of her as unspay and having more energy.......  ......whirling Dervish images come to mind 
Depends on the dog's genetics......some are late bloomers but others are pretty well set at 14 months and might mature/put on muscle as they push to 18 months. As for the fat cut thru at spay time, remember puppies often carry a bit more around the belly. By 8 months though that should be going away. Whether you cut back the kibble a bit or substitute something less caloric, like tin green beans, or add even more exercise, sounds like your girl is moving from puppy to "teen ager." Uh Oh...........  |
| How big were the parents?
It maybe worth asking the breeder advice on sizes of the other litter mates if they can contact the other owners. |
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