Hey guys. So Alfie is now 11mo this old and he’s quite a tall dog but he’s v lean. We keep upping his food (feeding him chudleys puppy junior) he’s now up to 550 grams when recommended is 390-410 and he weighs in at 24kg. Vet has agreed to us upping his food and he is back in next Friday for a check up. And if hasn’t put on any weight we are going to change his food. So what is everyone else using? Apart from weight Alfie is extremely active, healthy and a good coat. Still feed him 3 times a day. Thanks guys and girls.
Maybe he's not going to be much more than 52 pounds. Not all Labs are huge. If he's active , healthy and a good coat he's probably right on track. Our Lincoln is 7 months old and only 38 pounds & 21inches at the shoulder but he's also not a full Lab.
My puppy was on chudlies from the breeder she was so skinny and underweight we put her on butchers puppy perfect tinned food and is growing fast and putting on weight. She is still slender but looks good and you can just feel her ribs. The mother of my pup was emaciated she was also fed chudlies.
I wouldn't worry about it if you can't see his ribs and he looks and acts healthy. I feel like my puppy is going to be on the smaller side as well. He's a male...he's almost 7 months old and 50 pounds and about 21.5 inches at the shoulder. Better for them to be slender than over weight, in my opinion.
Can see the back few ribs. So would deff like to put a few extra pounds on him. Would prefer to stick to dried food if anyone has any recommendations for that. He comes away with me quite a bit so dry is much easier for transporting around.
Try James Welbeloved if you can get hold of it as it's better quality that chudleys. There are other brands that are equivalent on other threads on this forum.
I really wouldn't worry too much. My bitch is only 21kg and is adult... Weights mean nothing, really. Oftentimes there is a genetic influence... In addition, adolescent male dogs of many large breeds go through a skinny and rangy-looking period in adolescence and usually fill out and mature just fine coming out of adolescence without any adjustments made to food - so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Many Labrador owners would love to have the dog you describe - think of all the endless training you can do, without having to worry about weight-gain...
Hi our pup is fed James Wellbeloved and she is thriving in it, she's 11 months and 28kg. Good luck with your pup
Thanks for posting this Jo. I always worry that my boy is too thin (he is around 23kg and 10 months) and my husband thinks I'm crazy. We can't see ribs but can feel them easily, and he has plenty of energy. He just looks so gangly, especially compared to all the stocky labs you see out there! I'm sure he will fill out in the next year...
It may just be that his legs are long at the moment. Field-bred labs typically have longer legs than show-bred labs, so if you compared one to the other you might reach the conclusion that yours is too skinny. I think, rather than comparing him to other labradors, just look at the 3 markers: The ribs can be easily felt, but not seen (except sometimes the last rib or two may be seen in a dog in hard working condition). There is a tuck-up when the dog is looked at from the side - it goes up at the dog's belly and before the back legs. There is a waist when the dog is looked down on, from above - it goes in, after the rib cage and before the back legs. You might also find the Purina diagram useful too: https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Purina-Body-Condition-Score-Diagram.pdf
Thanks for the replies guys. sorry for delay in replying i am moving house but have internet at new pad now. so on the purina description alfie is between 3 and 4 id say. Had a play date with a friends working lab who is 6 months older than Alfie and she's a nice ski girl Alfie is deff slimmer than her. He is of good working stock so expect him to be lean but a bit of extra padding needed still.
Our 8 month old is also very slim. However at the moment we are using this to our advantage and doing lots of training, but he still doesn't seem to put much on. Part of me sometimes wonders if we're so used to seeing labs who are probably a bit overweight that we think ours are too skinny? Like everyone had said before, weight isn't always helpful whereas body condition is.
Alfie vet is a close friend so she sees him often and keeps a close eye on him. She is also very used to working labs so knows they are usually skinnier. i currently do not include any of his training treats in his food allowance and he is doing v well with his training. We have now ordered a different food and hopefully this will be better suited to him and he will start to increase to a healthier weight.
