Hi all We're first time dog owners and brought our yellow lab home at 8 weeks on 9th Dec , she was born 10.10.23. Honey has always been on the small side for a lab but I thought always healthy. When I took her to the vets back end of Jan 24 they thought she was about 3 months old rather than 4 months and quite slender so I upped her food amount and thought she's been doing really well. I took her to the vets again for her nails clipped and collect her monthly worm and flea treatment on Friday (01/03) and they said she was abit slender and to up her food again. She will be 24 weeks the end of March and weighs 9.6kg. She is on jolleys lifestage puppy and on 340g a day (the maximum daily amount on the puppy brand is 400g) she's fed x3 times a day (7am, 12pm and 5pm) - has treats (JR pate) for training , chews (lamb braids and tracheas) has enrichment, lickimats , honey pots with Greek yogurt, strawberry, sprats, fur boost , peanut butter, banana, beef broth etc , has salmon oil and antler powder everyday too. I walk her x2 a day for about 30 mins . If I'm doing something wrong or someone has any suggestions please tell me cause we love Honey and just want the best for her, this whole thing has given me pet owner anxiety and I even find myself lying to people on walks about her age so I'm not judged. Constructive criticism only please and no hate I'm already hating myself enough thinking I'm doing something wrong and not knowing what it is. We've upped her food to 360g as of Saturday (02/03) There's a photo of Honey as my profile pic Thank you everyone in advance Kelly
Hi Kelly. It sounds like you're checking in with her vet regularly and listening to their advice - so you really are doing the right things. She does sound very dinky! There is a chart here showing other Lab Forum members' puppy's weights at various ages https://www.thelabradorsite.com/how-much-should-my-labrador-weigh/ - at around 20/21 weeks, and 21lbs, she would be our lightest pup that age in that survey. But that doesn't have to mean she's unhealthy. There's lots of normal variation and our survey is a small sample. I think I would be more interested in - is she gaining weight at the expected rate, based on what she weighed at that first vet visit? Are lots of her ribs showing? Is she thin for her height, or just short/compactly built? Does she show any other signs of being unwell. Etc. These are all questions I suggest you ask your vet, if you haven't already. It's ok to keep asking questions until you feel clear on what's happening, and until your mind is set at rest. Some pups just are small, or need to eat a lot to gain weight, and that's fine if they are happy and well! But I also just want to gently ask if you are 100% certain of her age and that she is a full Lab? Not all breeders are as upfront with us as we deserve. If she was actually 2-3 weeks younger than you were told, on collection, or is actually a Lab mix with a smaller breed parent, that would suddenly make her weight look a lot less worrying for you.... Just a thought!
Thank you for replying . She's gaining around 2lb a week. When we got her at "8 weeks" she was 2.3kg very tiny. We believe (looking back) that she may have only been about 5 weeks when we got her, 8 weeks old would have taken her over the Christmas period and the breeder had x4 kids, x2 dogs and x10 puppies so I think they wanted rid She's fine in herself , normal poos , eats and drinks well, playful , no signs of being unwell at all. No ribs are on show or anything. We saw mum who was a black lab and "dad" but some have said you saw a dog doesn't mean its Dad Ill talk to the vet again on her 6 monthly check Thank you x
You're very welcome! It's horrid to think you might have been misled, I know - but honestly if she's healthy and well, I would try not to worry. She sounds like a sweetie ❤️
