After a long first week, Kaeda is finally settling in to her new home and its routines and fuzzy angry scratchy "dog like" creatures. I noticed that she is only rought 8.5-9 pounds, and she's 9 weeks today. Most growth charts have her at around 11-13 pounds to be growing at a normal rate for a Lab. We feed her a bit more than the recommendation on the guide of the back of the food we feed her http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php/product/508 which is what they fed her at the rescue. She doesn't really have any other issues besides some soft stool, but I'm concerned that she might have coccidia or something like that. We have a vet visit today, and I guess we'll find out. Anyone else expirience symptoms like that?
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? Hi there! I think soft stool is pretty common for new pups, so I wouldn't worry too much, just mention it to your vet when you are in. What is important is growth, so I reckon your vet is in the best place to keep an eye on that. There is a thread How much does your puppy weigh? where Rosie has plotted a whole load of puppy weights. There is HUGE variation. The chart is in the thread with a couple of updates. I hope you find it reassuring. jac
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? My two were 3.1 and 3.3 kg at 8 weeks (approx 7lb) and they weighed 20.6 and 21.1kg (around 46lb) at 23 weeks, so although they were a little small they have grown and gained weight consistently. Just keep a check to make sure she is gaining weight and follow the guidance on the main site about what a healthy dog looks like. We have just started cutting down their food as their ribs aren't quite as easily felt as they were a couple weeks ago.
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? Thanks for the info guys. Just got back from the Vet with a clean bill of health and second booster shot. Gotta take a stool sample in, but things appear fine with her.
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? Oh good. With all their deliciousness comes the worry, just like having a new baby. I guess if you have had dogs before you are probably cooler and more laid back. It's good to get to know your vet AND the receptionists. I am still keeping an eye on Chepi - she had Giardia and the receptionists where great at being in-betweeners between the vet and me; I have had lots of phone conversations with the vet (free). Also the receptionists know Chepi now and have been very helpful with advice. Thinking of taking them some chocolates. Anyway, hope your pup's samples are clear!
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? You mentioned that she has soft stools and that you are feeding her more than the manufacturers recommendations... There's the answer right there: diarrhoea is often caused by overdfeeding so try cutting back and see what happens. Take the stool sample to vets as well but if that comes back negative I'll bet it's the amount of food she's getting. Just because a chart says your puppy should be a certain weight doesn't make it accurate. My pup weighed just under 3kg (around 6lbs) at 8 weeks old and she was perfectly healthy - in comparison a so called 'average' lab should weigh 5-6kg at that age. Now Penny is fully grown at 19kg, she's just a petite Labrador, also she is female and working type so all this contributes to size. As the vet doesn't seem too concerned at the moment then I wouldn't worry too much either. She may catch up or she just may be a small lab!
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? [quote author=Penny+Me link=topic=8592.msg121430#msg121430 date=1415090374] You mentioned that she has soft stools and that you are feeding her more than the manufacturers recommendations... There's the answer right there: diarrhoea is often caused by overdfeeding so try cutting back and see what happens. Take the stool sample to vets as well but if that comes back negative I'll bet it's the amount of food she's getting. Just because a chart says your puppy should be a certain weight doesn't make it accurate. My pup weighed just under 3kg (around 6lbs) at 8 weeks old and she was perfectly healthy - in comparison a so called 'average' lab should weigh 5-6kg at that age. Now Penny is fully grown at 19kg, she's just a petite Labrador, also she is female and working type so all this contributes to size. As the vet doesn't seem too concerned at the moment then I wouldn't worry too much either. She may catch up or she just may be a small lab! [/quote] In addition, the editors also comment that the feed has a high grain content, but do conclude that this is overall a good feed product. Saying that the review is dated almost 10 years ago, a lot has changed since then in terms of dog food quality and choice. Bear in mind though I am completely OTC regarding dog food ingredients!
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? [quote author=Penny+Me link=topic=8592.msg121430#msg121430 date=1415090374] You mentioned that she has soft stools and that you are feeding her more than the manufacturers recommendations... There's the answer right there: diarrhoea is often caused by overdfeeding so try cutting back and see what happens. Take the stool sample to vets as well but if that comes back negative I'll bet it's the amount of food she's getting. [/quote] Thanks, we'll keep this in mind. Labs always think that they are starving so it gets tough to not overfeed. Any recommendations for food? We are feeding her the same stuff that she was fed at the rescue so that she doesn't have tummy issues. We are definitely open to change. We also figured that she may have a bit of Border Collie in her, hence the white chest, which may attribute to her smaller stature.
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? So after a stool sample came back turns out she has Coccidia and Giardia. We have given her the medicine and will hopefully start seeing results soon.
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? Glad you have found the cause for her tummy problems - hopefully the meds will help soon
Re: Is Kaeda underweight? Rue was about that weight at 9-10 weeks. She will be 5 months on Sunday, and I haven't weighed her in a couple weeks, but she's somewhere around 30-32 lbs (13-14 kgs). She is so little compared to other pups I see on here! But she has never looked unhealthy and has always had a little belly on her. We did up her food by 3/4 a cup per day about a month ago, and she has filled out some.
