My 4 month lab puppy weighs 18kg. He is on raw meat diet. Is this about right or too much any help would be apppreciated. MaryJane
Re: puppy weight It varies massively from puppy to puppy. There's another thread on it here: http://www.thelabradorforum.com/index.php?topic=5965.msg132102#msg132102 There's actually a little graph which shows the spread of weights if you go back a few posts. Very interesting. Best thing you can do is look at the shape of your puppy to tell whether it's the right weight or not - but even then, with growth spurts, they go through all sorts of unusual shapes. Shadow keeps spurting and looking starved, but then he fills back out again before another spurt
Re: puppy weight Easy way to tell. His ribs should not be visable but should be easily felt. Bouncer is 5 months old & was 16kg at last wiegh in (about 2 weeks ago). I was worried that he may not be putting on the pudding fast enough but the vet says he is spot on. All dogs are different especialy puppys. The "line" of your dog will also effect the wieght. Dogs from Show lines tend to be chunkier where as Workiing line dogs tend to be leaner & more muscular.
Re: puppy weight Hi Maryjane, welcome to the forum! I started the thread about dog weights (and started keeping that record and chart) because there seemed to be so much variation. My Pongo is definitely at the top end of the scale - and it sounds like your boy might be the same! Pongo basically put on nearly 1kg every week til he was nine months, then slowed down (thank heavens). He has levelled out at just under 40kg (phew). I was told there are four signs that you should use to check whether your dog is the right shape. 1 does he have a clear 'waist' when viewed from the side? In other words, does his tummy tuck up nicely before his back legs? 2 does he have a clear 'waist' when viewed from above? 3 can you feel his ribs easily? They should feel like they are under a blanket - not a sheet, and not a duvet! 4 is he carrying any 'fattiness' at the base of his tail near the spine? This is where a lot of dogs start to show signs of overweight. Pongo has always been OK on all these, although he is on a bit of a post-Christmas diet at the moment because his ribs got a bit 'Duvet-ish' while all the family were here giving him treats! Hope this helps Rosie
