Hi I have an 11 week old Labrador pup, she came from a working dog background( a smaller lab). I'm just after some advice on feeding. Me and my partner first started feeding her a set amount 4 times daily, however she started passing blood/mucus stools and poo'd immediately after her food sometimes twice. We rang the breeder and he said she's being over fed. We have cut her food down and her stools are fully formed however she is tiny and her ribs are starting to show. She's weighing in at 3.7kg at 11 weeks. Please could someone advise how much to feed a small lab pup. Thank you
Hi and welcome to the forum. Unfortunately no one can say how much to feed as it depends on the food she is on. Four meals a day is advisable until they are at least 12-16 weeks old. I only feed about 75% of the recommended amount on the bag. My girl had the same problem (bloody stools and loose stools). We decreased how much she had for each meal and this helped. We ended up changing her food as after several months she was still having problems and lots of tests told us she was wheat intolerant. You could always give her some soggy boiled rice (don't drain the water) to help bulk her up. I hope this helps a bit and she manages to continue to thrive
Hello there, I think 3.5kgs is extremely light for an 11 week old pup. While they do all vary, and it's possible there is nothing wrong, I'd be expecting around 8 - 10 kgs or a bit more at 11 weeks. Even for a working line pup (and, by the way, it is not the case that all working line pups are lightweights, lots are taller and heavier than my show line dogs although have a racier structure for their taller frames). With a pup that light, and with blood in stools etc. I'd be off to the vet to check all is well and check out for infections or parasites etc. Best of luck with it.
Are you feeding the same food the breeder did? If not, maybe the calorie count, fat content is lower in your food? It's a good idea to stick to the food they're used to for a good while. Am I correct in understanding the blood and mucous has stopped? Might be good to Vet anyway, with a nice fresh poop sample. She could easily have picked up something
Think of a vet as your doctor and your puppy as a child. If you woke up one day with blood in your stool would you call anybody other than your doctor? I would hope not. Only the vet can advise you on what is really happening to your puppy. As stated above the puppy might be having some internal issues and they can also advise you on how much to feed your puppy. Weight wise.. Stryker at 11 weeks was just shy of 5kgs (11 pounds). Breeders can and sometimes will tell you whatever it is needed so that way the blame doesn't get brought back on them. I'm in no way or shape calling your Breeder a liar but in all fairness, unless their Breeding license covers then as a licensed Veterinarian I wouldn't go by their word. That's just me being me.. A Veterinarian has that title for a reason. Best of luck to you and your puppy.
Our boy, also working line, is 5kg at 8 weeks. We go by his weight and age on the chart on his food and he's doing well with that recommendation. I don't know how long you've had her but if your pup didn't come with any food from the breeder, ask what brand so that you can feed her that and slowlyslowlyslowly introduce your food to it. But first, call your vet ASAP.
Definitely get in touch with your vet to rule out any other issues. Jessie is a working lab and was super skinny until she was around 8 months old ( ribs stuck right out and waist was tiny!) I've looked at her notes and she was 5kg at 9 1/2 weeks when we got her, so that does sound on the light side. At our vets the nurse does check ups, weighing and feeding advice for free. I think as with a child the main thing is they are steadily gaining weight over time, so worth regular weigh ins at the vets if you are worried. We also struggled to feed Jessie enough as too much food upsets her tummy too! The vet suggested adding a bit of carbohydrate like rice to her food to bulk it up gently and to just keep an eye on her weight. She is 9 months now and has filled out nicely and is keeping weight on so we've stopped the rice and are now feeding her towards the middle of the suggested range on the food packet and the weight is staying on really well. She's still pretty sleek and small tho, but healthy! Which is the main thing! Good luck!
Hi, you've had a lot of good advice already. My boy, Shadow, was very slight when we got him, and that was 8kg at 14 weeks. He's still (2 years) very slim and has difficulty putting on weight. There is a big range of weights and sizes in Labs at different ages, but even so, yours does sound very small, and if her ribs are showing at this age, I'd say she's not getting enough nutrition. Get her to the vet for an expert opinion.
She was vet checked 12 days ago after her second injection and the vet was happy with her. She was also wormed last Friday. However she has another appointment on Monday so fingers crossed all is well. When we went to visit her before taking her home the boy dogs dominated the food area, and on both occasions our pup was pushed out. I don't know if she wasn't eating much after mother was taken away. And we've fed her when we've got home and it's been to much too quick which may have caused the blood in the stools as the breeder told us that's what would happen ( not sure how accurate that is) which then made us reduce the amount and it to stop the passing of blood. I think we'll slowly start increasing her food and then see what advise the vets give on Monday Thanks very much
Yeah using the Same food as the breeder but it's going straight through her and she's then trying to eat it so I dont know if the protein content for her is it's too high. Yeah the blood and mucus has stopped now. We have an appointment on Monday with the vets do hopefully all is well Thanks
Hello, The visit went well. We ended up changing her food and followed the instructions on the bag. She is now 13 weeks nearly and 5kg when last weighed. Thanks for asking and thank you everyone for your replies
Nelly is now 14 weeks and weighing it at 7.5 I personally think the food from the breeder wasn't for her ( it was a high protein racing dog food) she's now on royal canin and loves it. Thanks for everyone's comments/advise
Hi. I have a sweet puppy. He is 9 weeks old now. I have been giving him dry puppy food since I got him. Within the last few days I started mixing dry puppy food with canned for him. Totaling 3/4 cups. I was wondering is it ok to mix the canned and dry for him? He eats it very well, but he was eating the dry food fine before I mixed it.
Hi Lynn, Welcome to the Forum. To answer your question ,yes it's perfectly ok ,but your question makes me wonder what has made you decide to do this as your puppy seemed to be perfectly ok on the dry food? Any food changes when they are so young should be done very gradually,their tummies are so easily upset.If your pup was doing well and eating the dry kibble enthusiastically I would have been inclined to leave things as they were. Best wishes Angela
