I got Otis weighed today, because I need to get worming and flea treatments. He weighs 19kg, and is ten and a half months old. Although he is from show lines, he looks lithe and leggy. I feed him on Arden grange sensitive, which is fish and potato, and he has lots of treats, plus the stolen goods, the latest being a cheese sandwich he swiped the other day, I also give him raw eggs, and apple cores, but Ive looked in my diary and at six months he was 16.7kg and at six and a half he was18.6kgs. He isnt overexercised he gets about an hour a day. Im wondering about his growth, do you think its okay ? Im wondering if I should feed him up a bit, I will check the amount Im feeding him, which is one mug a day given over two meals . His poo is normal, and his coat quite shiny. Im feeding him home made treats at the moment, which he loves. Be good to hear what you think, Thankyou, Maggie X
Re: Otis's weight He sounds fine to me, Maggie. As long as his ribs aren't sticking out, and you can't actually see his backbone, it's unlikely he is underweight. Can you post a photo?
Re: Otis's weight How are his ribs and backbone? Riley is naturally lean, when it comes to kibble he's not greedy and occasionally he gets a little on the thin side....his ribs become noticeable and his backbone more pronounced when I run my hand over it. Also his tummy tuck becomes marked as opposed to just a nice tuck up. These are the signs I look out for to up his food and add in some tasty treats. From memory Rileys growth (certainly upwards) slowed at around 9 months and I would say he was completely done getting taller by a year. He's a small to medium sized lab. He filled out a bit from there and weighs a smidgen under 25 kgs when he's "normal" (for a given value of labrador normal :) I wouldn't worry about his growth compared to previous months but more about whether he's "right" with a waist and tummy tuck, back ribs visible when he moves, if he's either side of that then you might need to make some changes but it's not a drama
Re: Otis's weight Please dont worry, a slimmer dog is so much better and healthier than one too fat . My lad is a big boy , at two and a half he weighs 38 kilos but he is tall so often looks a bit on the skinny side even for his weight, but its all relative , if he is healthy and happy, dont worry one little bit
Re: Otis's weight Maggie ,Barbara has hit my definition and maintenance of dog weight on the nail.i must admit when I got back from holidays I thought I'm going to feed Dexter up....I can SEE his ribs but they have a covering on them and he's muscly in his chest and really muscly through his legs....he feels like he has a good bit of meat on him so I think he is ok.....so all ive done is stop subtracting his rewards from his food allowance....rewards are extra now and after 2 weeks of doing that I took him for his booster injections and he weighed 400gs more than usual!22.4 kgs ....wow! ???......I agree with Kate ,leaner is better for their long term health. As a first time dog owner I am alWays on the side of anxious about dexters well being and health but I remember reading a Pippa article / comment about monitoring your dogs weight about how they look to you and I do actually feel ok about doing that ...don't think about the number ,have a really good look at your boy to see what you think about how he looks.....they are all the same breed but they are all so different xxx
Re: Otis's weight Maggie, Hattie & Charlie are lean and that's much healthier than all those porky labs dragging themselves along poor dogs xx
Re: Otis's weight Just want to clarify that the dogs I saw in the UK ( Riley ...his gun dog colleagues and of course Chocolate Charlie )where lean,healthy and a really good weight and 'felt' the same as Dexter ....however Dexter is a lighter colour so I think he looks less covered ,which was why I knee jerked to feed him up she I got back home. Julie worries herself pale over Charlie's weight and yet to look at he is perfect ....slim,lean,healthy and muscly......if he didn't have the cruciate injury,that's the crux for him..basically he's got to be underweight to be the right weight for his circumstances ,poor love :'( xxx
