Scout has been to the vet for all his regular checkups and vaccinations (seems to be just about every week lately!!) but he's so SKINNY! The vet says he's at a perfect weight for his age....maybe I'm worried for nothing. Is he supposed to be skinny? I can see his ribs! He's gaining weight according to the vet so maybe seeing his ribs isn't a cause for concern. Anyone else encounter this with their pups?
Re: Weight? How old is he? If the vet said he's ok then I wouldn't worry too much, though if you can see his ribs maybe he is a little underweight...
Re: Weight? He's around 5 months now. He weighed around 29 lbs. this morning at his vet appointment. She had us increase his food to 3 cups a day, and he gets some treats throughout the day. I just worry I guess because I can see his ribs, but the vet doesn't seem concerned about it. Maybe I'm just used to Gunner and Lucy. Lucy is a mix of a lab and possibly a pug so she's stout and Gunner was an English lab so was "thicker".
Re: Weight? At 5 months he is just about reaching adolescence which is where they all tend to go a bit lanky and start looking slim or out of proportion. They grow oddly for a while but everything should catch up. 29lbs I think is roughly about 15kg I think...sorry, I don't work with lbs! That's not too bad... Penny was about 10-12kg at that age and is now fully grown at just under 19kg. Some labs are just meant to be slim, especially the working type and if all you've ever see are show type then fatter or chunkier Labradors appear the norm.
Re: Weight? Thanks for the info! He may just be a skinny, lanky lab lol not what I'm used to I guess. As long as the vet isn't concerned I guess I'll try not to worry!
Re: Weight? It's really hard to say as they are all so different ,we've got tiny Penny on here at 19 kgs and then the big boys Jasper and Sam ( I think Sam is 38 kgs? And he is all muscle,not a bit of fat) I've got quite a skinny fully grown boy....he's currently 24.8kgs which is actually a bit heavier than he's been ....he was 22.5 for a long time and I thought perfect but if he had an upset tummy( quite frequent in our lives)he could drop weight quickly and really look too thin so I built him up with an extra small lunch meal and he does look better at this current weight ....several people have commented. I think the rib indicator is for them to have a covering of body fat but you be able to feel them easily and when they turn the last rib should be visible ,also when you look at them from above they should have a defined 'waist' ...
Re: Weight? I don't know if my old thread will help...Benson at 5 months, looked to me a bit thin, you could see his ribs and he weighed 18kg, he is from a stocky line ad being male I expected to weigh a little more at that age. Very healthy and certainly full of beans, I was concerned though. Now at 6 months he weighs 25kg and looks very fit and healthy, his chunky heritage is now becoming apparent I was very worried at the time, convinced something wrong! On reflection it was probably a lanky stage he was going through. I did increase his food intake however as he does get rather a lot of exercise http://www.thelabradorforum.com/index.php?topic=4856.0
Re: Weight? Scout is definitely going through a lanky stage and he seems fine otherwise. Maybe he's just going to be a thinner dog than what I'm used to - I know he has quite a bit of growing left to do lol so maybe he will bulk up in a few months. Scout is skinner than Benson looks in those pics, but pretty close to that size. I will have to get a pic of him if I can. I notice his ribs a lot when I'm standing above him at the water bowl. His father, now that I think about it, wasn't a 'thick' lab - he was muscular but thinner. His mother was bigger but then again she just had a litter of puppies when I saw her lol. He keeps putting on weight so I'm sure that's a good thing and what the vet is watching. He goes again May 17th so I'm sure he'll gain weight even between now and then.
Re: Weight? So - I can't get him still long enough to get a side long view of him..but here's a front view!! LOL
Re: Weight? It's hard to say really from,that picture but he looks a pretty similar build to my Dexter in that position....I'll try and find a pic.I dont think you need to worry if your vet has said he is ok....I know he's a growing pup so he needs all his nutrients but you don't want a puppy to put weight on too quickly and your dog is always going to be in better health staying slim x
Re: Weight? This was Dexter in December 15 months old image by dexterpops02, on Flickr image by dexterpops02, on Flickr Here you go,this was the day he arrived so he was 5 months old.....I watch him to keep him slim but he was too skinny here on my opinion,but the vet told me his weight was ok......... image by dexterpops02, on Flickr And this was the little skinny scrap last week at his Daycare..... image by dexterpops02, on Flickr This is him at 24.8 kgs so slightly heavier than I was using as a baseline but I won't let him go heavier than this......I think I'm on the right track x
Re: Weight? Lovely photos , all of them ;D ;D Sam was a lanky skinny boy at this age too , but filled out nicely as he aged, dont worry , better on the slimmer side than the fatter side
Re: Weight? He's a great weight, Angela. Makes Obi look like a beached whale..... Scout looks good to me too
Re: Weight? Of course it's a whole lot easier keeping Dexter's weight right because of his short tail.
Re: Weight? [quote author=David link=topic=5742.msg74500#msg74500 date=1399463274] Of course it's a whole lot easier keeping Dexter's weight right because of his short tail. [/quote] Ah, of course!!! Heavy Tail Syndrom. THAT's what Lady's got…
Re: Weight? [quote author=Karen link=topic=5742.msg74525#msg74525 date=1399466045] Ah, of course!!! Heavy Tail Syndrom. THAT's what Lady's got… [/quote] That is a so much more appropriate term than what it is actually called!HAPPY tail syndrome......my foot!.....oh sorry,my foot is another post altogether! ;D ;D. ;D
Re: Weight? Poor foot Angela… Also - all going a bit off topic here - meant to say that Scout looks just great! Not too skinny at all.
Re: Weight? Thanks everyone! Comparing him with Dexter I'm not worried as much now - he definitely looks the same as Dexter did at that age! Thanks for all the reassurances!