Hubby concerned puppy gaining wait too fast

WolfRyder · 05-10-2007, 04:16 PM

My husband took Ripley, the 13 week old puppy, to the vet today. She weighed in at a whopping 22.5 pounds. That's a 2 pound a week gain since we've had her (about 5 weeks now).

I say it's fine. I have her on large breed puppy food (Royal Canin) and she's not fat at all. He thinks 2 pounds a week is too much.

She's a lab/border collie mix but every day looks more like a lab. Same tail, coat, head shape, face shape, body shape, etc. I'm expecting her to top out around 55 - 60 pounds or more (her mom, the BC, weighed in around 45 pounds at 2 years old) and may take after her father, whom I've never met.

Is there a "standard" for weight gain for puppies?

The vet didn't mention her weight one way or the other, so it can't be that serious.

Opinions, ideas, reassurance?

Novel · 05-11-2007, 09:34 PM

As long as she is not fat... in fact I prefer puppies on the thin side, where you can see a bit of rib... then I wouldn't worry, especially as she is a mix. You really have no idea what kind of weight gain she is going to go through, or how big she is going to be, so limiting her growth could be just as dangerous as over doing it.

WolfRyder · 05-12-2007, 06:13 AM

Thanks Novel

I'm monitoring her food/activity level and she's not fat at all.

Very lanky, in fact (my daughter calls her boney). Her ribs don't stick out (like too little food) but they're not "padded" either. She has a puppy tummy, but not huge. I can easily see the outline of her lower 2 ribs when she's standing.

I'll try to take some pictures this weekend.

Novel · 05-12-2007, 09:23 PM

Sounds like you're just going to have a big girl on your hands!! When choosing a kibble, try and keep the protein levels a bit lower... what differentiates puppy foods from adult... and you should be just fine.

Of course, we'd all love to see pictures.

05-10-2007, 04:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
WolfRyder Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Midwest Posts: 259 Rep Power: 55	Hubby concerned puppy gaining wait too fast My husband took Ripley, the 13 week old puppy, to the vet today. She weighed in at a whopping 22.5 pounds. That's a 2 pound a week gain since we've had her (about 5 weeks now). I say it's fine. I have her on large breed puppy food (Royal Canin) and she's not fat at all. He thinks 2 pounds a week is too much. She's a lab/border collie mix but every day looks more like a lab. Same tail, coat, head shape, face shape, body shape, etc. I'm expecting her to top out around 55 - 60 pounds or more (her mom, the BC, weighed in around 45 pounds at 2 years old) and may take after her father, whom I've never met. Is there a "standard" for weight gain for puppies? The vet didn't mention her weight one way or the other, so it can't be that serious. Opinions, ideas, reassurance?
	__________________ Ripley & Bobbie Lab/BC mix & Lab/Vizsla/BC mix

05-12-2007, 06:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
WolfRyder Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Midwest Posts: 259 Rep Power: 55	Thanks Novel I'm monitoring her food/activity level and she's not fat at all. Very lanky, in fact (my daughter calls her boney). Her ribs don't stick out (like too little food) but they're not "padded" either. She has a puppy tummy, but not huge. I can easily see the outline of her lower 2 ribs when she's standing. I'll try to take some pictures this weekend.
	__________________ Ripley & Bobbie Lab/BC mix & Lab/Vizsla/BC mix

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05-11-2007, 09:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Novel Boxer Mom Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 4,854 Blog Entries: 1 Rep Power: 214	As long as she is not fat... in fact I prefer puppies on the thin side, where you can see a bit of rib... then I wouldn't worry, especially as she is a mix. You really have no idea what kind of weight gain she is going to go through, or how big she is going to be, so limiting her growth could be just as dangerous as over doing it.

05-12-2007, 09:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
Novel Boxer Mom Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Madison, WI Posts: 4,854 Blog Entries: 1 Rep Power: 214	Sounds like you're just going to have a big girl on your hands!! When choosing a kibble, try and keep the protein levels a bit lower... what differentiates puppy foods from adult... and you should be just fine. Of course, we'd all love to see pictures.

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