Puppy Weight

missbeckydee

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#1
I tried posting this elsewhere and had no luck...maybe someone can help me?

I have a question about puppy growth/weight. I took Jester to the vet recently and he said that Jester is heavier than he would like to see. He called him 15-20 pounds overweight. He said that we should be able to see his ribs. He is 8 months old and weighs about 60-70 pounds. Does that mean that a normal 8 month old male Lab should weigh between 50-55 pounds? He is not chubby at all (you can see his muscles though his skin), and he has cute little hips. We exercise him at least 2 hours everyday. He plays with Fiona (his little ACD girl) 3 times a week, he's walked daily, and we play ball at least 3 times a day. I'm confused, because everyone here has a dog (most of them are Labs, like Jester) and he looks just like them. His friend Brinkley (a Golden) is 2 months younger than him and is almost exactly the same size as him. I would agree if his weight were fat, but he is solid muscle -- and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat. I feed him exactly what his dog food says we should feed him for his age/weight group. I just want my little guy to be as healthy as possible. His breed has a risk of hip displaysia, and I know that extra weight exacerbates the problem. Do you guys think he is at an unhealthy weight? :(
 

MomOf7

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#3
Well Since I cant see him its hard to say weather or not he is overwieght.
Here are a few pics of my dogs they are in shape. Maybe this will give you a good idea as to where your pup is. Also many labs at that age usually dont show any ribs. Heres the pics with the ages

7mo old pup of mine.


His brother


again


My 15mo old male
 

MomOf7

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#5
See how the tummys tuck up by the back legs?
If your pup looks like a corndog then its too big. There should be some tucking of the tummy and maybe a rib or two. Usually pups dont show ribs till they get a lil older. Thats my experience
 

missbeckydee

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#6
Thanks so much for the replies!!! I don't have a current pic of him where you can see a side profile of him, but he looks like your yellow lab pup (especially when he's all wet after playing in his pool :) ). I'll try to take a pic of him tomorrow (my husband may have taken the camera on TDY, so I dunno if that'll be possible). His tummy does go in at his hips...you can literally see his hip muscles when he stands (I know in humans it's the gluteus medius on the superior lateral hip, so I'm guessing the same-ish for dogs? Just to give a point of reference...). I can see where his rib cage ends because it goes in a little more, but not individual ribs. They're definately palpable, though. My poor pup. :( I've been pokin' at him ever since the vet said something! Thanks so much for posting those pics, though. They really helped! :hail: Your dogs are also gorgeous. I hope Jester grows up to be that good-looking! Lord knows he can't survive off of his little brain alone!
 

MomOf7

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#7
LOL I figured he was fine but I wanted to encourage you!
Those darn vets confuse us sometimes huh? LOL
cant wait to see pics of your baby boy! I bet he is gorgeous!
 
L

LabBreeder

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#8
Mom is right.

Here are some pictures of my 2 year old and my 6 month old. Tira (2 yrs - black) weighs 70 lbs and could stand to lose 5 lbs. Gunner (chocolate - 6 mo) weighs almost as much as she does...but he's not overweight, he is just going to top out at a healthy 90-100 lbs full grown. You can see how big his father, sister, brother and mother are in the pic below.

Until we see a pic of your Lab, it's hard to say if he's overweight or not.







 

missbeckydee

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#9
Alrighty....well, it only took me forever to respond because the hubby went TDY with the camera and his knowledge of getting the photos off the camera and onto the computer. So I took a few pic of Jester, and lemme know what you think! Thanks!

I can't help it....I love his little face! (Jester's, I mean)


It was hard to get the little guy to settle down for his photo shoot!


Mostly because he thought chasing his tail was more fun...*sigh* :rolleyes: Okay, this pic doesn't have anything to do with showing you guys his weight, but I think it's so cute!
 
L

LabBreeder

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#11
I don't think he's overweight at all. Some vets go by the "standard" more than others. If he lost 20 lbs he'd be anorexic and close to death, IMO. ;) He looks perfect and very handsome.
 

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