Ravenous pup?

[diplodocus]

For the last week or so our 7 month pup appears to be ravenous. She's constantly butting at the door where we keep her food and rattling her bowl and is incredibly food focused when training (a bonus!). We give her a fairly generous daily portion of kibble based on her weight divided into three meals plus extras for training and the odd edible chew etc. When we got her she was quite underweight as she came from a rescue (and she wasn't nearly so hungry then!) but now I would say she was about right - she's a cross so a bit difficult to judge but you can no longer see her ribs but can feel them easily. She looks extremely healthy and is full of energy. We were wondering if this could be the lead up to her first season? Any ideas? Not sure what to do as don't want to overfeed, but equally obviously don't want her to be hungry.

[daisydotandgertie]

When was she last wormed?

[diplodocus]

Less than a month ago, so not that I don't think.

[headlesslambrini]

check her poo's, even though she was wormed recently, it might still be that. I think pup's need worming more every 6 weeks or so. Also, ring the vet nurse, they should be able to help you over the phone.

[diplodocus]

Thanks all. Certainly nothing obvious in her poos. And she's certainly not loosing weight - if anything she's continuing to gain a bit.

[moosemama]

Sorry diplodocus, I can't remember what breed she is.

Sighthounds and probably other lean breeds can appear to have an appetite increase when the cold weather starts up. If you think about it, they're having to burn more calories to keep warm. If you combine that with a possible growth spurt that could well be it, especially if she appears, happy, healthy and full of energy.

Is she spayed and if not, has she had her first season yet? Appetite can vary, but I've had bitches that lost their appetite and others that were clearly wanting more food when they were coming into season.

[diplodocus]

Thanks Moosemama - you're not the only one who doesn't know what she is - we don't either! She's some sort of terrier / hound / spaniel mix possibly. Not a particularly lean dog (I would say shape-wise she's a bit like a small pointer) but yes, it could be the cold weather and a growth spurt. She's not spayed (we're waiting until after her first season) so was wondering about that. Should I be feeding extra do you think, despite the fact her weight is fine?

[moosemama]

Ah yes, I remember now. Sorry, I have memory ishoos.

If she's still gaining ok, I wouldn't necessarily up her food.

Does the food you feed go by existing weight or predicted adult weight? Mine goes by predicted adult weight and because Pip's a crossbreed I've had to adjust it several times. He is still extremely lean, despite now being on the intake for a large breed and getting extra kongs etc on top. The vet assures me he's very healthy and she has no concerns about him, she thinks his svelte figure is down to his Saluki heritage.

Is she short-haired? Could you maybe try a little housecoat for her and see if that helps.

[diplodocus]

Thanks. Yes, we work out her food on expected weight, but are quite generous because as you say we have no real idea what size she'll end up at. She's now 7 months and a medium size so am not expecting her to grow an awful lot more. She's fairly short haired (although not as short as a greyhound type dog) so coat might be an idea - she tolerated a thundershirt well (but it didn't work!).

[moosemama]

If you still have the thundershirt, perhaps trying giving that a go. It's another layer for warmth, even if it doesn't work to calm her.

[diplodocus]

I returned for a refund as they are fiendishly expensive, but can get her something else.

[moosemama]

I'm not surprised, I did the same when it didn't work for Lurcherboy.

There are 1000's of very cheap coats and fleecy things on Ebay.

[daisydotandgertie]

Up her food.

As you're not sure what size she will end up, it must be pretty hard to feed to predicted adult weight. What does she weigh now and how much are you feeding? And what food?

[diplodocus]

She's about 11 - 12kg at 7/8 months and we estimated her final weight at around 15kg. Does that sound reasonable? She gets about 260gms James Wellbeloved Junior plus extra / liver cake etc. for training, in kongs etc so would say at least 300gms plus a dental chew or similar. She's continuing to gain weight and also increase in height (slowly now - was quite rapid when we first got her due to her being so underweight) and I'd say her weight was pretty much perfect now for her build / size.

[moosemama]

What are you basing the 15kg on? Sounds low for a hound, but I suppose if the spaniel/terrier has brought her size down that could account for it.

Pip is 23 1/2" tall and weighs 18kg at 6 months, but he's a sighthound - all legs and very ribby.

If you are happy that she's well-covered and healthy and she is still gaining both weight and height well, then you're probably the best judge.

You could jiggle her food a bit and see what happens. She doesn't sound in danger of getting too chunky, which is never good for growing pups, so as long as you're monitoring her weight, it wouldn't do any harm to up her intake a bit and see what happens.

Lots of anecdotal lore says that medium to large dogs tend to have a growth spurt somewhere between 6 and 8 months, so it could be that.



The only way you'll know is to up her intake and see what happens.

[diplodocus]

Yes, she's smaller than most hounds except beagles - currently about the size of a cocker, so have estimated midway between a cocker and springer. Will give her a bit more in the evening when she seems most hungry and see how it goes. Thanks everyone.