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Is my puppy fat?

28 replies

Fatopupo · 27/02/2020 12:33

Shes a pug

20 weeks

5.3kg

I can't find a chart to say what she should weigh at this age.

Is my puppy fat?
Is my puppy fat?
Is my puppy fat?
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ACoupleofPeaches · 27/02/2020 12:38

www.thepugdiary.com/is-your-pug-overweight/

Body shape is a better method of determining whether a dog is overweight, than just scale numbers.

It's hard to tell from your photos because they are sitting down or being held so compare her against the link above when shes standing.

Better a little bit under, than a little bit over - especially at a young age.

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Fatopupo · 27/02/2020 12:50

Ah. I'll take a photo of her from a birds eye view when I get home! Thanks

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greedygutty · 27/02/2020 13:24

Googled this , hope it helps

Is my puppy fat?
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Fatopupo · 27/02/2020 14:33

Hmm. By that at 4 months she is heavier :/

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Fatopupo · 28/02/2020 08:38

From above

Is my puppy fat?
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Fatopupo · 28/02/2020 08:38

She's 5.6kg not 5.3

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ACoupleofPeaches · 28/02/2020 09:21

I'd place her about a 7 or 8 on the scale in the link above Sad

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heatseeker14 · 28/02/2020 09:24

I look at my pup’s weight but also look at his body condition. My pup was quite chunky when he was really small. The vet wasn’t concerned because he could feel his spine/ribs, not easily though. He is now 7 months old and looks a healthy size.

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DreamingOfSummerDays · 28/02/2020 09:32

She's still growing. Just like children, she'll keep chunky, then have a growth spurt.

Just because she's a pug, doesn't mean you know how big she'll be when she's fully grown.

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Fatopupo · 28/02/2020 09:34

She's a pug cross but with another small breed.

I just don't want her to be an overweight pupper as I know it's can have a detrimental effect.

I might pop round to the vets for a check in and see what they think.

She is still a baby so I'm not super concerned, but I wouldn't want her to head into adulthood with extra fluff.

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Smartanimal · 28/02/2020 09:36

Puppies are supposed to be chubby. Just like human babies.

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adaline · 28/02/2020 09:46

She does look a bit chunky to me.

However, at such a young age I wouldn't be too concerned. Just make sure you're feeding her as per the guidelines and that she's getting the right amount of exercise for her age. You can also cut down on food and add veggies instead (just prepare yourself for the farts Grin) if you want.

Mine loves broccoli, carrots and sweetcorn!

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ACoupleofPeaches · 28/02/2020 09:49

At 4 months old most start leaning out and losing that little puppy roly-poly look.

A vet check seems very sensible.

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Fatopupo · 28/02/2020 09:52

I don't know if it's just her body shape as she's a cross too. She's very 'stubby'

Short body and very short legs.

Almost bulldog like

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adaline · 28/02/2020 09:52

Puppies are supposed to be chubby. Just like human babies.

Hmm, I'd disagree. At 2-3 months of age, yes, but at 5 months they should be getting much leaner. Dogs shouldn't be chubby - it's really not healthy for them and can have awful effects on their joints and general health.

Too many social media pages where people think chubby pets are cute Sad

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BiteyShark · 28/02/2020 10:08

We had the opposite where you could see my dogs ribs as a puppy/young dog and my vets were very keen to stress that it was actually better to be a bit skinny rather than chubby as it was much better for their joints.

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adaline · 28/02/2020 10:18

We had the opposite where you could see my dogs ribs as a puppy/young dog and my vets were very keen to stress that it was actually better to be a bit skinny rather than chubby as it was much better for their joints.

Same here! Ours was pretty skinny as a pup and lots of people told me we weren't feeding him enough - err, no. Dogs aren't meant to be fat!

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SutterCane · 28/02/2020 11:26

She does look rather chunky and, given her breed (well, cross but she does look and sound very pig-like) I would actually want to slim her down a bit to protect her joints.

Although they’re not a large breed pugs are very prone to hip dysplasia. It’s thought that it’s not the overall size of the dog that predisposes them to it but their weight relative to their size. So small chunky breeds (like pugs or bulldogs) are at higher risk than much larger but slender breeds (like borzoi or other sighthounds). Excess weight, especially whilst growing, is a major contributing factor to the development of hip dysplasia.

I’d recommend reading these two very informative articles: ‘The 10most important things to know about canine hip dysplasia and ‘Citizen Scientists: Let’s do something about hip dysplasia!’.

If she is very pug-like in overall build and head shape then keeping her slimmer will also help with her breathing, being overweight exacerbates the issues the breed/type are extremely prone to.

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TalaxuArmiuna · 28/02/2020 11:30

Our vets had a really useful tool to help understand pet obesity - it was like a book but it actually had tactile furry squares with different amounts of padding so that you can feel what the rib cage should feel like for a pet who isn't too fat or too thin. If you can't feel the rib cage at all, he is definitely too fat! You don't want each rib clearly feelable (that would be starving) but should be able to detect the ribs through the fur. Ask your vet if they have this, it looked like the sort of thing that many vets would have.

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Herpesfreesince03 · 28/02/2020 11:34

Definitely fat, her head looks tiny compared to her body. And while pug are fairly ‘barrel’ shaped, you should still see definition of the neck/shoulders/ribs/waist/hips, and you can’t really see any of those on your dog. And it’s a myth that puppies (or babies) can’t be overweight

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Toria70 · 28/02/2020 11:38

At 20 weeks when you can't walk them far, I wouldn't worry too much.

Just make sure you're not adding in treats etc, dogs don't need them. And weigh the food out for the weight they should be, not what they are if that makes sense. We used scales a lot with our sprocker as she was the opposite and looked half starved.

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EmeraldsAtDawn · 28/02/2020 11:43

This puppy is going to be healthier walked a bit more and eating a bit less.

There is little evidence to link exercise to joint problems - despite the mythical 5min rule - and much more that links excess weight to joint problems, especially if that weight comes when they are young and bones are forming etc.

Beware manufacturer guidelines on feeding. They are often much more than the dog needs. For e.g. my young, healthy, intact male dog who walks 2-3 hours off lead every day, only eats about 60% of the recommended food for his age and weight. Any more and he gains weight.

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adaline · 28/02/2020 11:53

At 20 weeks when you can't walk them far, I wouldn't worry too much.

The five minute rule is a bit of a myth, really. What it means is don't force your dog to walk stupid distances on hard surfaces. Running about off-lead on grass isn't going to do them much harm and will be excellent for both their joints, weight and socialisation skills.

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Fatopupo · 28/02/2020 14:48

She doesn't get the exercise her brother does as he is older. She gets tired so goes on smaller walks.

She doesn't have any treats apart from dehydrated turkey breast and dehydrated lamb heart (my older dog has lots of allergies so we make our own plain treats)

And she is raw fed.

I'll admit she does have SLIGHTLY more than the recommended daily as I split the blocks the raw food come into 4 for the day rather than cutting the 15% off

So I will stop doing that.

She has a pea head, she always has. Even when small and scrawnier her head looked tiny 😂

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Stellaris22 · 28/02/2020 14:52

I have never gone with the 5 min rule, it's absolutely not enough exercise and seems cruel to limit exercise for a playful puppy. I think it is a useful guideline to not do too much, but agree socialisation is much more important. Unfortunately it's all too often that breeds like mine (basset) are seen as cute when in reality they are going to be suffering from leg and back problems because of excess weight.

I wouldn't worry too much OP, but it's good to check. I go by feeling the rib cage rather than weight and weigh food carefully.

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