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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

Vet nurse says puppy is a little tubby!

16 replies

needastrongone · 11/02/2013 16:39

Went to the vets today for worming, flea and nails clipped etc, plus anal glands (phew, what a pong!)

Springer puppy is 16 weeks and 9.5kg but nurse suggested he's a little too tubby as you can't see his ribs.

He gets his weighed allowance of kibble, I then take some of this away so that I can use high value treats like tiny pieces of chicken and liver for specific training. He also gets maybe two tiny chicken wings a week to chew on as a treat and a bit if chopped raw carrot. That's it.

I read somewhere that at 16 weeks, he's roughly half adult weight so even adding a couple of kilos to this general equation that's still on the smaller size for the breed.

He's getting tons of exercise and I won't be increasing that anytime soon.

Any ideas where I can cut back or should I just monitor? Are puppies like babies, he might be due a growth spurt? DD got a bit tubby ore growth!!

OP posts:

Original poster

needastrongone · 11/02/2013 16:40

Pre growth spurt, sorry.

OP posts:

miggy · 11/02/2013 16:42

I wouldnt worry to be honest, you shouldnt expect to feel a pups ribs really.
In over twenty years have never seen a fat puppy as a cause for concern, suspect young enthusiastic vet nurse extrapolating from adult guidelines.

Kormachameleon · 11/02/2013 16:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ditavonteesed · 11/02/2013 16:45

raw chicken bones should be fine, its only cooked ones that are a problem.

Original poster

needastrongone · 11/02/2013 17:27

Thanks, I will monitor to be honest rather than change anything at present.

The chicken wings are raw, which I think is fine? I know you cant feed cooked ones as they splinter. He loves them!!

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alwaysworking · 11/02/2013 17:33

i work on being able to feel the ribs as if they were under a thin blanket and could be felt easily but not actually seen. also you need to be able to feel the spine along the back in the same kind of way.

i don't think it matters if you can see rib but again i don't think it makes your dog fat if you can't.

alwaysworking · 11/02/2013 17:35

I don't suppose this question over his weight ended (or started) with a conversation about the very best kibble to be on was the one in their waiting area?

cynical old sod i am but my first puppy check up was just an opportunity to get me in a room and sell to me so now i rather expect it.

Kormachameleon · 11/02/2013 17:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SpicyPear · 11/02/2013 19:20

SpicyPup is 6 months and went through stages of chubbing up before each little growth spurt. I'd just start wondering if he was getting fat then almost overnight he'd have stretched out!

I would just keep an eye on it. There was a very fat puppy at the classes we went to and vet nurse just said to owner to monitor it.

Original poster

needastrongone · 11/02/2013 20:03

No worries re chicken wings!

Thanks all, I will monitor him. He was one of the smallest of the litter and does love his grub(now he doesn't have to fight for it, which the breeder says he always lost, being quite placid so they fed him separately for a time) but will leave some if full, although this is rare tbh.

They sell Hills, I think. The nurse did ask what food he was on, he eats Taste of the Wild, which is grain free and about as bloody expensive as you can get (I really don't mind this), so I know he is getting a high quality diet, therefore her comment surprised me a little, his diet is important to us.

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TeaOneSugar · 11/02/2013 20:41

In my experience some vets are a bit obsessed with being able to see ribs, we had a springer who was always a lovely weight, the vet commented on her weight everytime we took her in for years and years (we lost her at 15) we just ignored him after the first few times.

We have a 6.5 month old cocker now who's just been for his 6 month healthcheck, I was sure we'd get a comment about his weight, as he's already 13.2kg, against an average adult weight of 13.8kg, but amazingly his weight was declared fine for his build, he's just tall for his age.

Baffledandbewildered · 13/02/2013 21:35

Puppies should always be well covered in my opinion. If they eat a sensible diet are active and not barrels on legs they are fine. At four months your pup has so much growing To do and if they get a bit poorly they can loose weight dangerously quick. We used to breed springer and I would certainly not want to see ribs on a pup.

frustratedworkingmum · 13/02/2013 21:37

you shouldnt be able to see his ribs, you should be able to feel them.

Original poster

needastrongone · 14/02/2013 11:07

Thanks again for the further replies.

A friend did mention that to me the other day, i.e that her dog became very ill as a puppy and became extremely thin indeed.

Obviously not condoning feeding my puppy 'up' to cover all eventualities but I can feel his ribs when I stroke him, he eats an excellent diet and gets a very good amount of exercise. All these things will continue.

He has energy, a glossy coat and is a happy puppy. He also is STARVING when he does get fed (well, you would think so anyway!), so ready for his grub.

There are just one or two things I will cut out, if I do roasties for Sunday lunch (maybe once every 2/3 weeks), I use a bit of goose fat and puppy might get the dregs mixed into his kibble. It's very rare and just small stuff that I can think of but I will cut out anyway.

Plus, wicker baskets must be very fattening as he eats so many of them

I will continue!

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fanoftheinvisibleman · 14/02/2013 11:28

This has made me smile as vet nurse descibed my pup as on the chunky side the other week. Dh said he had to turn away as my face was a picture...he was full expecting me to leap over the table with 'Are you calling my puppy fat?'

Seriously though I am not worried as you can easily feel his ribs, he has an obvious waist and abdominal tuck also obvious.

I think sometimes there is no room for movement in guides. My pup at 6 months is 7.2 kg and 6 - 7 kg is always the quoted range for male adult Border Terriers. But I have noticed since we got him that they seem to vary greatly in overall size. We met a 3 yo bitch at the weekend who was way smaller than ours. But there is a pair on our street that really are quite tall in comparison. Ours is very leggy so I think he is going to end up as one the long legged taller ones. They seem to vary a lot in size between the more compact amd taller ones so I struggle to see how 1 kg can cover it. I presume the weight ranges refer to breed standard preferred and maybe the smaller compact ones are preferred show standard? Never been to shows though so just guessing!

mistlethrush · 14/02/2013 11:41

We rescued a very tubby little puppy at 4 months old, years ago. We didn't know what she'd turn out like. She grew up into an elegant, lithe dog that you couldn't get more weight onto and she kept her figure all her life, and was able to eat as much food as she wanted (ie she had a bowl of all-in-one available at all times)(she was a pro scavenger and beggar too and would put on a fantastic 'but my owners starve me' face (and had the ribs to prove it))

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