Puppy weight issues

11512 Views 26 Replies 12 Participants Last post by Mikey T, Jul 17, 2010

leann.westman

Discussion Starter · Jun 28, 2010

HI everyone! I am new here! My name is Leann and my Basset's name is Maggie! She is 3 months old and full of energy!!!! I just adopted her from an adoption agency that I had a lot of health issues with.

In trying to keep everything short, I will just say that when I brought her home on 5/27/2010, she had Kennel Cough. She went to the vet and weighed in at 7.13lbs. They took her into quarantine for 10 days and when I got her back on the 6/7/2010, she STILL weighed 7.13lbs! 3 days later on 6/10/2010, she had a vet appointment where she weighed in at 9.35lbs. The vet told us to put her on a diet. (It's the adoption agencies vet who I HATE and I don't agree with!!! She also came out of quarantine with this vet with ear mites, coccidiosis and RINGWORM!!!) I don't think that at 11 weeks she should have weighed 9lbs!!! She is now 3 months old and weighing in at 13.2lbs.

Does anyone on here have any suggestions for putting some weight on her? She isn't anywhere as skinny as she was when I got her, but she is still "ribby" and I would like to have some more weight on her! Other than the health issues (which have been medically treated by MY vet) she is generally healthy and active. We are potty-training and leash training smoothly. I am just curious if someone might have some suggestions with getting weight on Basset's. Also, she is a "grazer" instead of a "horker" with her food. She would much rather nibble throughout the day than have specific feeding times. And, she LOVES treats..all kinds of treats, but that's just being a Basset!

I don't know if that helps or not.

All in all, if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it! And also, I would like to say hello to everyone and thanks for having us here!

Leann and Maggie (Westman's Rollynn in the Ryver)

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21 - 27 of 27 Posts

CharlieSue

· #21 · Jun 30, 2010

Josie's Dad- thanks for posting the pictures! Josie is growing up and really looking like a basset. In one of her earlier pictures-the one on the beach, the angle of the pic gave her a slight dachshund look to her. She definitely is maturing into a beautiful basset!

Maggie's Mom- I am glad to hear things are better too. She is a beautiful dog! How old is she now and what is her weight? Has it gotten better?

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Josie's Dad

· #22 · Jun 30, 2010

Yeah, since she's so small, people think she's a beagle.

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leann.westman

Discussion Starter · #23 · Jul 7, 2010

Update on Maggie....Sorry, it's been a while! We moved to a new house and I have been super busy getting moved and all the animals adjusted to having a big house and yard! Anyway! I took Maggie to her Dr appointment last Thursday (7/1/2010) and she is 100% healthy. All of the ailments she had are gone. The ringworm is gone! I asked the vet about her weight and she said that Maggie is on the skinny side, but its not the scary skinny. She said Maggie should gain weight quickly now that she is healthy. She weighed in at 13.6lbs. She also said that what I am feeding her is fine and she will eat when she is hungry.

I am so glad she is healthy and happy. With our new house, she has a fenced in yard to run around and play in. She LOVES exploring all the new scents and smells!

Thanks to everyone for the great advice!

Also, I finally got a chance to get online and submit her registration with the AKC, so now she is official!!!

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dogbite-expert

· #24 · Jul 12, 2010

gaining weight

Hi,

It is clear that you want to put more weight on her. She sounds healthy and active. In my experience it is preferable for a dog to be lean than have any
extra weight on them. Do you believe she would be healthier if she was heavier?

If there is any question I would recommend visiting another vet for a second opinion?

Ron Berman - Dog Expert, Bite Expert, D.A.B.F.E., Expert Witness and Consultant for Litigation

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vb3

· #25 · Jul 13, 2010

I was kind of disappointed when Rosco didn't turn out to be a 70-lb adult. He's pretty lean at around 40-50 lbs but the advice to not worry about them being lean is definitely good. I would rather have him around at 45 lbs for a long time than have him leave me early due to being overweight. Plus (I have said this before in other posts) when I walk him and Layla on a tandem leash I probably wouldn't want 150 lbs of basset hound on the end!

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Blitz101

· #26 · Jul 17, 2010 (Edited)

hmmm, I just read through here since I am having problems how to feed my puppy. Blitz is almost 5 months old and weighs 34 pounds. I can only feel the ribs but can`t see them. I went after the feeding chart on the food bag and even feed less than that. I feed him 3 times about 1 cup a day since my vet recommended that better 3 small meals than one or two big meals......

He is active and runs around with my beagle. She won`t let him sleep too long, lol!

I wanted reduce the food when he turns 5 months on the 21.

I am afraid that he might get fat since they say its not good for bassets because of their back and joints, so how can I tell if he doesn`t have a healthy weight???

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Mikey T

· #27 · Jul 17, 2010

went after the feeding chart on the food bag and even feed less than that

I have never owned a dog that would not have been overweight if fed the minimium reccomend on a dog food bag. The only way to to judge the wight of the dog is by body condition below are a number of articles/charts/methods

Dog Diet Do's and Don’t's

According to Dr. Tony Buffington, Professor of Clinical Nutrition, Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, your puppy can be fed a regimen of specific caloric intake compared to his body condition score (BCS), using a simple one to five scale, from overly thin to obese. Using manufacturer feeding recommendations as an initial starting point, feed your puppy to a score of two and maintain this weight until he's fully grown. Feed whatever amount is necessary to maintain a BCS of two during the growth period, realizing that dogs have varying growth rates and activity levels. Once his adult stature is achieved, you may allow him to reach a score of three.

...

　
2 = Thin - Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones less prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.
3 = Moderate - Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.

Corpulent Canines?

have assessed the weight on hundreds of dogs of a variety of breeds over the past year at seminars all over the country and a conservative estimate is that about 50% of the dogs that I see are overweight; approximately 25% are actually obese. These are not couch potato dogs. These are dogs whose owners expect them to jump in obedience, to run over rough ground in retrieving tests, and to perform in agility

...People don't know how to determine the correct weight for their dogs. Dogs vary in height, bone structure, and muscularity, so there is no one correct weight for a dog of any given breed. The best way to determine whether a dog is overweight is to test 3 different parts of the body: the neck, the ribs, and the hips.

<LI type=a>To check the neck, press your thumb and index finger deep into the side of the neck just ahead of the shoulder, and pinch them together. If your fingers are more than 1/2" apart, the dog is overweight. (Note: this is where old dogs tend to carry most of their excess fat, and they may actually be thin in other locations.) <LI type=a>To check the ribs, stand with your dog beside you, facing his butt. Place your thumb on the middle of his spine half way down the back and spread your fingers out over his last few ribs. Then run your fingers up and down along his skin. You should be able to feel the bumps of his ribs without pressing in.

To check the hips, run your hand over your dog's croup. You should be able to feel the bumps of his two pelvic bones without pressing down.

Some of you may be reading this and thinking, "I would never want my dog to be that skinny!" Think about the Olympic athletes. If you want your dog to be an athlete then it is only fair that you do what you can to help him achieve the body that he will need to perform and stay healthy and injury free for many years.

Understanding your Dog's Body Condition includes purina body condition chart.

4. Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. Waist easily noted, viewed from above. Abdominal tuck evident.
5. Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above. Abdomen tucked up when viewed.

Purina® Study Confirms Link Between Body Fat and Chronic Health Conditions

Other Purina research found that most owners couldn't accurately assess their dogs' body conditions. When owner and expert scores were compared, only 28 percent of owners characterized their pets as above ideal body condition, while 79 percent of the experts scored those same animals to be above ideal body condition. Dr. Larson says this gap is serious because pet owners are not likely to recognize that their pets are overweight and even moderate excess body fat can lead to problems.

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