PUPS

[cymruguy69 5]

Am I right in saying that you can give your pups as much food as they want as long as it doesn't make them obese????

 

Happy Hunting

[Guest oldskool]

i dont think a fat pup wll do any harm mate... you would be surprised at how fast they lose it...

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Important thing around pup's is to Worm the buggers, mate. They'll eat like little horses and swell up like dumplings till ye do. Then, once ye worm them? Bang! Lean machines over night!

 

Doesn't really do to over feed puppies. Else it can be difficult making yeself stop. Ye start getting the emotional feeling that ye being unkind by cutting their rations down to something more sensible. Then ye end up with fat, unhealthy Dogs and a cycle that's a bugger to break. Go easy

[Guest The Big Fish]

Hi Ditch, your words are a suprise to me.

I was always under the impression that you cannot overfeed a puppy!

[Rainmaker 7]

Research indicates that the number of fat cells an adult dog has is determined by how many it "grows" whilst young. So, that fat rolly pup will have a much harder time staying lean and fit when adult, simply because it has a much higher number of fat cells to deal with. In other words, same as with people, you don't LOSE fat cells when you lose weight, you just lose the fat from inside them.

 

This is one of the sources the "easy keeper" and the "hard keeper" divide stems from.

 

Fat pups aren't necessarily healthy pups. I prefer them a LITTLE lean myself. Dare I say it... pups brought up on raw meaty bones and carcasses tend not to gain extra weight and grow at a slower, healthier rate than their artificially fed bretheren. They all end up the right size in the end, I prefer not to have the additional strain of carrying extra weight on them, myself.

Edited January 10, 2007 by RainmakerKennels

[Guest oldskool]

i'm shocked by that myself... i always thought a meaty pup was better than a slim one. i know a pot belly is never a good sign but still i always liked a fleshy pup... you learn somethin new everyday, i guess

[Guest Top Chalker]

I think it depends on the breed of dog , if you were talking lurchers the more the better , lurchers are active dogs and burn it off , if it was one of the bullmastiff types i would be carefull not to over feed jmop.

[witton 6]

My current pup is fed and always has been fed on an exclusive barf diet and she is growing much faster than my previouse two pups that were brought up on good quality complete and cooked mince. She also looks much better than the other 2 did at her age. Im not saying they were in bad condition because they wasn't, they were in fine condition but still not as healthy looking as the new pup. I don't see a problem with fat pups, i dont mind putting more effort in when they are older to keep them fit, it only takes a couple of weeks of hard lamping and a bit of roadwork and they will be in fine fettle anyway. Barf gives the pups weight in all the right places compared to dry which leaves you with chubby pups, well thats what i have found and is my opinion. That fat will soon turn to muscle

David

[jacob 28]

My current pup is fed and always has been fed on an exclusive barf diet and she is growing much faster than my previouse two pups that were brought up on good quality complete and cooked mince. She also looks much better than the other 2 did at her age. Im not saying they were in bad condition because they wasn't, they were in fine condition but still not as healthy looking as the new pup. I don't see a problem with fat pups, i dont mind putting more effort in when they are older to keep them fit, it only takes a couple of weeks of hard lamping and a bit of roadwork and they will be in fine fettle anyway. Barf gives the pups weight in all the right places compared to dry which leaves you with chubby pups, well thats what i have found and is my opinion. That fat will soon turn to muscle

David

little and often mate

[Guest Top Chalker]

My current pup is fed and always has been fed on an exclusive barf diet and she is growing much faster than my previouse two pups that were brought up on good quality complete and cooked mince. She also looks much better than the other 2 did at her age. Im not saying they were in bad condition because they wasn't, they were in fine condition but still not as healthy looking as the new pup. I don't see a problem with fat pups, i dont mind putting more effort in when they are older to keep them fit, it only takes a couple of weeks of hard lamping and a bit of roadwork and they will be in fine fettle anyway. Barf gives the pups weight in all the right places compared to dry which leaves you with chubby pups, well thats what i have found and is my opinion. That fat will soon turn to muscle

David

 

 

Witton , you should reverse that , some hard road work , and a little lamping untill the dog is nice and tight

[Guest MOLLY]

I just used common sense. If the pup looked too fat or a bit thin, i adjusted accordingly. I liked them tubby but not fat little barrels, i think it still puts strain on thier little organs joints etc whilst developing if too fat, JMO.

MOLL.

[skycat 6,174]

I agree with Molly and DS: they shouldn't be too fat. Some pups, especially terriers, can be just so greedy that they have no 'cut off' switch to tell them they are full. They will literally eat until they are groaning and cannot move. Definitely NOT healthy.

IMO both terrier and lurcher pups (except Salukis who should always look thinner!) should have a good elastic covering of excess skin and flesh (to allow for growing into LOL), but they shouldn't look like Labrador pups, and you should be able to feel their bones beneath that layer. It is absolutely true about the number of fat cells: they are formed in infancy, or early puppyhood, and if too many develop during this period the adult will always be predisposed to being over weight: its been proven with humans.

[Guest the poacher]

i feed my pups twice a day till around 5 montths old then on one meal like the rest of the dogs

[brock 11]

keep weight on them,but dont let them get obese

[welshhound2 20]

little but often mate!