Weight Gain

[Adrian Prisk 6]

Hi my cocker spaniel is 9months old and weighs 13.4 kilos. The thing is he's been this weight for 5 weeks. He is being fed on jwbelloved , slightly more then is reccommended on the bag for his age/weight. Also he will have cubed chicken breast for treats/training. He stands about 16in high (measured from floor to top of shoulder while sat up, right or wrong ?). He has a waist can feel but not see his ribs. Its just that 3 quarters of him is perfect. His chest shoulders front legs are strong and muscled. But the last quarter his lower part of spine and hips stick out when sat. His rear legs look gangly nothing like his front legs. The vets happy . Is this normal growing process will the rest catch up or do I up his food (he always looking for it lol). Thanks

[socks 32,253]

Has the dog been wormed lately with a good wormer ........

[skycat 6,173]

It is normal for a pup's growth rate to slow right down at around 9 months, especially in a smaller breed like a Spaniel. He may have reached his adult height, but it could take another 6 months or so for him to fill out properly, put on adult muscle etc. His skeleton might go on growing very slowly until he is just over a year old, but not so as you would notice much.

 

A lot depends on how much exercise he is getting, and what sort of temperament he has too: a lot of galloping, or a hyper temperament, will mean that he is running off most of the food you give him, but again, he could be absolutely fine.

 

Your pup is a bit like a teenage boy at the moment: lanky in some places and not in others. So long as he is full of energy and happy I wouldn't worry.

[Adrian Prisk 6]

Ya wormed with drontal . skycat , teenage boy sounds spot on. Hes full of energy . He gets between hour and half and 2 hours weekdays over 3 outings. And longer on weekends. I will keep food as it is at moment .thanks

[Adrian Prisk 6]

Just a follow up to original post. Does my cocker need to put on a bit more weight? Ive tried to put up a couple of picks (first time). Just that when the wife takes him on the school walk shes getting moaned at saying the dog is to thin. He eats more then is reccommended. He does get a fair bit of exercise. Managed to get 2 reasonable pictures side on and from above.

[foxhound 9]

Looks ok to me,i've got a small springer that looked just like that until he muscled up at about 12-14 months,the ones who moan about underweight dogs are normally the one's with an obese chocolate lab that they are feeding to death!

[bobkizzyhugo 40]

a little thin is better than fat i think. looks ok to me. as already said i think people are getting too used to seeing more and more obese dogs/changing perception of what a fit dog should look like

[skycat 6,173]

Dog looks fine to me: most pet owners these days have no more idea of what a healthy weight is in a dog than they do in their own kids or themselves. People get used to seeing both dogs and humans covered in a layer of unhealthy fat. It IS healthy to see the last few ribs in a dog, along with good muscle on each side of the spine and on the thighs, no matter what the breed. Tell your wife to say to the idiots that the dog is a canine athlete, and as such, much healthier than if it were any fatter.

If she must, get her to take it to the vet for a check up: vets see obese dogs all the time and if they have any intelligence at all they'd be pleased to see a young dog at the correct weight. At least then she'd be able to shut up the idiots by telling them the 'great God vet' had said the dog was in good nick.

[Drebz87 39]

We have a spaniel with a fast as out metabolism and it's a struggle to ever put weight in him, been to vets when he was younger and everything was fine, when he's out beating and that he works all day fine. don't let anyone in the street get to you, if the dogs healthy and has energy to spare then alls well, as said he's a teenager and will start bulking up soon.

[beast 1,884]

that pup is fine. he should muscle up a bit over the next 6 months or so, but nothing for you to worry about. who says it is too thin, just some mummies outside the school? ask them what the hell they know about dogs. why not print off this page and keep a copy in your pocket to show them.....