Feeding Question cause wife thinks puppy is to thin?

tpdtopcop · 11-02-2009, 10:56 AM

Hi all,

Since finding these forums I have switched from feeding crap to my dogs to something healthy. I am currently feeding EVO kibble and can.
I have a 4 1/2 year old Rotty and a 6 month old American Bulldog/Boxer mix. Both dogs are doing well but my wife thinks the puppy is to thin cause she at times sees his ribs. The puppy is very short haired and white with a few brindle patches. While at the vets three weeks ago the puppy weighed almost 35lbs and the vet stated to my wife the puppy was at proper weight but my wife still insists the dog is to skinny and vows to take the puppy off of what she calls crap food. I feed both dogs 1 1/2 cups kibble mixed with about two table spoons of can both EVO in the moring and then another 1 1/2 to two cups of kibble in the evening. Should I be feeding more? I checked the package and for the puppys age and weight they state 3 cups but don't know if thats a day or at each meal. Could someone help me out here.

Thanks

topcop

Keechak · 11-02-2009, 11:05 AM

your puppy sounds fine to me. seeing the ribs a little bit in a very short coated dog is a good thing as long as they are starting to build muscle mass too.

nico8 · 11-02-2009, 11:10 AM

I can't get too breed specific because I don't know how much a bulldog/boxer mix should weight at that age, but just being able to see the ribs doesn't mean a dog is underweight. Many people have misconceptions about what a healthy weight for their dog is... especially "bully" breeds like yours. They think the bigger and bulkier the better, which is just simply not true. If the vet says his weight is fine, it's fine. I'm having to get used to my husky being skinnier than I'm used to my dogs being because, in the past 6 months , I've realized that all my previous dogs were overweight(bad owner I know).

Also EVO is, in my opinion, a great food.The package lists how much the dog should be fed a day so you're in the right area as far as amount goes. I usually have to adjust a little because the package tells me to feed more than my dog will eat in a day.

Keep up what you're doing because it sounds like you're on the right track... as long as the vet says he's healthy I wouldn't change a thing.

Keechak · 11-02-2009, 11:18 AM

Check out this dog. It's a photo I took of a working American Bulldog. THis dog is in TOP condition and extremly heathy and perfect weight and muscular. This dog does Protection work.

nico8 · 11-02-2009, 11:43 AM

^^^ pictures are always better illustrators...nice Keechak

tpdtopcop · 11-02-2009, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keechak

Check out this dog. It's a photo I took of a working American Bulldog. THis dog is in TOP condition and extremly heathy and perfect weight and muscular. This dog does Protection work.

Thanks for the pics. My puppies body looks just like that. I will now show my wife and she probably will say "Well hell that dog looks to skinny to"

Michiyo-Fir · 11-02-2009, 01:41 PM

Well pups tend to be quite skinny until they grow up because they haven't built up the muscles or even bones yet. I think it's pretty normal to see a little bit of ribs on a pup, I wouldn't say that's too skinny especially since your vet didn't think so!

Pai · 11-02-2009, 03:06 PM

It's estimated that around 50% of all American pets are overweight. Your wife could just be so use to seeing fat dogs that she thinks it normal. I think many pet owners are like that -- they're shocked by what a properly lean dog looks like, because they're used to all the extra 'padding' so a normal weight looks 'too skinny'.

Michiyo-Fir · 11-02-2009, 03:14 PM

Just wondering, does anyone have anymore pictures of what a proper lean dog should look like?

railNtrailcowgrl · 11-02-2009, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michiyo-Fir

Just wondering, does anyone have anymore pictures of what a proper lean dog should look like?

I think that Pebbles is a good example of a lean dog. I have a bit of a challenge with her weight b/c she's hypothyroid but she has a good skin covering, nice tuck, she's very muscular (hard to tell from the pic), and I can easily feel all her ribs when I put my hands on her. She's trimmed up a bit more even from these pics and put on some more muscle.

Side

You can see more muscle definition in these.
Rear

Front

Here are a few links of some nice looking working dogs from the animal planet web site...
Boxer

Doberman

Great Dane

ACD

Laurelin · 11-02-2009, 07:28 PM

A good weight looks different on every breed. In longhaired dogs it's hard to tell of course and a rottie is built way different than a sight hound.

Here's a diagram, but I don't 100% agree. It's too hard to say this is true for all builds of dogs.

http://www.mercola.com/ImageServer/P...Chart_dogs.jpg

And some links I think are dogs showing off different types (of course there are a lot more):

rottie- http://www.vomlowenherzigrottweilers...k_working2.jpg
APBT: http://www.matrixkennels.com/persephone.htm
Azawakh- http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4vn24YA-Rc...0/azawakhs.JPG

I have read that 'slightly underweight' actually live longer.

Cracker · 11-02-2009, 09:30 PM

Cracker was really skinny and ribby as a pup, this is her now. She is lean and fit, it takes a while for puppies to fill out because they are GROWING. It is very important your wife understands that seeing a bit of rib is a GOOD thing in because extra weight, especially in dogs that are prone to hip issues, can have long term effects in the life of the dog. This pic is a bit off kilter, she's not quite that shortlegged, but it's a good view of her rib cage and loin area.