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  1. #21
    Best Friend Retriever
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    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    I tend to keep my guys on the thinner side than many here, and even I think he is too thin in that first set of pictures. Where he looked a few weeks ago looked good to me, so I’m guessing growth spurt.

    I’ve never had to feed a dog more than 4 cups a day though (and that was my big male - the girls topped out at 3), so I would suggest looking into a higher calorie food for him, at least for the next 6 months or so until his growth slows down - all I can think about 5-6 cups of food a day is how much poop will be generated!

    Just be sure to continually check in on him as their growth will start slowing down by about 9-12 months and you don’t want to let him get too heavy at that point either - it’s not good for his joints.
    Agreed.
    All pups are different, all owners are different, certainly we should monitor, and modify as needed.
    Rocco is 26 months old, eats all he wants, gets snacks and people food, weighs 80 lbs. and has stayed right there for the last year or more. His doctor is very happy with his appearance and weight. If he starts to gain weight as he gets older, I'll not give him so much junk food.
    The OP has the opposite problem and higher calorie food is a good suggestion, I didn't think of that. Maybe some roast beef or fried bacon wouldn't hurt too.

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  3. #22
    Puppy BreeNicholas's Avatar
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    Yeah, I didn't even think of a higher caloried food.. And that's why I came here! ☺ lol yes, Maybe he'll get a little fried bacon and some eggs lol

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  4. #23
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    I'd recommend against bacon. Google pancreatitis.

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    dxboon (01-02-2017), Labradorks (01-02-2017)

  6. #24
    Senior Dog dxboon's Avatar
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    There are lots of healthier options for caloric add-ins for the puppy. Pancreatitis is always a worry with fatty treats and toppers, as mentioned above. I know more than one person whose dogs have gotten pancreatitis from really fatty treats. Not saying every once in a while you can't break off a small piece of bacon from your plate to use as a treat, but I don't think that's the best food additive in this case. Eggs, my dogs get a raw one sometimes on days when they eat homecooked or raw. A crock pot is a good resource for making toppers -- buy stew beef and put that into the crock pot with a little water and carrots; lean ground beef is often on sale so I stock up and freeze it, then cook it unseasoned for my dogs.

    Every puppy and every line of Labs is different. If you have a good breeder to rely on, that's a start to get info about how they raise their puppies and to get benchmarks on weight and feeding. If you don't have a good breeder, then you'll definitely have to eyeball the puppy and add/remove food as applicable. Male Labrador puppies often eat way more than you would think when they hit a growth phase. The male Labs I have at home arrived at 8 weeks (2 months old) weighing roughly between 17-21 lbs. They've all been around 10 lbs/for every month of age give or take a few pounds -- 30 lbs @ 3 months, 40 lbs. @ 4 months, and so forth. The two adults are now holding at 80 lbs and 90 lbs respectively.

    My current puppy was eating about 7 cups of ProPlan 30/20 at 6 months old. That is not unusual for his breeding. There was nothing crazy about his bathroom schedule eating that amount (3 times a day; normal, firm stools). You can see what he looks like below at 1 day shy of 6 months when he was eating the amount noted above. Feeding guidelines on bags are a starting point, but you definitely have to feed the dog in front of you. There will be time to cut back later when he's no longer growing. A good probiotic also can be helpful to balance immature gut flora and help the puppy digest food.

    Last edited by dxboon; 01-03-2017 at 02:32 AM.

  7. #25
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    My current gurls were eating 6 cups a day of Pro Plan 30/20 at the height of their growth and they didn't have loose stools, or even exceptionally large stools. I also give them a good quality probiotic from weaning into adulthood, so that most likely helps their stools stay firm. They grew nice and evenly, and had some extra padding so when they had a growth spurt they weren't thin. One is now on a little over a maintenance volume of food, while the other puppy is still eating 4 cups a day to maintain her weight.
    Boys are a whole different ball game, they burn through calories! Males from my lines eat 5-6-7 cups a day when they are growing the most. When they eat this much volume, I encourage 3 meals a day to break it up a little.

    Please try not to worry, your pup will catch up, just feed him more, good quality kibble, and good quality leftovers, like lean meat and vegetables. I look at my dogs daily, and if one looks a little chubby, or one looks a little thin, I adjust their meals to match their needs. Labradors do tend to become obese if one isn't careful, so when they stop growing, all of a sudden they are fat! So watch him closely as he matures and slows down a little over the next year.

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  9. #26
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dxboon View Post
    There are lots of healthier options to add caloric add-ins for the puppy. Pancreatitis is always a worry with fatty treats and toppers, as mentioned above. I know more than one person whose dogs have gotten pancreatitis from really fatty treats. Not saying every once in a while you can't break off a small piece of bacon off your plate to use as treat, but I don't think that's the best food additive in this case. Eggs, my dogs get a raw one sometimes on days when they eat homecooked or raw. A crock pot is a good resource for making toppers -- buy stew beef and put that into the crock pot with a little water and carrots; lean ground beef is often on sale so I stock up and freeze it, then cook it unseasoned for my dogs.

    Every puppy and every line of Labs is different. If you have a good breeder to rely on, that's a good start to get info about how they raise their puppies and to get benchmarks on weight and feeding. If you don't have a good breeder, then you'll definitely have to eyeball the puppy and add/remove. Male Labrador puppies often eat way more than you would think when they hit a growth phase. The male Labs I have at home arrived at 8 weeks (2 months old) weighing roughly between 17-21 lbs. They've all been around 10 lbs/for every month of age give or take a few pounds -- 30 lbs @ 3 months, 40 lbs. @ 4 months, and so forth. The two adults are now holding at 80 lbs and 90 lbs respectively.

    My current puppy was eating about 7 cups of ProPlan 30/20 at 6 months old. That is not unusual for his breeding. There was nothing crazy about his bathroom schedule eating that amount (3 times a day; normal, firm stools). You can see what he looks like below at 1 day shy of 6 months when he was eating the amount noted above. Feeding guidelines on bags are a starting point, but you definitely have to feed the dog in front of you. There will be time to cut back later when he's no longer growing. A good probiotic also can be helpful to balance immature gut flora and help the puppy digest food.

    Gorgeous! He looks great and his weight was just right for his age.

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    dxboon (01-02-2017)

  11. #27
    Senior Dog dxboon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shelley View Post
    Gorgeous! He looks great and his weight was just right for his age.
    Thanks! He's a good boy! :-)

  12. #28
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    He is a gorgeous boy!

    And I know bacon is not a good every day type thing, I wouldn't feed him it everyday but maybe every once in awhile. I am feeding him coconut oil and a raw egg, veggies and some fruits- it should help him gain a little weight.

    A good probiotic; what do you guys think about The Missing Link? Would that be something to add to his food to help with digeston, skin and coat health etc?

    And ok so males normally eat way more the females. My German Shepherd is a female and I've always had to watch her weight so she didn't get to chubby lol. She's the only large breed dog I have to kinda compare to.



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  13. #29
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Good points about probiotics, also prebiotics might not be a bad option in your pup's case. He probably needs to grab all the nutrients he can get from his food given that he might have a higher than usual metabolism. I always use a plant-based pre and probiotic and also get them for people versus dogs as it's less expensive but made of the same ingredients.

  14. #30
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    Great to know! Thanks for the tip about getting it for people vs dogs!

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