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  1. #1
    Puppy BreeNicholas's Avatar
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    Is he to skinny?

    Hi all,

    Not sure if this is the right spot to post this or not. So if not please move.

    This Is Diek he is currently 6 months old, does he look to skinny? I feed him 4 cups a day, split up. I can see his ribcage. I know pups are supposed to be on the thinner side, I am just wondering if he is to thin. Thank you all!

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  2. #2
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Oh goodness, yes your puppy is to thin. Puppies while growing should have a nice protective layer of fat under their skin, you should be able to feel the ribs with slight pressure, but not be able to see them from across the room. Bony prominences such as hips and spine should not be palpable either. 4 cups might not be enough right now during the fastest part of growth for male Labrador puppies, sometimes they need as much as 5-6 cups a day to keep up with the demands of a developing body. He needs extra nutrition to grow properly, then when he is full grown you can adjust his diet and take any extra weight off.

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  4. #3
    Puppy BreeNicholas's Avatar
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    Ok thank you!! I will definitely up his food intake. It's just recently that I have thought he looks way to skinny. This is him just a couple weeks ago. It's becoming challenging keeping weight on him.

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  5. #4
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    They are so active at this age they just burn it all off running around and playing. Welcome to the board!

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  7. #5
    Puppy BreeNicholas's Avatar
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    Thanks! Ya he is my first lab, and super high energy lol. But I'll up his food intake and he'll hopefully put some weight on.

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  8. #6
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Absolutely. I honestly don't worry too much about weight at this point since they are growing and usually super active. I don't really go for the "skinny puppy" thing, for me, since I show, the pups that seems to be kept light lose bone and end up being pretty weedy. At least that's my perspective when comparing littermates from 2 of my litters.

    It also depends on what you are feeding. 4 cups of one food is not always equal to 4 cups of another food. And some 6 month old need 5-6 cups to keep meat on their bones.

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  10. #7
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    He looks thin. Much thinner than I keep my dogs.

    Bear, who is almost 6 months old, was eating over 6 cups of food/day when we switched him to an ALS food. Now he's down to 4 1/2 to 5, depending if he gets a kong or not.

    Our boy Maverick, who is 2 1/2, never ate more than 3 cups/day. He's lean and close to the 90 pound mark. It all depends on your food and your puppy. I would say that he looks like he could use a little more.


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  12. #8
    Best Friend Retriever
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    Why do we measure food unless it's necessary?
    Try giving him all he'll eat at a meal. Did he walk away? He's full.
    Now if you have an overweight dog, that's different.

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  14. #9
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bernie View Post
    Why do we measure food unless it's necessary?
    Try giving him all he'll eat at a meal. Did he walk away? He's full.
    Now if you have an overweight dog, that's different.
    I really hope you are kidding... because this is lousy advice, LOL!!! Allowing a typical Labrador to eat all they want is a great way to induce uncontrollable diarrhea. In fact the OP should slowly increase the food amount, not all at once, or they may get some undesirable side effects. :-)

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  16. #10
    Puppy BreeNicholas's Avatar
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    Thank you all for the replies!

    Just in average how much should a 6 month old lab weigh? I know they all vary and doing a search you can find "average" weight. But I am curious on your personal experiences with the breed.

    I'm going to up his food intake. I feed Nature's Domain: the same food as my other 2. He also gets treats throughout the day (after training sessions) and coconut oil.

    I measure his food because if I don't, he'll way overeat and I would hate for him to get sick. I know people free feed and I don't have any problems with that. It's just not for me.

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