Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 19 of 19
  1. #11
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    C. WA
    Posts
    1,624
    Thanked: 1235
    not every breeder will insist on such. I, for one, spend the money for a GOOD vet well check just before pups leave and give the owners the info to contact vet should they want. I'd rather my pups not be stressed for the next 10 days - 2wks outside of all the new stresses. There are no right or wrongs if the breeder is doing a good vet well check prior to release.

    Quote Originally Posted by JenC View Post
    So if he has his first vet appointment with you tomorrow, but you've had him 2 weeks? Typically breeders insist that you take the pups in within 2-3 days of getting them home for the first exam, to make sure your vet gives them a once over. If the dog is from hunting lines or pet lines, he may just always be a thinner lab, not the big bulky style of the show labs.
    Hidden Content
    The WindyCanyon Girls (taken Summer 2018)
    IntCH WindyCanyon's Northern Spy CDX RA JH OA OAJ CC (14.5 yrs)
    IntCH WindyCanyon's Ruby Pink BN CD RA CC (4.5 yrs)
    IntCH WindyCanyon's Kanzi BN CDX RE JH (5 yrs)
    IntCH WindyCanyon ItsOnlyMoneyHoneycrisp BN RN CC (16mos)
    IntCH WindyCanyon's Pippin BN RI CC (2.5 yrs)
    IntCH WindyCanyon's Envy CDX RE JH CC (10.5 yrs)
    IntCH HIT WindyCanyon's Kiku A Fuji Too CDX RE JH CC (10 yrs)







  2. #12
    Senior Dog dxboon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    867
    Thanked: 824
    I would stop letting the puppy just lazily eat. Put the food bowl down for 10 minutes and then take it away. A puppy won't let itself starve, and will learn that meal time is for eating. Hard to tell condition from these photos. I like to keep my puppies plush -- not butterballs, but with some padding. Their immune systems are immature, making them susceptible to things. For a young puppy, getting a little sick or off their food for a short time can impact their body condition. With some reserves, I know my puppies won't be affected negatively if they lose some weight because of teething or a stomach bug.

    I don't understand keeping lean puppies. You wouldn't tell someone that their human baby needed to be kept lean. If you want your Lab to grow up to its potential in terms of size, bone, coat, you have to feed it properly. Growing teeth and bones and a nice double coat takes calories. After the early months of puppyhood, when teeth are all in and the growth stage slows, then you cut back on feeding. You can always lean a dog out later, but you can't go back in time and regrow a puppy properly.

  3. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to dxboon For This Useful Post:

    barry581 (01-22-2018), JenC (01-22-2018), lovemylabby (02-05-2018)

  4. #13
    Puppy MysticFallout's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    14
    Thanked: 1
    Okay he is 26.1lbs at 14 weeks 2 days (math isn't my strong suit lol).

  5. #14
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    1,226
    Thanked: 1739
    Quote Originally Posted by dxboon View Post
    I would stop letting the puppy just lazily eat. Put the food bowl down for 10 minutes and then take it away. A puppy won't let itself starve, and will learn that meal time is for eating. Hard to tell condition from these photos. I like to keep my puppies plush -- not butterballs, but with some padding. Their immune systems are immature, making them susceptible to things. For a young puppy, getting a little sick or off their food for a short time can impact their body condition. With some reserves, I know my puppies won't be affected negatively if they lose some weight because of teething or a stomach bug.

    I don't understand keeping lean puppies. You wouldn't tell someone that their human baby needed to be kept lean. If you want your Lab to grow up to its potential in terms of size, bone, coat, you have to feed it properly. Growing teeth and bones and a nice double coat takes calories. After the early months of puppyhood, when teeth are all in and the growth stage slows, then you cut back on feeding. You can always lean a dog out later, but you can't go back in time and regrow a puppy properly.
    I completely 100% agree with this! ^^^^

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Shelley For This Useful Post:

    dxboon (01-22-2018)

  7. #15
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    8,135
    Thanked: 5108
    Quote Originally Posted by windycanyon View Post
    not every breeder will insist on such. I, for one, spend the money for a GOOD vet well check just before pups leave and give the owners the info to contact vet should they want. I'd rather my pups not be stressed for the next 10 days - 2wks outside of all the new stresses. There are no right or wrongs if the breeder is doing a good vet well check prior to release.
    This is what Oban's breeder does too. Her Vet sees the pups just before they start going to new homes and is just as qualified as mine to say if a pup is healthy. New owners get a copy of that Vet's report with a list of what shots puppy has had, from what manufacturer, and when next shots are due.
    Hidden Content

    Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
    Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
    Oxtongue Rapids Park. Oct. 2019 Hidden Content

  8. #16
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Upstate New York
    Posts
    1,683
    Thanked: 787
    You mentioned that he will "inhale" your other dog's food so this tells me he has a good appetite.

    Perhaps, he doesn't like the food you are feeding him? Just a thought.

    It may be better to feed him three times per day until he is about six months old.

    You can take the total amount you feed in one day and divide it into three meals..

  9. #17
    Puppy MysticFallout's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    14
    Thanked: 1
    He is eating roughly 4 cups of food a day right now. I say roughly because I add 2 more cups in the early afternoon and he sometimes rarely eats all of it but at times eats up to a cup of it. And I have been trying the leave it for 20min and give it back awhile later but it doesn't faze him. So his next vet appointment I am asking about his food and if it would be okay to change it or something.

    Until then I will try the dividing method with him. He is growing and not showing any signs of failing to thrive, he has all kinds of energy and no obvious signs of malnourishment.

    Thank you
    Quote Originally Posted by lovemylabby View Post
    You mentioned that he will "inhale" your other dog's food so this tells me he has a good appetite.

    Perhaps, he doesn't like the food you are feeding him? Just a thought.

    It may be better to feed him three times per day until he is about six months old.

    You can take the total amount you feed in one day and divide it into three meals..

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to MysticFallout For This Useful Post:

    lovemylabby (02-07-2018)

  11. #18
    Puppy Moosenme's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    KS
    Posts
    25
    Thanked: 15
    -moosejr030718a-jpgHonestly, he looks fine to me (as far as I can tell from the pics). Moose is on the lean side too, and not because he isn't being fed a great puppy food or has worms. He's from working parents, they are lean dogs as well, but not thin. Last vet appt. she said he was doing great, 19 lbs at 10 weeks, expecting a weight gain of about 2 lbs per week, so your pup is right there. I thought Moose looked a bit lean too, but then, I thought the rolly polly puppy stage would last longer than it did. You should be able to see a "waist" behind the last rib at this age. And Moose is a bit of a grazer too, rarely does he finish a bowl of food at one time, but I limit him at night (no food after 7:30) so he usually sails right through that first bowl in the morning. I doubt you can tell much from this pic, but vet checked and approved Moose standing on my son's lean, healthy lab.

  12. #19
    Real Retriever Beth C's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Georgia
    Posts
    277
    Thanked: 154
    I don't leave food down for long either. With three dogs, that just doesn't work. Mine know to either eat or wait until the next meal. There's usually a happy dance at my house at feeding time. My 9 1/2 week old puppy, Lido, is also on the thin side right now, and he's currently getting a cup 3x daily, and I do wet it. My vet said that as long as his hip bones don't protrude and you can't see his ribs, he's okay. She said puppies are just like kids - they grow up and longer (get thin), then out, repeat. Sometimes, they'll look out of proportion as different body parts develop at different rates than others.

    If you do decide to change your puppy's food, just remember to do it slowly, so as not to stress out his tummy. Lido was fed Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy by the breeder, so I bought it to start out with. His poops weren't very good, but I attributed it to stress, so I kept him on it. However, the poops continued to be loose and were getting worse, so I'm now slowly changing him to a different puppy food, Taste of the Wild Wild Prairie Puppy. I will probably transition him over within 10 days to two weeks. He's currently up to 1/2 and 1/2 of old/new and his poops already look better. TOTW was listed as a good kibble for lab puppies on several sites I researched. I've fed this brand to boxers in the past, and it worked well for them. It also meets the calcium/phosphorous guidelines for large breed puppies.

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •