# Wondering if my pup is to big for his age?



## Karma25 (Jun 24, 2011)

So im thinking my pup might be a little to heavy for his age? He just turned 4 months today and he already is almost 40lbs? I even cup feed him and measure his food..... Is he getting to big to fast?


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

no thats prob fine , each pup is different and bloodline and breed play a huge role, Im assuming at that size you have a bully? do you have pics? my boy was about that weight at that age, I dont worry to much on weight when they are that young puppys need the extra fat for growth , as long as he isnt a beach ball and can still move well he should be fine. get lots of exercise in for your pup { by exercise I mean a good walk or 2 a day and some play time in the yard or something , nothing strenuous} JMO.


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## EckoMac (Aug 25, 2010)

Post pics please. What kind of food do you feed, and how much and how often?


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

if he's a bully thats about right.. they can reach 80+


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## Karma25 (Jun 24, 2011)

cEElint said:


> if he's a bully thats about right.. they can reach 80+


Yes he is a bully. I feed him 1.5 cups three times daily. So 4.5 cups a day. I feed him purina puppy chow. The vet said he should get to about 85lbs. But with half his weight already on him and only four months? I thought he was to big..... Lol I'll post some of his pics in a little while. Gotta run home


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## angelbaby (Feb 4, 2010)

a good guess for there mature weight is to double the weight at 4 months so that sounds right. purina puppy chow is garbage though , Id look into a better food I swear by orijen but it is very pricey , acana is up there as well . TOTW is good for the price and have heard alot of good reviews on it, also costco brand puppy food Kirklands brand is good for the price as well { up here its around $20-$25 a bag) . Id really consider going with a better food. JMO.


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

^ I agree.

If you can afford it, finding a better food would be great. It's so important to feed quality food to ensure a long healthy life for your pup.


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

Bernie was 40 pounds at 4 months there is nothing wrong with that.


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## Karma25 (Jun 24, 2011)

davidfitness83 said:


> Bernie was 40 pounds at 4 months there is nothing wrong with that.


heres some pics.....


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

Aw, what a cute boy! Look at those paws!!

Also, it doesn't look like he's overweight or anything (the pics aren't the easiest to tell it by, though)--he just looks like a healthy, big bully boy.


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

way too much food for a 4 month old pup.. cut that down to 1 cup, 3 times a day


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

cute pup.. he's gonna be big and wide.. plan to clip the ears or leave em natural?


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

I actually think 4.5 cups sounds ok, especially since they're feeding a low quality food like Purina.

Kane was at 4 cups on TOTW up until a couple months ago when he regulated himself down to 2 1/2 to 3 cups.


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## cEElint (Oct 6, 2009)

true.. didnt see that part about what food he was feeding


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## Karma25 (Jun 24, 2011)

cEElint said:


> cute pup.. he's gonna be big and wide.. plan to clip the ears or leave em natural?


I'm actually getting his ears cropped this Friday! I'm alittle nervous for him. Lol. I'm believe I'm gonna go with a show crop, I like them a little longer. Do you think I'll have to tape them to keep them stood up?


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## Karma25 (Jun 24, 2011)

k8nkane said:


> I actually think 4.5 cups sounds ok, especially since they're feeding a low quality food like Purina.
> 
> Kane was at 4 cups on TOTW up until a couple months ago when he regulated himself down to 2 1/2 to 3 cups.


What is TOTW? And where can u get it from?


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## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

TOTW = Taste of the Wild and most pet stores carry it but you can google to see if some place near you sells it. Goo dlookin pup btw, and if you go with a show crop you may have to tape the ears for a little bit to make them stand, good luck with that as well,


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## Karma25 (Jun 24, 2011)

apbtmom76 said:


> TOTW = Taste of the Wild and most pet stores carry it but you can google to see if some place near you sells it. Goo dlookin pup btw, and if you go with a show crop you may have to tape the ears for a little bit to make them stand, good luck with that as well,


ok thanks for all the info!


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

TOTW is a good, basic, grain-free food. If you're doing kibble, it's best to get a grain-free food as grains are unnecessary in a dog's diet and, in some dog's, can cause problems with their digestion. That's why I have Kane on TOTW--when he was on Iams, he had bad poop.


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## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

No worries is what we are here for


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## KMdogs (Apr 22, 2011)

If your feeding 4.5 cups for a puppy than that alone should tell you about the quality of the food. I recently weighted both my dogs and my 46lbs dog gets 2.5 cups a day and my 108lbs dog gets 4 a day. Both are heavily exercised and worked, if your feeding that much to a pup than you need to strongly consider a diet change.

Did you have a budget in mind for the food?


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## davidfitness83 (Jul 7, 2009)

KMdogs said:


> If your feeding 4.5 cups for a puppy than that alone should tell you about the quality of the food. I recently weighted both my dogs and my 46lbs dog gets 2.5 cups a day and my 108lbs dog gets 4 a day. Both are heavily exercised and worked, if your feeding that much to a pup than you need to strongly consider a diet change.
> 
> Did you have a budget in mind for the food?


I agree, my 78 pound dog gets 2 cups of totw daily plus other goodies. 4.5 cups sound like a lot for kibble specially since it's only a pup and it is not getting worked.


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## Karma25 (Jun 24, 2011)

KMdogs said:


> If your feeding 4.5 cups for a puppy than that alone should tell you about the quality of the food. I recently weighted both my dogs and my 46lbs dog gets 2.5 cups a day and my 108lbs dog gets 4 a day. Both are heavily exercised and worked, if your feeding that much to a pup than you need to strongly consider a diet change.
> 
> Did you have a budget in mind for the food?


No Budget. So if i switch to totw i should lower his food intake? and to how much daily?


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## apbtmom76 (Nov 4, 2008)

As he is still a pup and growing, that is a question better answered by yourself, I always adjusted the food on what time of year it was even if they are pups but i never fed TOTW. I hope Kate can tell you more.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Can you take some of him from the side? At his age you can start feeding twice a day. Each dog is different you look at them and adjust what you feed. If they are looking too heavy you reduce the amount by about 1/4 cup each feeding, they they are thin then you can add 1/4 cup at each feeding or even a scoop of lard to add fat.


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## Lua (Jun 19, 2011)

Karma25 said:


> I'm actually getting his ears cropped this Friday! I'm alittle nervous for him. Lol. I'm believe I'm gonna go with a show crop, I like them a little longer. Do you think I'll have to tape them to keep them stood up?


Depends on the dog, I had to post Raynes ears for a good month and a half to get them to stand properly. Check out this thread to learn to do the "molefoam" method. Love it!
http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/25340-mole-skin-ear-cropping-post.html

Also Lisa posted this thread and it even has a video!http://www.gopitbull.com/health-nutrition/27844-taping-cropped-ears-general-info.html

:roll:


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## CaLi 2 B.C. (Dec 4, 2010)

davidfitness83 said:


> Bernie was 40 pounds at 4 months there is nothing wrong with that.


Loki was 46,his son moose (pick male)with pepper is already over 50 pounds under 5 months old LOL hes a beast


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

performanceknls said:


> Can you take some of him from the side? At his age you can start feeding twice a day. Each dog is different you look at them and adjust what you feed. If they are looking too heavy you reduce the amount by about 1/4 cup each feeding, they they are thin then you can add 1/4 cup at each feeding or even a scoop of lard to add fat.


This. It really depends on their metabolism and how they look how much you feed them.

Even after I switched to TOTW, Kane was still at 4 cups a day and he was still lean. I felt like I was practically shoveling the food in him and he never gained beyond what he needed as he grew. This is without any hard "working" or anything except his daily necessary exercise. He was doing a lot better than he was on Iams, you could see it in his coat and his stamina and energy, but he still ate like a horse.

Now, I don't know if it's because he's getting older and his metabolism is slowing down or because it's freaking HOT out (or probably a combination of the both), but he's regulated himself down to ~2 or 3 cups a day.

Just keep an eye on your dog's appearance. You should be able to run your hands along the side and feel his ribs without too much pressure to do it.

Also, like Tye said, I try to feed him more (or add a bit of lard to his food) during the winter because it's freezing out and I like him to have a bit of fatty protection, even though he wears a coat.


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

Ooh, I forgot something.

If you're going to switch your pup to TOTW, make sure you do it gradually. It's a big jump in quality to go from Purina to TOTW--almost like going from eating fried chicken every day for every meal to eating all your veggies and fruits and healthy stuff only. 

So, I'd start with 3/4s Purina to 1/4 TOTW over a couple of days to 1/2 Purina and 1/2 TOTW over a couple of days to 1/4 Purina and 1/4 TOTW.

Don't get TOO alarmed if he has runny poops, but don't switch to a different balance of the two foods until his poop has firmed up.


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

4 cups of food is WAY to much food for a pup. My grown dog doesn't get more than 2 cups of food a day and she is hardly starving. I understand that dogs require different diatary needs based on age, weight, activity levels But really I don't recommend going over 3 cups a day. My youngest male who just hit 1 is still on 2 cups a day. If your dog is not being heavily worked or exercised regularly I would suggest 1.5 cups 2 times a day for your bully and honestly if your feeding a quality feed you could go as low as 1 cup 2x times a day. Winter you can feed a little more if your dog's are kept outdoors they need the extra weight for cold weather. Spring and Summer is when you cut back again. The worst thing ever is having an overweight animal your dog is already going to be large because it's a bully you don't want to add any more unnecessary weight it makes it harder on the joints internal organs long term for a dog to carry around excess weight.


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