Body composition faults/ An alternative to a Vet, please!!!

[tdierikx]

This is a 5 month old Lab pup, yes?

 

I wouldn't be overthinking any behaviours or body condition scores at this age personally... everything changes on a daily basis at that age... *sigh*

 

He is still growing, and that will have impact on behaviours at times. Sometimes he might just have some growing pains (yes, dogs get them too) and that has coincided with your decision to reduce food intake... therefore NOT related to each other at all.

 

Seriously, just chill and enjoy your puppy...they grow up WAY too fast to be fussing over every aspect of their growth patterns... if you continue your fussing, you're gonna end up with a bloody neurotic mess of a dog, and no-one wants that, right?

 

Having fostered well over 200 pups in my time, I learned long ago not to make too much of changes in behaviour, food intake, energy levels... funnily enough, pups go through so many ups and downs in the first 12 months, that if you start fussing about them, you will actually do more harm than good.... let the poor little mite be himself and enjoy every moment of it, OK?

 

T.

[RuralPug]

100% agree with Tdierix above.

He is five months old and growing fast. In every size dog excepting the giants, I would rather see a puppy overweight than underweight. There is a good reason for the old cliche "puppy fat" - many mammals carry a bit of extra adipose tissue when young, it is Nature's insurance policy against growth spurts.

Don't overthink things. if your pup has come from a good breeder, be guided by them. Your pup won;t stay a pup for long - let him be a loved and happily trained puppy rather than a frequently measured lab specimen (no pun intended, sorry).

[persephone]

6 hours ago, CharbearsMa said:

I think it’s normal

I beg to differ. 
I have bred/worked with,lived with many many pups over the past half century . Labradors being the bulk of them . 
The only time I have seen anything resembling this , is with an ill pup. 

At home currently , we have 2 pups ..under 3 months . They are offered food ..and like any pup/dog - can choose to eat, or not . 
Mostly they choose NOT . 
Some days they may only have one meal (raw)..and access to ad lib kibble ( rarely touched)  This did concern me greatly the first few times ....  Now I figure their bodies have it worked out
they never STOP running/climbing/playing . ( oh..except when they sleep ) 
they are a working breed ..Koolies.
Most times they are free range ..we live in the bush ..They play with their various adult aunts/uncles/grandparents ..follow us around ...annoy the pet sheep .. follow big black ants for what seems like miles , are nicely covered in muscle/fat , and extremely agile. 

 

[Danois]

Seriously relax! Puppies go through podgy and lean phases as their bodies grow. You are not going to cause lasting damage if your puppy is a marginally overweight for a week.  Similarly them being lean is not going to harm them either. 

 

I would not be calling a breeder or speaking with a vet about weight - it is pretty easy to monitor yourself. Look at them from above, and look for the waist. If it’s fuller then cut back slightly on the food for a couple of days. They won’t starve!

 

Best thing you can do for the puppy is get it off the RC dry food. It’s nothing more than expensive cereal. Get the puppy on a decent diet and that should also help. 

[sandgrubber]

On 12/26/2018 at 8:26 AM, tdierikx said:

This is a 5 month old Lab pup, yes?

 

I wouldn't be overthinking any behaviours or body condition scores at this age personally... everything changes on a daily basis at that age... *sigh*

 

He is still growing, and that will have impact on behaviours at times. Sometimes he might just have some growing pains (yes, dogs get them too) and that has coincided with your decision to reduce food intake... therefore NOT related to each other at all.

 

Seriously, just chill and enjoy your puppy...they grow up WAY too fast to be fussing over every aspect of their growth patterns... if you continue your fussing, you're gonna end up with a bloody neurotic mess of a dog, and no-one wants that, right?

 

Having fostered well over 200 pups in my time, I learned long ago not to make too much of changes in behaviour, food intake, energy levels... funnily enough, pups go through so many ups and downs in the first 12 months, that if you start fussing about them, you will actually do more harm than good.... let the poor little mite be himself and enjoy every moment of it, OK?

 

T.

I wouldn't overthink either. A 6 rating at 5 mo is hardly life threatening. But patterns established at 5 months are likely to persist.  The once-desired "fat healthy baby" has a higher likelihood of being obese in adulthood than a slimmer baby. At 5 months, there's little chance that a tummy bug or some such will lead to dehydration and a dangerous downward spiral, so fat padding isn't needed for survival of maladies. Most labs are born gutsers and skilled beggers.  Don't let the little cutie manipulate you into overfeeding. 

[sandgrubber]

On 12/24/2018 at 10:54 PM, CharbearsMa said:

 

I haven’t been given a set weight, I’m supposed to use the body composition chart alone.

Wise.  Labs vary greatly in bone and muscle mass.  

[asal]

no idea where to find it but a chap in america took two litters of labs from known high hip displacia lines... divided each litter so half the siblings were raised typical ie good body score.

 

the other half were raised lean body score and both groups kept as they were raised.

 

the incidence of hip displacia in the typical group was the expected percentage

 

the incidence of hip displacia in the lean group was well below half the expected percentage.

 

then as they aged the differences became even more apparent... the typical group developed arthritis and the usual ageing and associated problems.

 

the lean group did not develop arthritis at the same ages and  did not develop the same problems until much older, the mean average being 4 years later and also lived 4 years and more longer than the mean average of their typical siblings...

 

there was widespread comments in the press once his findings were released...

 

but not sure where or how to find it as it was a few years ago now it was published

 

 

long before that I had noticed the father of my horse died quite young suddenly from heart attack, he was a showhorse and always kept obese... I decided my boy was such a great companion I wanted him to live as long as possible and my vet even then 40 years ago was advocating lean was best... so he was always kept lean and in work.  he lived to 28 as have most of my horses and more, my daughters pony was a welsh mountain and they run to fat so fast its scary so keeping her fit and on the lean side was a challange but she saw her 36th Birthday and was still active although on arthritis prevention for the last 4 years.. finally developed it in her knees and began to have difficulty getting back up without assistance and the fear became very great if she decided to have a nap when no one was home she could no longer get back up without help, which was fine during autumn and winter but  the risk of being cast in the summer if we went out anywhere during the day with no one home became a constant worry, then my husband put his back out helping her back up and so did I.. until we began dreading when she decided to have a nap lying down and then to help her back up because we were breaking down too............the heartbreaking decision was made. Although when the vet came she was not her usual vet and wondered why she was being put down because she was so bright and active.... it was the act of getting back up unaided, that she had finally lost we had to explain to her..... tough enough to have to make the decision...even tougher when the vet thinks she is fine and have to explain appearances can be deceiving and we soo didn't want to lose her when she was so happy either.... 

my other pony  is 34 and still  very active and not a hint of arthritis, she is still being ridden and loves her outings.  so it applies equally to horses as dogs.

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by asal

[Guest]

Thank you everyone, especially those providing links to learning resources. 

 

Breed specific guidance will be sought re pups.