Advice Re. Recently Adopted a Rescue Rottweiler Puppy

[joey13]

G'day Guys and Girls,

 

My wife and I are delighted to have recently successfully adopted 'ARES', an 11 week old Pure Rottweiler Puppy from the 'Australian K9 Rescue Victoria.

 

I am asking this question as the puppy is not due back at the Vet until mid July for his final vaccination and wanted to get some advice in the interim.

 

ARES's backstory is very limited but what I know is that he was given up at the tender age of 5 weeks old. The Foster carer had him for 6 weeks with us adopting him on Sunday 21st June.

 

The people who gave him up were apparently a large group of people (12+) living in a home together. They were originally giving up ARES and his brother. When the rescue place arrived, they changed their minds at the last minute and decided to keep his brother. The rescue strongly plead with them to give both puppies up (to avoid high probability of eventually being given up later down the track) but they insisted and kept ARES's brother - . Given he was only 5 weeks when given up, I think it could be safely assumed he was possibly weaned from mum around 4 weeks of age - WAY TOO SOON.

 

Anyway, ARES is going great and our 5yo Female Mini Bull Terrier has taken on the big mumma role like a duck to water.

 

I'm a little concerned with ARES's weight and development. Today I weighed him at 7.3kg. His birthdate is listed as 02/04/2020, so he is 11 weeks, 6 days. From my research, he should be somewhere around 13-15kg at this age???

 

I am a firm believer in a BARF diet and raised our Mini Bully on this diet from 8 weeks old and she has thrived. I am currently feeding him 4% of his body weight (approx. 300g) over 2-3 times a day. He is quote the pig! 

 

I just wanted to know if ARES growth may now be stunted due to his rough start? Will his weight catch up to where it should be? Should I be feeding him more to accommodate this and bring him up to weight?

[Rebanne]

Welcome to DOL. Ares should be getting a minimum of 3 feeds a day IMO. My experience with a "runt" puppy was by 10/12 weeks of age you couldn't tell the difference. I would have thought since Ares was fostered from 5 weeks of age, as long as the foster carer knew what they were doing, there should be no long lasting effect on him. However he may have an underlying health problem which has not yet made itself known. I also don't think 300 grams is anywhere near enough food for a large breed puppy. My breed, where the males get up around 36 plus kilos fully grown, 300 grams would be breakfast at 12 weeks of age. Is he skinny? Coat in good condition? When was he last wormed? I'd be taking him to my own vet for a check up asap. I'd also consider adding in some dry food unless you can get in touch with a rottie breeder who also feeds raw to guide you in the correct way to feed what should be a large dog. Large dogs are harder to raise correctly on a totally raw diet. Hope some of this helps

[joey13]

29 minutes ago, Rebanne said:

Welcome to DOL. Ares should be getting a minimum of 3 feeds a day IMO. My experience with a "runt" puppy was by 10/12 weeks of age you couldn't tell the difference. I would have thought since Ares was fostered from 5 weeks of age, as long as the foster carer knew what they were doing, there should be no long lasting effect on him. However he may have an underlying health problem which has not yet made itself known. I also don't think 300 grams is anywhere near enough food for a large breed puppy. My breed, where the males get up around 36 plus kilos fully grown, 300 grams would be breakfast at 12 weeks of age. Is he skinny? Coat in good condition? When was he last wormed? I'd be taking him to my own vet for a check up asap. I'd also consider adding in some dry food unless you can get in touch with a rottie breeder who also feeds raw to guide you in the correct way to feed what should be a large dog. Large dogs are harder to raise correctly on a totally raw diet. Hope some of this helps

Doing some more research on the topic tonight and I think you are right. I will definitely up the intake for ARES tonight. Thanks for your reply.

[sandgrubber]

I feed Lab pups all they can eat until ~14-16 weeks.  Yes to 3 or 4 feeds a day. I figure they put on a bit under 1 kg/week. 

Rottis are a bit bigger, so I'd say your guy is a lightweight.  But slower growth may be healthy... it's possible that many of us overfeed puppies.

 

If the rescue didn't do a vet check (shame on them) you should get one done, and get the vet's advice on his condition. Rottis are notoriously succeptable to parvo, so do get his jabs at the recommended schedule, likely 12 weeks ... that's a good time for a check-up. 

 

Weaning at ~4 wks isn't a disaster.  I've seen pups do fine when their dam got mastitis at that age and they got put onto 100% puppy mush.  Many bitches begin avoiding their pups at that age. I knew a Rotti breeder (he was my tenant) whose favorite bitch would kill her pups given a chance.  He tied her down for nursing, and routinely weaned them at 4 weeks.  They grew up to be big, strong healthy dogs. 

Edited June 24, 2020 by sandgrubber

[Dogsfevr]

First off your weight is based on him actually being a Pure Rotti ,he may well not be .
So the question i would be asking does the body condition look right for the pup .Has he been wormed regularly ??
Have you had the pup vet checked ??
I own large breeds and whilst raw is great the quantities is often so off base for growing puppies .
My large breed pups would be starving with those ratios .
They often get near 1 kg of food a day around 4/5 months & im not stingy in pups .
There growing,its winter .As long as its the right meat/s for a growing pup then i feed to wait they need not a raw calculator

[joey13]

2 hours ago, sandgrubber said:

If the rescue didn't do a vet check (shame on them) you should get one done,

The rescue most definitely had him vet checked and was in good condition to be adopted, otherwise he would of remained in foster care. He has been wormed, flea treated, chipped and vaccinated as he should be.

His next vaccination is due mid July and he is already booked in.

[joey13]

37 minutes ago, Dogsfevr said:

First off your weight is based on him actually being a Pure Rotti ,he may well not be .
So the question i would be asking does the body condition look right for the pup .Has he been wormed regularly ??
Have you had the pup vet checked ??
I own large breeds and whilst raw is great the quantities is often so off base for growing puppies .
My large breed pups would be starving with those ratios .
They often get near 1 kg of food a day around 4/5 months & im not stingy in pups .
There growing,its winter .As long as its the right meat/s for a growing pup then i feed to wait they need not a raw calculator

The rescue is very confident that he is a pure bred Rotti. But I suppose you could be right.

 

He looks small but his body condition is fine. He does not look under weight. He was previously being fed on 'Royal Canin Rottweiler'. He has been wormed every 2 weeks since being fostered. The pup was vet checked by the Rescue and was suitable for permanent adoption. I will have him checked by my vet when he is next due to be vaccinated.

 

So do you actually feed your dogs Raw? What percentage / weight of food would you recommend I feed him? I'm now thinking somewhere around 800g is appropriate?

Edited June 24, 2020 by joey13

[Dogsfevr]

1 hour ago, joey13 said:

 

So do you actually feed your dogs Raw? What percentage / weight of food would you recommend I feed him? I'm now thinking somewhere around 800g is appropriate?

I dont weigh my food full stop i feed to whats infront of me & adjust as the week /month needs be but my large growing pups get feed what they need.
And they get feed big amounts .
Even at full grown they get more than the that .

The rescue can't guarantee you anything so you cant base your expectations on what might not be the right fit for this dog ,you need to base your ratios on what is in front of you & the condition that dog remains in on those ratios ,

[juice]

Were they feeding R/C Rottie puppy ?Why did you change it if he was doing well on it ?

 

[joey13]

7 minutes ago, juice said:

Were they feeding R/C Rottie puppy ?Why did you change it if he was doing well on it ?

 

I did plenty of my own research and consultation with multiple breeders and veterinarians when I got my first puppy. I decided on a RAW / BARF diet for her and she has thrived and done very well on it. Horses for courses and each to their own. I've met many dogs who thrive on the dried/ kibble diets and have no doubt they have had long and healthy lives.

 

However for me personally, I genuinely believe in the benefits of Raw food over dried food and have seen the results for myself and not just with my own dog.

 

Personally, I wouldn't feed a dog anything else. But that's just me.

 

"doing well" is a pretty subjective term. I am not sure how well he was doing because I never met him before the day I adopted him. He is a very healthy and active puppy and doesn't appear underweight at all...he's just small. Hence the reason for my OP.

[juice]

The reason i asked is because feeding a puppy is different to feeding an adult, and raw feeding a pup is a harder thing to get right.

I have fed raw and kibble depending on the dogs i have at the time.

Either way the amount you are feeding are too little for a big breed dog, unless he is a cross bred.

[joey13]

45 minutes ago, juice said:

The reason i asked is because feeding a puppy is different to feeding an adult, and raw feeding a pup is a harder thing to get right.

I have fed raw and kibble depending on the dogs i have at the time.

Either way the amount you are feeding are too little for a big breed dog, unless he is a cross bred.

Thanks for your help. I’ve had rottis growing up and he def seems very pure. I’ll up his intake .

[tdierikx]

I've owned and bred Rotties in the past... and 7.3kg at 11 weeks is a bit smallish, but if he's otherwise happy and healthy and not starving, then he may well just be a smaller type... it happens - especially with an unknown parentage/breeding. Also, I've had smaller type pups have startling growth spurts and end up well within the breed standard with regards to height/weight.

 

Personally, I'd be feeding him as much as he will eat at each feed at this age/stage... he's going to be having very interesting growth spurts for the next few months, and will need all the fuel he can get for those. Also, don't overdo the calcium... larger breeds should be grown relatively slowly in order to avoid bone/joint/tendon issues futher down the track.

 

If Ares turns out smaller than average, does it really matter? As a Rotti, he will still be a faithful, loyal, and loving family member who will love you to the moon and back forever.

 

T.

[Rebanne]

16 hours ago, joey13 said:

The rescue most definitely had him vet checked and was in good condition to be adopted, otherwise he would of remained in foster care. He has been wormed, flea treated, chipped and vaccinated as he should be.

His next vaccination is due mid July and he is already booked in.

I would be taking him to the vet now and take a poo sample as well to check for worms. Your talking about another 2 - 3 weeks before he sees a vet yet you are concerned enough to seek advice here.

 

Was he also desexed or do you have a contract for later desexing? Just curious, it wouldn't have any bearing on his weight now unless he had a hard time of it.

[joey13]

4 hours ago, tdierikx said:

I've owned and bred Rotties in the past... and 7.3kg at 11 weeks is a bit smallish, but if he's otherwise happy and healthy and not starving, then he may well just be a smaller type... it happens - especially with an unknown parentage/breeding. Also, I've had smaller type pups have startling growth spurts and end up well within the breed standard with regards to height/weight.

 

Personally, I'd be feeding him as much as he will eat at each feed at this age/stage... he's going to be having very interesting growth spurts for the next few months, and will need all the fuel he can get for those. Also, don't overdo the calcium... larger breeds should be grown relatively slowly in order to avoid bone/joint/tendon issues futher down the track.

 

If Ares turns out smaller than average, does it really matter? As a Rotti, he will still be a faithful, loyal, and loving family member who will love you to the moon and back forever.

 

T.

Thanks for all of that information. That’s very helpful!! As you said, I don’t really care if he ends up being small, I just wanted to check to make sure I’m giving him the best chance is all. I’ll take your advice on board. 

[joey13]

20 hours ago, Rebanne said:

I would be taking him to the vet now and take a poo sample as well to check for worms. Your talking about another 2 - 3 weeks before he sees a vet yet you are concerned enough to seek advice here.

 

Was he also desexed or do you have a contract for later desexing? Just curious, it wouldn't have any bearing on his weight now unless he had a hard time of it.

Yes he’s been desexed .

 

As I said, I’m not really concerned I just wanted to make sure I’m giving him the best possible chance.
 

He has been regularly wormed and I watched the foster cater worn him before we left her place. He’s just a small pupper I think.

 

My original question was more to see if he would be stunted due to his rough start but it seems he may very well end up being normal size in the end. Either way, I really don’t mind. As long as he is happy and healthy. I love him already. 

Edited June 25, 2020 by joey13