I agree that not all foods suit all dogs, and also that 6kg for a 12 week old lab puppy is very small.
We fed Ozzie Burns Mini Bites from 9 weeks old through to about 7-8 months old, and he was sooooooo tiny as a wee pup.
At about 8 months or so hubby decided (while I was out of the country) to swap him over to JWB and now Ozzie is much fuller figured and a much healthier weight. Now, at 11 months, he's a much healthier 26kg.
If you can feel pup's ribs under the skin easily, but yet cannot see them when you look at pup, then pup is probably the right weight.
But if you can see ribs, or if there is a huge gap from the rib cage to the belly, then pup needs more weight on.... puppies are supposed to be roly poly bundles of fat so that if they get a tummy bug or diarreah or something then they can handle it without getting too sick.... an underweight dog will not have the reserves that a porky puppy has and they can get VERY sick really quickly.
I won't bag Burns directly, because the food suits so many other dogs, and Ozzie's coat was so shiny on it, but I wouldn't feed Burns to a puppy again (personally) because of our experience with it.
Alfie has been wormed regularly, so it's not that.
I've just spoken to his breeder and he comes from show lines, so it's not that either! She suggested upping his food quantities, and ignoring the guidelines on the packet, so I'll try that for a week and reassess.
I would change the food too (slowly) as Burns do seem to produce lean Labs. Like Jules say, it doesnt have to be forever but you should find that changing to another good brand will help with his weight.
hi
Im not sure about those brands as I am from Canada..but i wonder, is the food designated for puppies?
I know that it isn't necessary to feed a puppy a high protein diet as they will put on weight fast and have a greater chance of developing hip dysplasia.
Do you feed your pup 3 or 4 times a day? That could help. Also, is he exercising too much? He should be sleeping lots during the day as this is the time they grow!
Try talking to a vet or a vet technician about your puppy!
Oh, I am sorry you are worried about your little one. Joseph was a Burns baby and at 13 weeks was 10+ kgs. He is still on his Burns but Fish and Brown rice because he seemed ready to change to adult Burns and they said OK but still 20grms to the kg per day. I would feed to the weight he should be NOT the weight he is, so that would be 20 grms times about 8 or 9 kgs giving a total of 160-180 grms a day divided by 3 feeds. Try that for a week , which will be long enough to see if he fattens up a bit.
It may be that another brand would bulk him up a bit and maybe worth trying if you are worried. Royal Canin Maxi Baby dog is one which many lab breeders use and your vet could advise here. Whatever you change to does still need to be high quality and not just filling him with cereals.
I think at this early age they go through fat and then leaner periods. One day they seem very chubby then have a growth spurt that makes them appear skinnier.
Joseph is not concerned about his weight! Yesterday I was sitting in the lounge, dozing off after lunch, when he brought me the bag that a bunch of bananas had been in! I went in to the kitchen where all that remained was the end of the bunch where the skins are joined together. That was 10 bananas! I have been waiting for the effects to show themslevs for 24 hours....but apart from bits of banana skin coming out (!) absolutely nothing. How's that for a cast iron lab digestive system!
I never fed Coal on mini bites. He switched straight from Hills (which made his poo bright yellow!) to Burns high energy lamb which he thrived on. He's now on adult lamb and rice and to be honest i gave up with the feeding guides once he got to about 7 months and do it by eye now.
hope he puts on some weight soon
Sam
____________ Sam, Coal & Finn
It�s never too late to be what you might have been
All photographs remain copyrighted to me with al
Hi everyone, I am Alfies Breeder, just wanted to chat about this burns problem really.
Alfie was the biggest boy in the litter and tonight I have asked all other litter mates how much they weigh and what they are feeding. It ranges from 10 kilo's and feeding 50 plus grams......down to Alfie at 6.1. who has just been increased from 40grams to 45 grams.
When they all went out to their new homes they was on 35 grams and told to increase depending on the puppy.
I have to say that this is the first litter I have ever reared on burns, but most of my adults are on burns and I use all flavours.
The feeding guides on the bags are just guides, as I say to all new puppy buyers, every pup is different, I prefer my pups chunky, the vets like them lean!
But going by what Joanna has been told from the burns help line she is already feeding too much at 45 grams.........how unhelpful is that. This puppy has to be hungry and definately needs his food increased.
I feed my adults 220grams twice a day, I have big labs, my girls weigh in at 38-40kilos and no they are not fat, as my vet says, solid muscle....!! These girls are the mum, grandmum, and great grandmum of Alfie, and with Deeds as the daddy they should be fair sized pups!
I also have a working line, and they are slightly finer than the other line, but they burn off more energy as they are so much more active than my show line, but they still have 220grams twice a day and again are not fat. The working girls..ha ha all weigh in at around 30 kilos.
So all in all am I doing the right thing in feeding my puppies burns from 3 weeks of age..........I have tried lots of brands before, JWB, Nutro, Oscar, chum meat and mixer............help what do I do!!!!! Up until the call today from Joanna I was fairly happy with the Burns, I have also has another litter from one of my big girls with Deeds, the pups are now 8 weeks, and not as chunky as Alfies litter, and they are eating just over 35grams 4 times a day.
Its all such a worry, well I worry just because I love them so much and want to do the right thing for them, only the best will do for my babies.
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But the guideline amounts are SO different.
