Bella's Vet Appt. What Do You Think?

[mx5055]

Bella had a vet appointment today for a couple of shots. She will be 5 months old in 3 days (we picked her birthday as November 12 given the information that was provided to us). I have been trying to keep keep her at a slow steady growth, and I was somewhat surprised today to find out that she had gained 16 pounds in exactly 3 weeks. Is this too much too fast? I've included the three official weights I have for her (weighing her just didn't seem that important when I first got her as there were other concerns being dealt with. I've also included some pictures I took of her yesterday (if her stomach looks a bit poochy it's because she had just wolfed down her dinner). She (to my eye) usually looks pretty lean to me, but now I am wondering if I should cut her back just a bit at each meal. Any opinions/advice? Thanks, Cindy

1. February 18, 2013 28.7 pounds

2. March 11, 2013 38 pounds

3. April 9, 2013 54 pounds

 

[raechiemay]

I think she looks great. Of course in my opinion she looks like she's a pretty stocky girl. I probably wouldn't cut back on her food. She will grow at her own rate. So she was pretty much putting on 4-4.5 lbs a week?

 

[voidecho]

See my sig.

 

[mx5055]

I think she looks great. Of course in my opinion she looks like she's a pretty stocky girl. I probably wouldn't cut back on her food. She will grow at her own rate. So she was pretty much putting on 4-4.5 lbs a week?

I guess raechi, I knew she was growing but mostly I was looking at her legs.

 

[ruthcatrin]

It can be hard to see on brindles, but other than her tummy (which just having eaten would account for) she doesn't look over weight. When she's moving can you see hte last rib or two?

 

[mx5055]

See my sig.

Honestly void? Do you think she is overweight? I have never had a giant breed before, and if she weighs too much I will cut back a bit on each meal. The vet seemed to think her weight was ok, but I might put more stock in your guys opinions on here with this issue.

 

[mx5055]

It can be hard to see on brindles, but other than her tummy (which just having eaten would account for) she doesn't look over weight. When she's moving can you see hte last rib or two?

Yes Ruth I can...a lot of the time I can see almost 2 ribs....

 

[ruthcatrin]

Yes Ruth I can...a lot of the time I can see almost 2 ribs....

Then she's in good body condition. 4lbs a week isn't excessive as long as she's not over weight.

 

[jcook]

sreiously, I think she looks perfect. I know that when stella is laying down like Bella is the the third picture, she looks chunky, but she actually very trim. Maybe a view of the top of her back would be good to see how her waist looks?

 

[mx5055]

sreiously, I think she looks perfect. I know that when stella is laying down like Bella is the the third picture, she looks chunky, but she actually very trim. Maybe a view of the top of her back would be good to see how her waist looks?

I will try jcook...it was actually a miracle I got these pics..lol. She is usually too busy to stay still, and if she is staying still for a few seconds she is a total wiggle butt! I just happened to get most of these because she was focused on what the neighbors where doing in their yard

 

[thelady_v2010]

Mine was born Nov 18. Yours is a lot stockier than mine, I worry that mine is too skinny. Last week he weighed just over 37 pounds. I can see more than 2 of his ribs and have been changing his food, so haven't had the chance to find the perfect amount. I think she looks fine.

 

[jcook]

Stella was 56lbs at 22 weeks.

 

[DennasMom]

16lbs in 3 weeks seems fast to me.
Denna and a number of other threads I've read have put growth in the 0.5lb/day range... which would only be 10.5lb/3 weeks.

But... all dogs are unique!

How are her poops? If she poops a LOT, it could be she's getting too much food to use - saving some as extra weight and expelling the rest. Of course, depending on what kind of food she eats, "LOT" is going to be hard to identify, too. LOL.

If the vet thinks she's ok, and you think she's ok, I wouldn't worry about it.

If you think she might be a little chunky - go with your gut.

I thought Denna was getting a bit "prosperous" around her waistline last month, even if she still looked fine from the side, but our trainer confirmed it. We had to cut back portions. Denna was not happy about that. Poor thing.

 

[Smart_Family]

She looks and sounds like she's doing well Cindy.

 

[voidecho]

She looks thick, but not fat. It's hard to tell on a brindle in a pic, but in the fifth pic of the first post it looks like you can totally see where her ribs end and her stomach seems plenty tucked. I don't think she's fat. Even if she is right now, she'll probably have a growth spurt in height this week and she'll slim down.

 

[mx5055]

16lbs in 3 weeks seems fast to me.
Denna and a number of other threads I've read have put growth in the 0.5lb/day range... which would only be 10.5lb/3 weeks.

But... all dogs are unique!

How are her poops? If she poops a LOT, it could be she's getting too much food to use - saving some as extra weight and expelling the rest. Of course, depending on what kind of food she eats, "LOT" is going to be hard to identify, too. LOL.

If the vet thinks she's ok, and you think she's ok, I wouldn't worry about it.

If you think she might be a little chunky - go with your gut.

I thought Denna was getting a bit "prosperous" around her waistline last month, even if she still looked fine from the side, but our trainer confirmed it. We had to cut back portions. Denna was not happy about that. Poor thing.

This is it...this is what my gut has been trying to tell me and I just wasn't connecting the dots....I was even talking to ruth about it the other day. Thank you Dennas Mom. I feed her a good food, she eats Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast, and she has been doing great on it, but I've have been questioning the frequency/size of her stools....too often/too much in my mind. I had asked ruth if keeping her on the Earthborn but changing to one of the others might be better, I think this is where I will start since she has been on the Earthborn long enough that I can just switch flavors. And, if that doesn't work, then maybe I need to look at a different food. I am also going to "shave" a bit off each of her meals starting tomorrow...today was in the high 80's and tomorrow is suppose to be in the 90's, and it appears that the heat really affects her negatively; she just wanted to stay in the house most of the day, when usually I can't get her to leave her toys and come in, so I think the hot months ahead are definitely going to effect her activity levels. Thank you for putting it in black and white where I could see it and connect, I am going to go with my gut feeling right now and cut back a bit. I really like my vet, he certainly has more "knowledge" than I do, but he's my sons age so I have a lot more experience in some areas than him. I am concerned with keeping her on the lean side so she doesn't grow too fast/put undue stress on her body/be overweight.

 

[voidecho]

How much are you feeding her a day right now (before trimming it back)?

 

[Smart_Family]

How much are you feeding her a day right now (before trimming it back)?

Yea this.

 

[mx5055]

5 cups, and when I first got her I think she needed that because she was so underfed. I think now it's a different story and it's catching up. In reality she doesn't look overweight to me at all, but I have been concerned about the size/number of poops the last couple of weeks, and I was totally in shock today when I saw her weight...I just think 16 pounds in 3 weeks is too much????? We go back in 3 more weeks for one more booster, and I will get another weight then. I am still open to any/all advice/opinions as this is my first giant breed ever, and my main concern is her overall health.

 

[voidecho]

Is my math off or yours Cindy? March 11th to April 9th is four weeks and one day, so we're talking a little less than four pounds a week. That doesn't seem ridiculous. I know I had a male EM, but these were his running four week totals for a while:

16.8
17.6
18.2
16.3
18.2
20.4
19.2
20.2
18.8

I don't think a spurt of 16 lbs is that nutz, especially if she was underweight to begin with.