The Head of the puppy

[bob kale]

Hi all,
I reside in Mauritius and sadly enough there is no proper regulating body for Rottweilers...

The so called breeders are more like self appointed know-it-all who cannot manage to read a feeding chart off a food pack...

Recently one of them wanted to sell me a pup with a distinct sort of lump on his head...my question is : is that possible or is that some genetic protrusion which bodes problem in the future?

Thanks...will wait for you replies...

[Anne]

If the lump was towards the back of the head in the centre it was probably the occiptal bone. Quite normal, it's the normal structure of the head.

Perhaps you can explain further why you think the breeders are such duds.

[bob kale]

thanks for your reply Anne...

However, in the same litter all the females had nice heads without any protruding occipital bone???? Guess what? all the female were larger (not taller) than the male...is that normal? The 'breeder' said that the female developed quicker than the male....

Well the breeder recommended me to use the purina proplan (imported by one of his friend) and his daily recommendation was 150g that is 3 servings of 50g each which is one third of the recommended portion as per the chart at the back of the food pack...

[Anne]

Bob, I wouldn't worry about the chart on the back of a feed bag. The manufacturers always over estimate the amount a dog needs for optimum growth...afterall, they sell more of their food that way. I would follow the breeders recommendation. You don't want your pup growing too quickly. It won't take you too long to see how your pup is developing. If it's looking too chubby then decrease the amount each feed. Too thin then you increase the amount. Baby puppies should look nicely chubby.

I feed my puppies 4 times a day until they are 12 weeks old and then 3 times a day until they are 18 weeks. Then they go to two feeds a day and stay on that regime for life.

I'm not keen on Purina ProPlan. Is there a better quality food you can access where you are?

If you are not happy with the pup the breeder wants to sell you then perhaps choose a different pup from the litter or maybe look for another breeder.
All the best with your puppy purchase and please keep us posted.

[bob kale]

we do have purina dogchow, pedigree puppy, royal canin and a few others...

[Nishasmom]

Royal Canin is the best of these three, what others do you have?

[yoki]

Hi everyone. I recently purchased a Rottie pup. He's 7 weeks old. Im very pleased with him. I have been feeding him Puppy chow. But my question is how much do I feed him at one time. As soon as I put the half cup of food in his bowl, its gone before I can even turn around. Am I not feeding him enough?

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by yoki

Hi everyone. I recently purchased a Rottie pup. He's 7 weeks old. Im very pleased with him. I have been feeding him Puppy chow. But my question is how much do I feed him at one time. As soon as I put the half cup of food in his bowl, its gone before I can even turn around. Am I not feeding him enough?

Do some reading on the Puppy Forum as well as the Nutrition and Grooming forum, you will learn about feeding a good food.
Purina Puppy Chow is a poor quality food, that is mostly corn and what and meat by-products..it's a food fit for a cow or pig or chicken not for a puppy
Rottweiler puppy should not be fed puppy food, unless it is Large Breed Puppy food or All-Life-Stages food.

Gina

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by yoki

...I recently purchased a Rottie pup. He's 7 weeks old....

I wish you've found RDN before you bought your puppy. 7 weeks is young for a puppy to have left his or her dam and sibs. The fact you got your puppy as young as you did leads me to question the quality of your puppy's breeder.

If you want to learn what quality, COE breeders do, read thru the postings in Breeding.

Originally Posted by yoki

...I have been feeding him Puppy chow.

This is an inferior food. You're feeding him this food for what reason--on the recommendation of the breeder?

Spending time reading thru the postings in Nutrition and Grooming will give you lots of info on foods and why RDNers like some and not others.

Originally Posted by yoki

... But my question is how much do I feed him at one time. As soon as I put the half cup of food in his bowl, its gone before I can even turn around. Am I not feeding him enough?

You can't judge if you're feedig your Rottie enough by how fast the dog eats. All my Rotties over the course of decades hoovered down their food and would've eaten themselves to death had I given them the opportunity to do so. A couple of small meals a day are better than a single big meal.

It would well to your advantage to spend a lot of time reading thru Puppy Development.