she keeps growing and growing....

[delila]

Hi. I have a young (6 months old on the 10th) female who is growing like a crazy girl. When I got her she was 10 wks and 20 lbs which was fine. By the time she was 5 months she was about 50, and I thought wow - she's getting BIG. Now at no quite 6 months, she weighs 70 lbs!!! Don't get me wrong she's not fat, she still slopes in around her mid section, and you can feel her ribs easily. I think she's just a big girl. She almost stands as tall as our 15 month old male, but she's not quite as long.
She's a good eater, we give her 3 cups ion the morning and 3 1/2 at night. There are times she will not eat, and she was actually the one who decided she was ready to eat only twice a day.
Anyone else with big girls?

[delila]

P.S.
She gets spayed on monday (3/12).
And I have been thinking about putting her on a BARF diet.
I just started giving her apple halves for treats instead of store bought treats because i figure they are better for her.

[Anja Bear]

I also have a large female. When we brought Anja home at 8 weeks she was 16 lbs. She was 20 months old on the April 23 and she weighs 112 lb. My vet said that from the shoulders down she looks male. and her face is female. she is very sleek and muscular not overweight for her build at all. she eats 2 cups in the morning and 2 cups in the evening for dinner. Good luck with your big girl. :D

[Chloesmom]

Delila,

My Chloe also grew very quickly, and wasn't fat. But what I read is that there is a danger of developing hip dysplasia when the dog grows too fast. Their bones aren't mature enough to handle the extra weight. Changing her treats is a great idea. Maybe the vet would have an opinion about her growth rate, I'm no expert. But now, at 100 lbs (which Chloe reached at 1 yr), she has a bit of HD on the right side. We're watching it, and she's dieting, but only time will tell if it will get worse.

I don't think slowing down how fast she grows will change your girl's potential, just allow her bones to get strong and catch up.

Tell you the truth, 6 1/2 cups a day sounds like a lot of food. (Even though the manufacturer recommends it). Check in "Nutrition and Grooming" for a lot of posts on how much to feed.

[ March 08, 2001: Message edited by: Chloesmom ]

[Dogfolks]

Hi delila, yes you have a big girl at 26 weeks/70# but 6 1/2 cups of food plus training snacks is probably too much food. It is muuuuch better at this age to keep your dog lean, even very lean but not undernourished of course. I assume you are feeding a premium food.

Keeping her lean through puppyhood and adolescence will not affect her ultimate size but it will sure go a long way towards avoiding the growth problems large dogs have.


Look at the archives at some of AngleBunnys posts an how you dog should look. I might add to that when you look at your own dog (knowing ever bone :) it is OK for *you* to "imagine" all her ribs especially after a day with a lot of exercise and right before her meal

Lynn