# Is my Golden underweight?



## Chelsea's Mommy

Hello! I am the proud mommy of a 1 year 2 month old Golden Retriever, Chelsea. We went to Petsmart yesterday, and one of the employees said to me, "Oh, she's petite!" I think I'm getting somewhat of a complex over it. Chelsea weighs 49 pounds but what I want to know is do you think she is underweight? She has a smaller bone structure I think, but I'm not sure what to measure to find out. I feed her Purina Beneful 4 cups twice a day.


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## Emma&Tilly

She looks lovely and trim to me...but I like a dog to look like that! It is impossible to say what weight a dog should be just from a photo...it is an awful lot to do with their structure as to what weight would be best. I think she has a fine frame and her weight looks fine from the picture. Now if Tilly weighed 49lbs she would look emaciated!


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## kgiff

She definitely doesn't look too thin. It's hard to say since we don't know how tall she is and can't put hands on her. What does your vet say?


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## mdoats

Doesn't look too thin to me. I have to ask... you said you feed "4 cups of Purina Beneful twice a day." Do you mean that your dog gets EIGHT cups of food a day?!


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## egcc

Ellie is only 5.5 months and is just starting to fill-out and grow out of her "gangly and awkward" phase. We had checked with the vet, and she told us that Ellie was fine; but, she did look kind of skinny. We had someone comment on the fact that she looked skinny, and it kind of gave me a complex, too. I think people are so accustomed to seeing overweight dogs that dogs that are slim and healthy look underfed. Too bad its not like that for people! I sympathize with your feelings of a complex and feel like I am overconcerned about my puppy's weight. I just want to make sure she is not growing too fast or too slow. I feel like Goldilocks most of the time. Your dog looks great.


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## jwemt81

mdoats said:


> Do you mean that your dog gets EIGHT cups of food a day?!


Wow. Our dogs wouldn't fit through the front door if they got that much! :bowl:


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## RummysMum

Her weight looks good to me, her bone structure/frame is just very petite. She's just not a big girl, and that makes her all the more charming.


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## HovawartMom

She looks great to me and I,really,don't think,she is too fine!!.
People are used to,oversized goldens so when they see a normal size one,they think she/he is petite!.


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## kblinkgirlie182

My Buddy is a little over 5 months and only weighs about 25 pounds, but he looks normal to me and I can't imagine him being a big dog either. Vet said he was healthy when he was in for shots last month. Your dog looks fine to me.


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## BeauShel

Wouldnt take the word of a person working at Petsmart. One guy told me that Bama looked fat and he is 74 pounds and you can feel his ribs very easy. My vet says that Bama is one gorgeous dog and is perfect shape and fit. If your vet says she is fine (and she looks fine in the pictures) then dont worry about it.


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## Leia

Mine is "petite" too. People tell me the same thing. Last time I took her to the vet she weighed 57 pounds. Vet told me she was slightly overweight. Vet said she should be about 50 pounds. 
Yours looks just right to me. The vet told me they are suppose to have a "waist"
I wouldn't listen to the person at Petsmart. She looks good to me.


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## Emma&Tilly

Leia said:


> I wouldn't listen to the person at Petsmart. She looks good to me.


The lady in the shop only said what most of us here are saying...that this golden seems to have a small frame and is petite! I think a 49lb golden retriever can certainly be described as petite...she is very lovely of course, just on the smaller side of average! (I think the average weight for a bitch would be about 55lbs-70lbs)


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## missmarstar

My 2 year old male Sammy is somewhere around 55lbs if that. Some of them are just smaller than others... nothin wrong with that! The little ones fit better on our laps! 

She looks fine from her pics.. if it makes you feel any better, Sammy actually looks much skinnier than her in pictures, and while I still feel concerned that he is underweight, everytime the vet has seen him she says he looks so healthy and lean, so there ya go!


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## olik

my Honey about 51 lb in good day.52 after dinner.He-he.She is small frame and it's totally fine with me.She eats 2.5 cups of Canadie and some yogurt and can food.She is pure mussels.


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## Finn's Fan

Your pup is not skinny; she looks to be a great weight, but of course, her coat hides a lot. Normally, I avoid commenting on a person's food choice, but honestly, Beneful is not a very nutritious food, and if you have to be feeding EIGHT cups a day, then it's mostly filler. If you switch to a food with better ingredients, you'll feed less (so you really won't be paying more because you'll feed less) and I'll bet you see more energy from your lovely girl.


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## Kzwicker

From the pictures I think she looks good. Keep in mind she is not done growing yet. Murphy didn't completely fill out until about 1 1/2 years old. You can always tell if you can see her ribs, then she is under weight, and if you can't feel her ribs then she is overweight. But if you can't see them, but can feel them she is doing just fine. Did that make any sense? My pup may be just a little over weight, but I feed him a really high protein diet so that could be why. I agree with Finn's Fan, maybe check into a better quality food, and you will see a difference in her size and coat. You don’t have to go far out of your budget to get a good one. And like she said, you will feed less, so the bag lasts a bit longer. Just a thought.. Oh, and by the way she is quite a cutie!!


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## Chelsea's Mommy

Correction: I meant 4 total cups of food a day. Two in the morning and two at night. :doh: That's a lot of food (I think). 

The vet says she's fine, but asked if she was really active (and we are active, but not like 2 hours a day active).


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## Chelsea's Mommy

I only feed her the 4 cups total food a day, I mistyped that. I had fed her Organic Eagle brand Holistic Select food since birth until her 1st bday, because it is cheaper and because frankly money is tight. I'm not working and my husband works on straight commission. We feed our cats Purina, and which makes their coats shiny and nice. I'm not sure I like the Beneful though. Is there a cheap alternative food that would be more nutritious?


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## Chelsea's Mommy

I don't know much about the alternative higher quality foods out there to feed her, any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks!! 

And Kzwicker, she is adorable and I just love her so much. She is so well behaved and a fast learner. I want to take care of her well. I grew up with black lab mixes, but I just love having a Golden!


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## BeauShel

Since you shop at Petsmart, ProPlan is good and so is the Blue Buffalo. You will be feeding her less. I feed my crew 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup in the evening. And all share a can on the top.


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