# Did my puppy grow too fast?



## Barley'sMom (Apr 13, 2018)

Hello! I am a new member to this forum and a first time Golden Retriever owner. I frequently consult this forum for questions related to my pup. 

My puppy is 8 months old and 75 lbs. I am wondering if he has grown too quickly and how I can help this. We are now weaning him off of puppy food and give him 1 cup of puppy food and 1 cup of adult food 2x a day. Are we feeding him too much? Should we just stick to the adult food to slow his growth? He eats all of his food, when it was just puppy food he didn't always eat it all. Thanks for any advice!


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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

For us, just after 6 months old we went totally to adult food. Also, we were also down to feeding 2 times a day. If you can't feel his ribs with a bit of gentle pressure, and they feel really well padded, then the 75lbs might be a bit much for him. Dropping to feeding 2 times a day and stopping the puppy food will help this. Good luck!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

You're overfeeding your puppy. He should probably be getting closer to half that amount. And it should be adult food now. Don't forget that treats count as well.

Wet down his coat and take a photo looking straight down on his back. Post it here if you're unsure, you should see a defined waist line and easily feel his ribs. He is still in his teenage phase and should not have attained his mature weight yet. Unless he's a very tall dog, he's already hitting the higher end of his weight range. Take a look at this, it's pretty useful: http://www.library.tufts.edu/vet/images/bcs_dog.pdf

https://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/extend-your-dogs-life

Are you training at a dog training club? If so, ask for one of the instructors, preferably someone who works agility dogs, to help you go over your puppy. These serious hobby people are much more realistic about appropriate dog weight than most pet owners. Just like people, our dogs are WAY better off health wise being a tiny bit too lean than a tiny bit too heavy. Increase his exercise gradually to help him develop muscle and work off fat.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

The type/quality of the dog food will determine how much to feed. For example a 500+ calorie/cup food you would feed much less then a food with 320 or 350 calories/cup. 

I usually tell people to feed about 10-15% less then what the bag feeds as an adult food and go from there. The bag is just a guideline and starting point and is meant to be adjusted for each dog. I feed Maggie 3 cups a day but I will feed a 1/2 cup less when it's going to be a good training day since she'll get the treat. If you feed what the bag says and then treat and train then that is certainly excess. 

As far as the age weight of the dog. How were the parents? I mean a Golden's confirmation is generally 55-65lbs for females and 65-75lbs for males. But if his parents were 90lbs then he may just be a bigger golden. At 8 months or after you can certainly move to adult food if you wish.


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## FosterGolden (Mar 10, 2014)

What did your vet say about his weight? What does the breeder say about what to feed?


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

I would use the graphic in the link nolefan gave you to help serve as a guide. I like my puppies and dogs to be on the leaner side--its so much better for their joints. I want to see a well defined waist, a good abdominal tuck, and to be able to easily feel Piper's ribs under but not be able to see them. 

Can you describe what your dog looks like/ribs feel like/post pictures? 

It depends on the type of food you are feeding, how active your dog is, their metabolism and size but 4 cups per day feels like a lot. She was only getting 2.5-3 cups of large breed puppy per day by that point, including for training, (we switched to adult around 10-12 months I think), she's also 45-50lbs and we are quite active. 

I personally try to err on the side of thinking she needs to gain a pound or two rather than thinking she needs to lose it. I check her body condition all the time. A lot of the GRs I see out there in the wild are a little heavier than I prefer. 

What does your vet think? Your vet can also give you a good idea, especially if they are a large breed or golden aficionado themselves.


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## Barley'sMom (Apr 13, 2018)

*Thank you for your replies!*

Thank you to everyone who replied. We have switched him to adult food and are giving him a smaller amount now. He eats 2x a day and we give him 1.5 cups each time. He seems to be looking a bit better. The breeder saw him about a month ago and thought he was a little heavy. My pup's Father is a pretty large golden. I can feel his ribs with some padding. We are trying to make sure he gets plenty of exercise too! We haven't had a reason to go to the vet recently but he was there about 2 months ago and our vet didn't say he was overweight.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

It's sad but very few vets will comment on the weight unless it's really out of control. Consider his position... who wants to offend their clients? Who stands to make money by complications arising from the extra weight 

Remember that the vet has no idea on the breeding of your dog... has no idea on how large the parents are... no idea on how much you exercise or feed your dog. 

I've watched too many (usually ladies) clients be offended when a vet comments on their pets weight. One lady swore her Chihuahua was big boned! This poor pup weighed 15 lbs, blown patellas and early signs of diabetes and should have weighed about 5 lbs.

If you want honest information from your vet you will have to ask. Most clinics do not charge an office call if you just want to come in and weigh your dog. I weighed my pup at a clinic I didn't even use because the scale was in the lobby.

Your pups weight is your responsibility, if you have a concern or need help gaining or loosing the vet will be happy to assist you.


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

puddles everywhere said:


> It's sad but very few vets will comment on the weight unless it's really out of control. Consider his position... who wants to offend their clients? Who stands to make money by complications arising from the extra weight
> 
> Remember that the vet has no idea on the breeding of your dog... has no idea on how large the parents are... no idea on how much you exercise or feed your dog.
> 
> ...


This is spot on. Also, it can be difficult for vets because dogs can kind of plump up before a growth spurt and then get skinny. There are also so many overweight dogs, that its easy to start thinking that being on the heavier side is normal. Even in a large, big-boned GR you want to be able to easily see a defined waist and easily feel their ribs. Especially in a juvenile that doesn't have a large fluffy coat yet. 

My friend has a one year old GR and goes to the same vet office we do. Different vet though. She asked me about her dog's weight and mentioned that her vet told her the dog's weight looked great, but I was sort of thinking she was too stocky. My vet is a GR owner and aficionado, so she's much more likely to give GR specific advice than the other vets there.

I go weigh my dog at the vet all the time. Its convenient, because I live a 5 minute walk away, but really came in handy when I switched her food to help her gain some weight in terms of tracking it and making sure she wasn't gaining too fast.


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## NothingbutGold (Apr 2, 2017)

I have a soon to be one year old golden (on Saturday) and at last weigh in (a few weeks ago) he weighed 72 lbs. I was told by the breeder that the average weight for a male golden is between 65-75 lbs. Because he is still intact, our vet recommended he stay on puppy food until he is fix. I currently feed him 2.5 cups of food a day 1.25 in the am and the other 1.25 for dinner. I can feel his ribs, by no means is he skinny but he's pretty lean.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

NothingbutGold said:


> I have a soon to be one year old golden (on Saturday) and at last weigh in (a few weeks ago) he weighed 72 lbs. I was told by the breeder that the average weight for a male golden is between 65-75 lbs. Because he is still intact, our vet recommended he stay on puppy food until he is fix. I currently feed him 2.5 cups of food a day 1.25 in the am and the other 1.25 for dinner. I can feel his ribs, by no means is he skinny but he's pretty lean.



Growth plates usually close by 12 months so unless hes so active that he losses weight on adult food, your golden might just start putting weight on for the sake of just weight. Puppy food just starts to be become excess. The last few pounds from 12-18months is the dogs body maturing and can't be "forced".

So I know your vet told you to still feed him puppy, just keep an eye on his weight/body condition if you're not planning on neutering him till 18 months or so, just something to think about.


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