# Starting slow growth plan at 13 weeks?



## Tuck (Jun 26, 2009)

Well Iv had Tucker for just over 5 weeks. He was 13 weeks old yesterday and is doing quite well although Im concerned about his weight and would like to slow his growth down to promote healthier joints, bones, etc. 

My first instinct was to get him on a quality food for large breeds. I chose Innova puppy food for large breeds because it contains fewer calories, protein, etc. By doing this I thought he would be well off and not grow as much/fast as he would be on "regular" food. He has been on this for weeks now and is doing well.

Now, Tucker is 13 weeks and weighs 27 lbs. Unfortunately I have not been keeping a consistent record of his weight, but think hes been gaining about 2 lbs a week since 8 weeks. 

Just yesterday I bumped into a 20 week old golden and her owner. He had been feeding his pup 1c of adult food a day and then supplementing the other 2c (or however much was recommended) with raw carrots and beans. Im sure this ratio changed every weeks. Now that she is 20 weeks, she is eating a full on kibble diet by the recommended volume.

I am intrigued by this and am wondering if its too late to make any modifications to Tuckers diet. Would it help if I were to cut back on his Innova and supplement the difference with carrots, beans, or other veggies? I am very interested in this plan and more so the health of Tucker.

Tucker at 12 weeks.









Thanks!


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## MyBentley (May 5, 2009)

Puppies I have had have often gained 2 lbs. a week during the early growth period. I think that's pretty typical. Not over feeding and not too high of a calcium/phosphorus level is probably anyone's best bet against a dog growing too rapidly - more so than a specific food. Protein and fat are utilized by puppies for healthy development so I wouldn't significantly short change that. I'd be worried about feeding a puppy only 1 cup of kibble a day supplemented only by some raw vegetables. The pup isn't going to get all the vitamins it needs, the protein it needs, or the calories it needs. It sounds like Tucker is doing well at this point and you may just want to keep on with what you're doing.


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## slip_kid (May 12, 2009)

I think we nailed this slow growth diet.
Pup turns 10 weeks today, we give him 3/4 a cup of Canidae all life stages 3x a day and he eats only 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time, forcing us to toss out 1/4 to 1/2 a cup every meal. He must be concerned with his own growth rate...


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## Tuck (Jun 26, 2009)

So supplementing veggies is not a great idea? Any recommendations on what I should be doing? I am curious about how much I should be feeding him in general. Im giving him 3c a day right now; morning, afternoon and evening. Innova's feeding calculator recommends 4.25c a day which seems like a lot. 

How much do I feed? 13 weeks and 27+ lbs... thanks again!


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## marieb (Mar 24, 2008)

Hi, I followed the slow growth plan with my puppy and she's now over a year old and she is at her ideal weight (60 lbs). I didn't supplement with veggies, I've never heard of that. If you do a search for slow growth plan you should be able to find it ... she ate 3/4 cup, 3 times a day for awhile (I can't remember when I increased). 4.25 sounds like an awful lot of food, it's not always good to follow the feeding instructions on the bag because they're pretty high. She is currently eating Innova adult, 1 and 3/4 cup daily. 

I just wanted to add too, that some dogs are bigger than others ... there are a lot of Golden Retrievers that are bigger than the breed standard so if your pup's parents were big than it's likely that he will be big too. He's adorable!


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## Tuck (Jun 26, 2009)

14 weeks, 28.5lbs; is 3 cups a day enough? Should I go to 4 cups? He put on about 2 lbs last week. Thanks in advance!


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## meadowmist (May 27, 2009)

Like marieb said, maybe he is just going to be a big guy? I frequent this board a lot since we got our Golden, as this is my first...I am learning as we go.  At 15 weeks, our Scout was 31 pounds which at a gain of 2 pounds per week would put Tucker at about the same. Our vet asked me to switch to a large breed puppy food, which we did. We give 3 cups per day and in the morning feeding only mix a wet food with the dry. Vet says Scout is going to likely be above the standard weight for Goldens, so I guess we will see how it turns out. Beautiful boy you have there, by the way!


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

I had a bitch puppy who was almost 20 lbs when I brought her home at 8 weeks. The puppies from the Fragrance litter were all around 15 lbs at 8 weeks. I think it depends on the lines. You may want to Google Hovan Slow Growth Plan - by Rhonda Hovan of Faera Goldens. I have never used this on my puppies just read through it. I am not sure if you can start this on an older puppy or if it needs to implemented at birth but regardless its a good read. I have never used Large Breed foods. I just don't feel they are necessary.


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## magiclover (Apr 22, 2008)

slip_kid said:


> I think we nailed this slow growth diet.
> Pup turns 10 weeks today, we give him 3/4 a cup of Canidae all life stages 3x a day and he eats only 1/4 - 1/2 cup at a time, forcing us to toss out 1/4 to 1/2 a cup every meal. He must be concerned with his own growth rate...


 
Maybe he doesn't like the Canidae. Have you tried other brands?


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## slip_kid (May 12, 2009)

magiclover said:


> Maybe he doesn't like the Canidae. Have you tried other brands?


Hi, we switched flavors to the lamb and rice and he eats that.
3/4 3x a day. then figure almost a slice of cheese a day broken into tiny bites at each potty break, then treats for training.

he's 12 weeks today and was prob about 18.5 lbs on Tues, the last vet visit, he has some catching up to do, but was 10 lbs at 8 weeks when we got him.


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## obriensmc (Feb 15, 2010)

We have also been feeding Canidae ALS to our puppy since we've had him. He's 11 weeks and 11lbs. We've been trying to get him to eat 2 cups per day (broken up into 3 feedings of 2/3 cup each), but he always has leftover food. By the end of the day he's only eaten 1 & 1/2 cups. I use some of the leftover kibble for training, but I can tell this won't interest him much longer. He pretty close to the Hovan Plan chart, so I'm encouraged that we are on the right path. 
Jasper is a very active, playful puppy, so I think he's doing fine weight wise, but it's taken a little work to readjust our perceptions of what puppies are "suppose" to look like. I still worry, sometimes, that he's a little too thin...but I remind myself he's full of energy, which is a good indicator that he's getting what he needs.

Hopefully, our experience below can be a lesson for those free-feeding their Goldens or thinking they "only eat a little at a time"...all day long:
This time around we were very concerned about not repeating our mistake of letting our first Golden gain too much weight, too fast. She ended up having a soft tissue injury during playtime (at about 1 yr) and then problems with her joints by age 3. We also had to have about 8 non-cancerous growths removed as a result of too much weight...I'm embarrassed to say that at one point she was 100lbs, before our vet gave me a reality check. We manage Ella's issues with joint supplements and a strict feeding program to keep her weight around 70lbs (she can from larger/taller parents). She's much healthier, able to be more active, and more comfortable with her everyday activities.


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## MyJaxson (Jan 5, 2010)

Tuck said:


> 14 weeks, 28.5lbs; is 3 cups a day enough? Should I go to 4 cups? He put on about 2 lbs last week. Thanks in advance!


 Jaxson is about the same size and he gets 3 cups a day. He was just at the vets on Thrusday and she said he is looking great and growing at a good pace. 7lbs in 1 month


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