# Is my dog overweight for only 5 months old?



## Braccarius (Sep 8, 2008)

TannersMom said:


> Hello there,
> I have a 5 month old beautiful male golden retriever and he is already 58 pounds. I leave his bowl down for him and he eats when he wants. He does not get any table scraps or people food. How much food should I feed him because I do not want to starve him because he is very thick and I don’t know exactly how to know what amount to feed him and how often. Please help me out so that I can make sure I do not cause my golden, Tanner, to be overweight. He has HUGE paws so I know he will be a big Dog but If anyone has any advice please let me know. Oh yeah and I feed him Perina ProPlan.
> Stephanie


If you are free-feeding him chances are he's overweight. Try feeding him the amount they indicate on the bag for a puppy his age/weight in two meals daily. If he doesn't eat it he misses out on a meal. 

If you run your hands over his side lightly and can't feel rib he needs to get cut back a bit.


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

To put it in perspective for you, my dog is almost 15 months old and weighs 65 lbs.


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## cprcheetah (Apr 26, 2009)

One way to tell is by the BCS (Body Condition Score) you want your dog at a 4 or 5
BCS of 4 or 5 is Ideal

BCS 4: Ideal, slim. Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. Waist easily noted, viewed from above. Abdominal tuck evident.
BCS 5: Ideal. Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.

Weight Management: Dog BCS at Animal Medical Center


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

To put things in perspective my 3.5 year old male golden always weighs between 58lbs and 60lbs (he's 24.5 inches at the withers). When he was 6months old he weighed 30lbs.

The guidelines provided by cprcheetah can help you determine if your puppy is overweight but I'm sorry to say that he most likely is.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

How much exercise does he get? There should be recommendation on the bag that will help you out. I perfer to feed my girl once a day except on day we do heavy training. If I have done weight pull or lots of flyball, tracking or whatever then I feed her a second time. If we are having a light day then just once a day and only the amount for her age.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

rhondas said:


> To put things in perspective my 3.5 year old male golden always weighs between 58lbs and 60lbs (he's 24.5 inches at the withers). When he was 6months old he weighed 30lbs.


Do you have a picture of him? Is he very light boned? 

Jacks is about the same body shape that our Sammy used to be. Like him he's about 23.5 at the withers and big boned. 

When Sams was about 9 years old, we had a minor crisis where he started losing weight. He dropped down to 65 lbs and was just way too bone thin. It reminded us too much of our first golden when he was dying of RF.  Turns out it was the senior food causing problems. We put him back on regular food and he thankfully went back up to a normal weight.

Perfect weight for Sam was 75lbs. And I expect Jacks is the same way (I'll be happy if I get him down to 78lbs). 

@OP - 58lbs sounds like a lot for his age, but it's hard to tell without seeing a picture of your dog.  He should have a waist and a tuck, you should be able to feel the ribs without pressing. 

Feeding - never go by the bag. An ideal starter is 2-3 cups a day, split into two feedings. I'm another that's not in favor of leaving food out all day.


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

It's really hard to answer that question as every dog has different caloric needs based on genetics, body type and exercise levels. The guidelines posted on the bag are just that - guidelines. Many dogs need less food than stated and some need more. Especially seasonally. 
The best way to gauge weight is using the rib test that cprcheetah posted for you. That will let you know whether you are on track.

Also, I would recommend (especially with goldens!!) to stop free feeding. They are notorious food hounds (at least mine is!)

Another poster recommended feeding once daily. I wouldn't do that with a 5 month old puppy. In my opinion they need to be eating at minimum twice a day at that age.

Also, it is my belief that if you do need to cut back on food, I wouldn't do it anymore than 10% at a time. Otherwise they may begin to lose muscle mass. Slow and steady will win the race.

But definitely start with the body scoring and rib tests. They will give you an idea of ideal body weight. It's often the only way to tell with our large, fluffy pups!!

Good luck! And it's great that you're asking about weight and are conscious of not having an overweight pup. Before I joined this forum I had no idea that an overweight dog lives on average 2 years less than a dog of an ideal (or slightly thin) weight!!

Kim 

Oh yea - welcome to the forum, I hope you post some pictures of your baby soon! We love pictures!!


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Did you ask your vet if he was overweight? And maybe the breeder how littermates are doing? If you post some photos it might help.


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## ebenjamin85 (Apr 13, 2008)

Every dog is different. Samantha is 75lbs (at 4 years old) and last year had a BCS of 5 (perfect)... she's due for a check-up in April.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

It certainly sounds like it. My 9 mo male only weighs that much now! I would ask your vet or trainer to evaluate.


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