# Puppy weight gain



## beckymnd (Oct 17, 2017)

Hello!

Dexter was 4 months on Saturday, and he weighed 5.6kg. He's 14 inches to shoulder now.

2 weeks prior he was 5.25kg, he's been putting on around 0.5kg every 2-4 weeks. However, on his vet check last Monday, they said he's a bit on the skinnier side than they would like, so we've been told to up his food.

He's on 200g Millies Wolfheart kibble (125g-250g for his age and weight it says on the bag) now, but just doesn't seem to be putting on any puppy fat at all! He gets 20 minutes walk a day, sometimes twice a day. On the weekend we take him out for one 45 min walk with our older dog.

Is anyone else's puppy just naturally very skinny? His mums a petit working cocker who was very much on the skinny side, and his dad's a mini poodle.
We think he will likely be quite slender and taller than our older dog, but he really is on the boney side!

Any tips on filling him out a little? If we up his kibble any more his stools become quite loose. He did have worms over Christmas so perhaps that hasn't helped with him filling out a bit more but they should be gone now.


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## Jackson2017 (Jul 4, 2017)

beckymnd said:


> Hello!
> 
> Dexter was 4 months on Saturday, and he weighed 5.6kg. He's 14 inches to shoulder now.
> 
> ...


Jackson's 6 month check up last week he weighed in at just under 10kg but he doesn't look or feel that big. The vet actually referred to him as skinny! He's all fur to us, he is quite long but stocky, not sure of his inches to shouler

he is just on kibble also and is absolutely food mad so we have to be careful of his portions etc

Not sure how you can fill him out more without upsetting his tummy?


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

We see loads of cockapoo pups in class and the vast majority of them are lean just like that 

As long as they are healthy then I would not worry at all - far rather see a lean fit dog than a podgy one


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## beckymnd (Oct 17, 2017)

Ah this is getting a little tiresome  Just got back from the vets for Dexter's 5 month puppy check up and now he's 'worryingly' on the skinny side. Although he's gaining weight fine, 6.75kg at 5 months. I've upped his food to 200g from 150g, and switched him over to a 60/40 mix, which is higher in carbohydrates than his previous 70/30 mix kibble.

He's also having 1/4 of a tray a day of Forthglade 90% meat complimentary wet food on top of his kibble. He still INHALES all his food, there's never anything left.

I've been told to up his food even more to the maximum on the packet (230g for 5 months between 5-10kg) & i'll double his wet food tray to 1/2 a day. I've also got to have him poop tested to ensure there's nothing wrong.

I genuinely think he's just a very lean / skinny Cockapoo though, his mum was very lean & on the boney side (working cocker).

They've said he's otherwise healthy, & a very happy dog. 

I'm obviously going to go ahead with the tests for piece of mind, but I genuinely don't know what more I can feed him!! I guess I'm just going to feed up the little mite like a turkey ready for Christmas for the next month!


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## cfriend (Dec 22, 2016)

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Especially since he is in his prime growing phase so it's difficult to put on weight. Zelda has always been very skinny and had only recently put on a little weight after she got spayed but she is still skinny. She isn't much of an eater. I will bet that dexter will put on weight once he reaches 10-12 months.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

I would probably have the tests to be safe but otherwise not worry too much - sounds like a normal lean cockapoo to me.

Incidentally I find different vets have different opinions on weight. I am always careful with Molls weight because of her joint issues - but with her operation last year her weight did creep up slightly - she is not heavy by any means but is at the absolute top weight I think is good for her with joint issues. She is the heaviest she has ever been on vet records - despite this a young vet we saw last year said "she hoped to see Molly had gained some weight in 3 weeks when she next saw her" I was not at all impressed and told her so


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## LuckyCockapoo (May 29, 2017)

Yeah get tests just for peace of mind. 

But he sounds like he’s doing great. He’s eating very well (and great quality food!), he seems hes enjoying it and putting on weight. 

Lucky was heavier, but when wet he looked like a bag of bones. The fluff hides how lean they are. It was around 8 months when he started to bulk out more, you could feel his muscles getting bigger, chest broader and his torso fill out. At 10 months he’s now not as skinny when wet but still has that general lean look under the fluff.


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## beckymnd (Oct 17, 2017)

Good news, the poop tests came back all clear, which is nice to know 

I think perhaps we just weren't feeding him enough previously, he's now on the max. quota for a 10kg dog on kibble, and the same for his Forthglade topper.
He was 5 months this week, and is now 7.7kg, so has put on 2.1kg in a month since upping his food intake :O 

He's still all fur & bones, but after meeting another Cockapoo named Dexter on the weekend who just hit 1 year old it does indeed sound like that build is just very common in certain Cockapoos! x


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## JoeH (Nov 20, 2017)

I had the same last week at check up they thought Alfie was a bit ribby so upped his food from 180 to 220 a day.

Don't ask me his weight as I am not great at remembering.

He must have heard as while putting bits in the car for training on Sat morn the little monkey polished off 500g of chicken bits I had in a bag by the front door ready to take with me. Suffice to say training was without treats that day - the little porka :laugh:

But top tip for people - you can get 1 kilo of frozen chicken breast from Aldi for about £4. It works out a lot cheaper than treats from the pet shops at £5 for 500 grams and probably healthier.

This does me for training on a Saturday and for most of the following week too.


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## beckymnd (Oct 17, 2017)

Ahhh fab tip! Thank you! 

We have an Aldi just down the road so i'll maybe nip there and grab some. We tend not to have much meat in this house though as my partner's a vegan! We can make exceptions for dog treats though hehe


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