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Leonbergers => Leonberger Discussions => : k2campbell October 28, 2005, 04:54:09 AM
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Happy Friday! Yipee!
If someone has any advice (or knows of any good guidelines to follow), it would be appreciated.
Our Leo puppy (Kate – obviously female!) is 16 wks old today. She had her 4th round of shots yesterday, weighed in at 35lbs. Although – she didn’t really sit/stand still at all on the scale, so our vet took the middle of the range that was showing up.
Our vet was so thrilled with how good Kate looks –she said she is the ‘perfect’ size for her age, she isn’t too slim/too chubby, she was actually really impressed with us – said that we were doing a great job on keeping Kate at a really healthy weight. As we all know, 5 lbs too much on one of these little (or shall I say ‘BIG’!) puppies can do damage later on in life (in regards to joints, etc). So, I we were feeling really good walking out of there…
THEN – this morning I was looking online, as I wanted to see where Kate was in size range for her age (not that it really matters, just curious). I found a chart on a Leo site that shows average weights for specific ages. It stated the following for a 4-month-old female Leo:
50 lbs – Small
55 lbs – Medium
66 lbs – Large
This chart said to weigh your puppy at the END of the month you are weighing in at. I am confused. Kate is 16 wks old today, but won’t be 4 months old (from her birth date) until Nov 8th. So – do I weight her now, or do I wait until the end of the 4th month (which would be the end of Nov)?
Kate was not at all a runt, and she is growing like a weed. Not that it really matters – we love her so much, we wouldn’t care if she was too small/too big (whatever), but we’re curious. My vet couldn’t believe how much she’s grown in a month, so I am confused. Maybe I should just weigh her in at the end of Nov? I don’t know. I do know though that she gained exactly 11 lbs in one month as per our vets’ records yesterday…
If anyone has any advice – that would be great!
Regards,
k2campbell
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It sounds like you should compare her weight at the end on Nov. to the weight listed on the chart but I'm not positive...
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I would think that it would be better to take your vet's advice than a weight chart. It can get really upsetting to try to keep too close a chart on her weight. I've found, with the Newfs, that they don't follow any chart too closely. One month they are too thin, next one too tall, next one too heavy ;D. I think it depends on the individual dog. It's fun to know the weight only because we get asked daily, "he's HOW old? How much does he weigh? How big is he going to get? Are you going to ride him?" ::)
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I posted on your other thread, but I'll post here too.
My dane pup at 4 months was 50 lbs..........w/i normal range for a dane pup. Those must be huge leos if the small sized one weighs the same as a dane pup.
Also keep in mind that females are smaller than males. I too would go with what your vet said. If she looks like she is at a good weight, she probably is.
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Thanks newflvr - you are also right! Really appreciate your advice - I'm just going to pretend I never saw that chart!
Cheers,
k2campbell
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Thanks Zoocrew - you too are also right! I've gotten such great advise on this site - it's awesome!
LOVE the pic of your dogs - too funny!
k2campbell
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Thanks Rachel (o: