Puppy weight

[Gill]

Monty, 6 month old St Bernard Puppy eats about 5 cups purina large breed puppy chow a day, plus cup of cottage cheese in the evening and 4-5 milk bones throughout the day. He weighs about 82 lbs. Is he about right? He is my first large breed puppy and I want to do right by him.

[schelmischekitty]

here's a link to a saint bernard growth chart.  it's older, but i'll try to find a newer one.  according to this, at 6 months a male saint should weigh roughly 91-lbs.  have you read up on dog food?  it may be worth looking into, because purina isn't the best food, and also large breed puppies can get grow too fast on puppy food, causing bone and joint problems.

http://www.acay.com.au/~dissi/sbc/weight.htm

[Gill]

wow! so he may be a bit under weight. I will have him weighed properly then tomorrow. It was about 2 weeks ago that we weighed him on the bathroom scales with my son holding him!!!!!!! So it probably was not too accurate but I am concerned now I will take him to the vet and check it for sure. Thanks.

[schelmischekitty]

i wouldn't be concerned too much.  all puppies grow differently and as long as he's solid and not having bones sticking out everywhere he's fine.  just like kids and that growth thing they have now.  both my boys are about 5% on the weight and 25% on the height, but are healthy as can be.

[schelmischekitty]

plus he won't poop as much or as often!

[KJUNMAMI]

I have a 31lb 12 1/2 week Pitbull puppy. I see that you found a St Bernard growth chart. Do you know of one for an APBT(American Pitbull)? Thank you so much! 

[mama23+pyrs2]

If there is one, she can probably find it. I did just read that most dog's adult weight is double what they weigh at 4 mos. Giants: double their 5 month weight. I wonder how often that holds true.

[schelmischekitty]

i've noticed with all the APBT's we've owned they were done growing between 6-8 months as far as height, then they just filled out.  i'm looking for a chart, but it's avoiding me ha ha.  also checked my APBT book to only not find one  i'll keep looking though.

[KJUNMAMI]

Great thanks for looking. I read the same site that said they double their 4 month weight. I'm hoping to find a more precise way though because that same site said that a 100 lb dog grows 2.5 lbs a week but she was 21 lbs at 10 weeks and now 31 lbs. at 12.5 weeks so that would be almost 5 lbs a week. i know she isn't going to be 200 lbs. He he.  Let me know if you find anything i will look too. 

[schelmischekitty]

well, i contacted a few rescues, they all said the same thing.  i won't find a chart b/c there is such a size variation within the breed.     PB's do grow very quickly, though, BUT they stop growing at a fairly early age, where giant breeds (like danes, saints) grow for several years.  with the way your baby is growing, i would seriously look into what you're feeding.  some dog foods can cause puppies to grow entirely too fast, causing bone and joint problems, which are not only painful for them, but even more painful to have to watch your baby go though.

[mama23+pyrs2]

Great thanks for looking. I read the same site that said they double their 4 month weight. I'm hoping to find a more precise way though because that same site said that a 100 lb dog grows 2.5 lbs a week but she was 21 lbs at 10 weeks and now 31 lbs. at 12.5 weeks so that would be almost 5 lbs a week. i know she isn't going to be 200 lbs. He he.  Let me know if you find anything i will look too. 

I'm sure it depends on when they gain it too, for example they may gain 2.5 lbs one week, more or less the next. I don't think it's set in stone, much like children. Giant breeds typically gain 10lbs a month, and that's what mine have done. Though out of curiosity, I weighed them both again yesterday, it was 2 days shy of a week since they were weighed. My male gained almost 5 lbs in that time and my female, maybe 1 lb. So, she is obviously spacing her monthly gain out, whereas he may gain a big chunk and then little bits for the next 3 weeks. Or maybe he's just gonna chunk up this month lol. I doubt it though.

I'm sure your girl is gaining it quickly now but will slow down considerably.

[mama23+pyrs2]

Oh yeah, like Steffanie said..food is a big one. I thought you mentioned what you were feeding but looking back, I guess not. It's definitely possible she is growing too fast because of what's she's eating. That's never good.

Esp because it's a female, and she should generally be smaller. Is she large overall, or kinda chunky? I'd love to see pics of her!

[KJUNMAMI]

I feed her Eukanuba puppy for large breeds, and i go by the bag on how much. She may be right and you i used a different scale i go to the vets in a week and a half so I will see then. I think her mom was 70 or 80 so she will probably be around there. I understand with the chart since UKC standards are 40-50lbs and same for Amstaffs but she will be bigger. Thanks though for all your help! 

[schelmischekitty]

eukanuba has a super duper high fat %.  it has 34.49%  where as the stuff we feed has a 14%.  that could likely be why she's gaining weight so fast.  also has a ton of fillers that put a lot of weight on (40% carbs).  thought the protein and  calorie count isn't too bad.  this is a great article here on BPO that tells you how to understand the ingredients, etc, in your dog food.

http://www.bigpawsonly.com/index.php/topic,9742.0.html

also, if some day you want to change your food, here's the "whole dog journal" best dog food / quality list, also here on BPO.

http://www.bigpawsonly.com/index.php/topic,7435.0.html

[KJUNMAMI]

My online at home is messed up but I will have it back in a week or so and I will post pics! And no she looks just fine. I would say she is a little over a foot at the shoulders and she is lean and has a nice muscular tone. She looks in good health and incase you didn't see the last post she eats Eukanuba puppy for large breeds and I go by the chart.