Fat Puppies?

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

Do you think puppies should be fat,if so why?

[SD44]

They are cuter when they are fat!!

[Labs4Me]

IMO - No. You should still be able to feel a little rib on a puppy, although I am okay with a bit more "reserves" on a puppy than on an adult. But fat? No. Stressing developing joints with excess weight is, imo, a bad idea.

In my breed fat seems to be the new normal :roll: But ligament damage is trending upward right along with weight.

[Sharon]

Well said.

[rinker]

What age puppy are you talking about? I like for puppies that are days old to be fairly fat. I would not want a puppy that is six months old to have a lot of fat.

[BellaSpinone]

No. We weigh our puppies daily to make sure they are gaining weight on schedule.

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

I see ads for puppies for sale that are rolly polly fat that aren't old enough to leave home yet.I also hear their so fat,cute, & healthy looking.I don't believe it's any more healthy for a puppy to be fat then an adult dog.JMO
Just curious to know what others think.

[Fun dog]

I'm not sure what you mean by fat, but puppies should have a little extra weight on them. Then if they get sick, they have some reserve to draw from. Of course you don't want to go overboard and have them so fat they can hardly move, but you certainly don't want them in racing weight either.

[dog dr]

In human babies extra fat is supposed to be good for brain development, or so ive been told. cant say whether its the same for dogs or not, but it makes sense to me. Fat is key component of the nervous system.

[Labs4Me]

In human babies extra fat is supposed to be good for brain development, or so ive been told. cant say whether its the same for dogs or not, but it makes sense to me. Fat is key component of the nervous system.

Is that body fat or fat in the diet?

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

Dog Dr your the vet not me & certainly know more then I.My question is how can you have it both ways fat dogs bad & fat pups good?

[SCT]

You would probably have to clarify fat percentage. But, it would make sense to me to have some fat as a small pup (maybe 25-30% of body weight) and it looks more natural to have some fat. I know with my pups, after they hit 4 months old there's nothing I can do to get weight back on them, and I have tried everything. Fat is a sign of luxury IMO. I've seen coyote and fox pups outside the den and they were plenty fat as babies (5-8 weeks old).

[Maurice]

I like extra weight on younger pups, don't want them thin.

Mo

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

Mo I'm not talking thin but when a pup is so fat they have wrinkles down their back & it rolls from side to side to me that's not good.
Kinda like kids today being overweight not good.

[KwikIrish]

In Irish setters, we have a higher occurrence than most other sporting breeds of a horrible thing called HOD. HOD is something that affects puppies. Our breeding program has had HOD in about one pup per litter for several years.
One day about 6 years ago we found a study that linked overweight puppies and high protein puppy food to increased occurrence of HOD.
We changed our feeding regiment and keep our weaned puppies lean.
Haven't had an HOD pup in 6 years.
No fatties allowed.

[Sharon]

Got a new pup this past summer. My vet made it clear that she didn't want to see him fat... no ribs showing but not an inch of fat.

[Cajun Casey]

Once they open their eyes and start motorvating, I want them to be a little on the lean side. I free feed and have not had a fat puppy problem. They stay active.

[Maurice]

Once they open their eyes and start motorvating, I want them to be a little on the lean side. I free feed and have not had a fat puppy problem. They stay active.

That's what I do too, buffet style for my pups once they are up moving around good. They maintain good flesh raising them this way imo. They also are in a big puppy pen during this time and are real active. They stay with their littermates till they are 12 weeks old. They are real active but never starving acting when it comes to food because food is always there for them.

Mo

[Maurice]

Mo I'm not talking thin but when a pup is so fat they have wrinkles down their back & it rolls from side to side to me that's not good.
Kinda like kids today being overweight not good.

We are on the same page then. I would not want pups that fat but would rather have some fat on younger pups. Once they are real active they will shape right up.

Mo

[dog dr]

Dog Dr your the vet not me & certainly know more then I.My question is how can you have it both ways fat dogs bad & fat pups good?

to me, if we are gonna compare human babies and dogs, then we would want to see them a little on the chubby side until they are weaned. honestly, tho, i am speculating, because nutrition is the thing i have the least education on.

[DoubleBarrel GunDogs]

I've heard that fat pups are more prone to hip dysplasia later in life. Not sure what evidence there is to support the theory, but it makes some sense.

Nate

[MonsterDad]

When they are young say, weaned to a few months, being a little chubby is probably a good thing. They should be eating as much as they want at this point several times a day.

I have read they are stronger and have a better ability to resist and recover from infections when they have extra body fat and the body fat protects the organs from trauma.

After the first few months its a good idea to control feeding and they should start to lean out a bit. However, trying to regulate growth with underfeeding is about the dumbest thing I have ever heard.

[ACooper]

With the shorthair puppies that I've had, getting them fat would include force feeding! With growth and high activity they stay lean. I feel like I am always working to put weight on them.

[Vonzeppelinkennels]

I have never had problems keeping weight on puppies,some dogs yes but never puppies!!
I guess like everything else every one has their opinion I'll do things like I always have since it has worked for me & seems to work for a lot others.
Google Fat Pups but then again that's some ones opinion.