loveisokay
Well-known member
I took my nine week old to the vets & she weighed her as 1.3kg. Anyone got any ideas whether this is big or small for her age? She was the smallest in her litter & has grown but I am just curious.
#1: 8.1oz birth; 5#11 oz now
#2: 6.5 oz birth; 4# 6 oz now
#3: 7.1 oz birth; 4# 15 oz now
#4: 7.9 oz birth; 5# 2 oz now
#5: 7.0 oz birth; 5# 9 oz now
If you are unsure about your puppy's weight then check with your vet -- but in general most puppies will eat about a cup of food a day spread out over a couple of meals (3 meals until they are 4-6 months old, then two meals until they are 10-12 months, then they can stay on two or go to one). In my experience most people overfeed their dogs and most cavavliers I see are WAY too fat which puts a strain on their hearts. Most have no waist at all and people keep feeding them because 'they are hungry'. But this breed will almost always overeat -- they are one of about 5 breeds well known for overeating and being prone to obesity. So you want a healthy solid puppy but not a really fat puppy.
If she is 8lbs at 4.5 months I doubt she will be 'dainty' -- she is likely to come in at the low to middle of the breed standard. Breeders shouldn't be breeding for 'dainty' however! A good breeder wants solid, healthy dogs of breed standard weight.
I read a good tip today on a breeder list for gauging the correct weight for your dog. Make a fist. If you run your fingers over your dog's rib area and it feels like it does when you run your hands over the back of your hand, the dog is too fat. If the ribs feel like it does when you run your fingers across the knuckles on the back of your hand, the dog is too thin. If the dog's rib area feels like it does when you run your fingers across the fingers of your fist, below the knuckles -- the dog is in good weight.
I also recommend reading:
http://www.roycroftcavaliers.com/manualfeeding.htm
on feeding puppies and check the pictures of fat and normal weight cavaliers.
I regularly feed scraps, fresh fruit and veg, fresh cooked meat and home made stews to my dogs. They shouldn't get such things as extras (include the amount in the daily intake) but I think they add needed variety and REAL food to a diet -- dry food is highly processed with the vitamins put back in that are lost in the process of making it. The problem really is that people feed the normal amount for the dog and then add scraps and extras on top of this -- making for a fat dog. There are lots of different feeding options but advice from breeders is always a good starting point.