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Weight.

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.
 
That's pretty small for that age; but as long as the vet says that's OK then don't worry. They tend to all even out across the litter as they grow, wth adult size being the average across several generations, not just the parent size.
 
I don't suppose you know of anywhere that has a chart of average weights for growing puppies?

She's perfectly okay, well, except for a slight murmur that the vet said would probably disappear. I am a little concerned about that given the obvious breed health concerns but the vet seemed content.
 
That is likely just a puppy flow murmur and nothing to worry about:

http://www.thecavalierclub.co.uk/health/hearts/flow.html

Well you can see some puppy weights if you go into Bruce's forum here on breeding a litter of puppies --

http://board.cavaliertalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

the top thread includes weights taken at numerous times for two litters. All puppies grow at different speeds so there isn't reallya definite set of weights they should be at any given point. But if you look at Bruce's forum, he took last weights at 9 weeks and his puppies, which would be breed standard size and healthy weights (he is a show breeder), would all be around 2 kg or 5-6lbs at 9 weeks.

Puppies would be the weight of yours normally at only about 3-4 weeks, so she is pretty tiny. Runts can start really small though and then they catch up with their siblings by adulthood. :)

Here are Bruce's weights in pounds and ounces at 9 weeks:

#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

So the smallest is 4lb 6 oz which is 2.08kg
1.3kg is only 2.86 lbs

The largest pup at 5lbs 11 ounces would be 2.3kg or almost double the size of your puppy.

In general after this, going from memory, puppies seem to add about a quarter to a third pound a week so about 120-140 grams weekly.

The breed standard is 12-13 lbs to 18lbs (UK and US).

As long as the vet feels your puppy is healthy for her size and eating correctly I wouldn't worry, just make sure she is getting a good quality food (eg I'd avoid supermarket foods). She'll probably start to cach up. Some cavaliers are under or over breed standard though so she may just be a bit small.
 
Oh thank you for this, I didn't realise she was THAT small. Hmm. I'm going to have to beef her up, then.
 
Actually they must gain more than I said -- think Jaspar was around 4.5lbs when I brought him home at 8 weeks, then was about 15-16lbs by one year.

Unless your vet says she is underweight she won't need beefing up -- just feed normally. :) Overfeeding a small puppy will just give you a fat small puppy. :lol:
 
I would make sure that the puppy is at least a little chubby but not too fat. I like my pups to start to loose their baby fat when they are about six months old.
I believe that your pup will mature to be small but that does not mean she will not be healthy. Over feeding her will not help her grow but do make sure she is getting a high quality puppy food. Personally, I would want something with at least 25 % protein.
On a couple of occasions I have had very small puppy. In cases like that I like to keep the pup until 12 weeks just to make sure everything is fine and make sure they get a good start. In your pups case I would be very careful that the pup is eating plenty as it will need all the nutrition that it can get.
Last year I had a pup that was quite small at eight weeks so I kept it till 12 weeks. The people that got the pup had it back to us for boarding a couple of months ago and he looked great. He was on the small size (around 10-12 lbs) but he was very healthy and had a beautiful coat and a wonderful personality.
 
Sorry, yeah, I didn't mean to suggest that I would want a little fat sausage of a puppy. I do pay close attention to what she is eating & when. I do think she will just be a small dog, she's not chubby but she isn't thin either.
 
I find it hard to guage just how much my puppy should weigh.I felt she looked too thin, despite following feeding guidelines. The breeder cautioned heavily against letting her get overweight and feeding scraps and titbits.So she's fed exclusively on Arden Grange dried food(breeder recommended).I upped her intake about ten days ago and she looks great now.But her breeder asked me last week if i felt she was a small dog because the final pup of the litter has just left and she feels the that they're going to be dainty girls.
She weighs 8 lbs now and is 4 1/2 months old.
Sins
 
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. (y)

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. :)
 
My 2,5 years old dogs weight was 2,1 kg at 8,5 weeks, now he is 2,5 years and hes weight is 8,15 kg.
I have heard the english dogs are smaller than the scandinavian, is that true?????
 
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. (y)

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. :)

Thank you, that is really useful (especially the link). She definately has a waist on her, so she's probably a good weight for her frame. She's just small! She was clearly the smallest in her litter (I didn't choose her for this but rather her character - the biggest one was very shy & reserved!) so I suspect that the breeder wasn't concerned with breeding smaller dogs.
 
Alfie was 1.4 kgs at 8 weeks and due to some food intolrences stayed at that weight for another month. Although he is very small framed now at 10 months he is fit and healthy and has no problem keeping up with my much larger cav at all times. In fact I would say he is the boss and as you will see can snuggle in almosty anywhere.
495821768_48773687ea.jpg


he was weighed at the vets yesterday at 6.4 kgs and is 10 months old.
 
CUTE picture! Thanks for posting his story; that helps people get a sense of how smaller puppies might fill out as they mature. :)

Breed standard should be 12-18lbs or 13-18 lbs; some go over and under but show dogs should fall within that standard. A lot of pets can go way outside that standard, both because reputable show breeders are placing dogs as pets that are not of show quality, so size may be one element of why the dog isn't OK for show; but also because breeders who ONLY breed for a pet market generally take very little care about breeding for conformation -- much less being aware of, or following, health protocols. So there tend to be over-undersized dogs tha are from good breeders that just happen to fall outside the standard, then there are lots that were never even bred for conformation to begin with.

The majority of cavaliers I see in pet homes in Ireland are way over the breed standard in weight. I am constantly asked by people who already have cavaliers if 1) my dogs are puppies and 2) why are they so small! But they all fall within the breed standard.

I know some show breeders have expressed concern that many judges do not really know the breed standard well and hence are giving cavaliers points that do not conform, in particular are very large or very small. Or sometimes dogs that have been trimmed when this is anot allowed, etc. So off breed stndard dogs thus get championships too and then are used for breeding themselves and influence the size of the breed. Lots of different factors I suppose.
 
When we brought Bailey home at almost 9 weeks old, he was quite small. He was about 3 lbs (1.36 kg), so basically the weight of your cavalier. He just turned 11 months today, and is exactly 18 lbs, which he has been since about 9 months. When we first got him, the vet said he was on the smaller side, but healthy. Clearly, he's gotten MUCH larger haha! He seems to be a nice and healthy weight now. After seeing people recommend a cup of food, perhaps we feed him too much. We normally feed about 1.25 to 1.5 cups of food spread across two meals. Here is a picture of him at 10-11 weeks, and one from now.

BaileyAug4.jpg


BaileyApr5.jpg
 
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