How much should a 9 week old English Pointer puppy weigh?
ByWe rescued a 5 week old pointer puppy (weighed 4.5 lbs the day we got her) but I am concerned about her weight. She had roundworms. We dewormed her with Drontal. She pooped out adult worms for 3-4 days and then no more. Her fecal was negative at her 8 week check up but we dewormed again to be sure we got everything. She weighed 6 lbs at the 8 week check up. She got her shots with no bad reactions. Her pot belly is gone and I am afraid that she is not gaining enough weight. I know these dogs are naturally lean but I think she should be a little heavier. We feed her 3 times a day and offer her a cup of Pedigree puppy chow at each feeding. She eats every time we offer her food but doesn’t clean her bowl. We also give her Nutrical twice a day (per vet instructions). She is very active, playful, etc. like you would expect a normal puppy to be. Is this normal?
3 Comments
June 12th, 2011 at 12:25 PM
Absolutely normal. I wouldnt be too concerned here, you said that she is still eating and that she is an active and playful puppy. Id assume that is as per usual? It could just be that shes starting to “fill herself out” as a dog. If youre still concerned later down the track then I’d ask her vet about it.
June 12th, 2011 at 1:07 PM
It is so normal don’t worry!
June 12th, 2011 at 1:13 PM
The top ingredients of Pedigree puppy chow are “ground whole corn, chicken by-product meal, rice, corn gluten meal”, as taken from the Pedigree website. These ingredients are truly terrible and are probably the reason that your pup is having a hard time gaining weight. I suggest switching to a higher quality food immediately. Find a food that is corn-free and doesn’t include any meat by-products on the ingredient list. In the past, I’ve fed foster puppies canned Innova (puppy formula) to help them gain weight, and had much success. Your puppy may always be smaller than most pointers because she didn’t have the proper nutrition as a young puppy. Don’t worry about where she is relative to other pups, just feed her the highest quality food you can afford, and keep and eye on her weight.
Look for Canidae, Merrick, Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, and Natural Balance. All are excellent choices with high-quality ingredients.