JustGran

Appreciate the feedback, ty. I will discuss the hormone test with the vet on Fri, we are due back so she can check on the hygroma's/UTI.

lol my daughter called me a helicopterparent to my dobe yesterday. I suppose its partly because I want to do agility with him SOOOOOO BADLY and I just dont want to stuff it up with overfeeding him or anything else:)) Really appreciate forums like this that do not tear strips off novices, but come back with good advice and calm attitudes, ty.

Nezhbit he got the hygromas cos he refuses to sleep on his nice soft bedding. Its so damn hot that he prefers sprawling on the cool tiles which unfortunately caused the hygromas. He has a daybed and a crate for night time. In his crate he pushes all the bedding up one end, puts his head on it and sleeps on the bare base. We have a fan on the crate to keep him cool...but its just the way he sleeps. Ive just ordered a different type of bedding for his crate - foam rubber mattress style, something he wont be able to bunch up one end. His day bed he totally ignores, its simply a place he keeps his toys....he prefers to sleep on the tiles/concrete at my feet. I have a pillow I am dragging around at the moment and try and slip it under his legs but he just pushes it away. I looked into Dogglegs from US but because he is growing so fast it is hard to size him. We tried thick socks, he chewed them to shreds. If anyone has suggestions or has dealt with these before Im all ears! Our vet is monitoring them.

MANY THANKS for the advice. Think you have hit it on the nail about stressing about numbers:)) I took my pup to the breeder today, she was concerned about his weight right up until she saw the puppy...then she wasnt worried anymore. He is NOT fat, apparently he is the image of his great grandsire and should reach his adult height at about 6-8mths old. He is going to be a decent sized dobe, about 42-44kg, 28". The only thing the breeder would change would be putting him on adult kibble immediately and adding more vegetables to his diet. Other than that he is absolutely fine. SUCH a weight of my mind, cos it has been really doing my head in knowing he is big for his age, reading everywhere that fat puppies make fat adult dogs which causes probs etc. So now Im just going to enjoy my boy, and yes the breeder also agreed with the comments here about not necessarily feeding him to the pkt recommendation, but reading his body and feeding him accordingly. THANKS again from a very grateful novice owner:))

Rule of thumb is 1kg per week...so he should be 16-17kg...not 22kg. His ribs are still visible, he does not look 'fat', still has a good shape and tuck in. But he IS heavy for his age.

Unfortunately he was the only surviving pup in litter of 3. Have arranged to take the pup to the breeder for an assessment.

I have a 16wk old doberman puppy who is quite simply growing too fast. He weighs 22kgs at 16weeks, have had him checked by his personal trainer and my vet...both say he has a good shape although he could not be called lean:)) His parents are std size. The problem is that he is growing too quickly, the vet has concerns about the rate of growth because of his bone development etc. He developed hygroma's 2 weeks ago and was weighed at the vets prior to the consult. He weighed 19kg at 14wks. I was unaware of his weight until that moment, was obviously concerned so discussed it with the vet and we agreed to cut back his food quantity and monitor the situation for a couple of weeks. He developed a UTI today and was again at the vet, today he weighed 22kg at 16wks. Vet said he is too young to reduce to 2meals a day, continue with 3 for a bit longer. He also disagreed about changing from a puppy based quality kibble to an adults formula. Instead the vet suggested I find a suitable GIANT puppy kibble such as Artemis. My puppy is currently being fed LESS than the recommended amount of kibble for his age/weight. I do NOT leave food down so he does not get the opportunity to graze. He is not fed treats except for training when he gets diced frozen carrot pieces. He gets 2-3hrs exercise per day, he plays with his doggy friends each morning for 60-75 mins depending on his energy level then 5 min training bursts throughout the day followed by a 15min walk early evening. Depending on the weather we go to the beach most afternoons for a swim etc. He is only just 16wks old so is getting plenty of exercise for his age. I am hoping someone here has experienced something similar and can offer suggestions on how to slow my pups growth down. Thankyou.

Ive got a Doberman puppy who is on Blackhawk puppy kibble. He is now 15wks and weighs 19kgs which is well above norm for his breed, he should be around 15-16kgs. Am seriously thinking about switching him to an adults kibble to try and slow his growth down. He does not get treats other than when training, when I use either cheese or carrot sticks. He has a gorgeous shiny coat, tons of energy, does not look overweight but the scales do not lie:)) Thoughts?? Suggestions?? I had him checked by the vet who said he looks fine - his parents are both std size.