Sharon7
Moderator
Yes, we have a digital scale that is actually fairly accurate. It seems to be within 1/2 pound of what the vet's office scale says.
Best Food For Shelties in the USA?
- Thread starter Bill Porter
- Start date
Bill Porter
Forums Enthusiast
At 5 months, Remy is 22lbs. There's a website you can enter the data and it projects he'll grow to 28lbs. Does that sound about right?
Sandy in CT
Forums Sage
I used the site below and tracked Brodie weekly from the time he picked us. I tracked his weight and height until he got to 42 weeks; Brodie maintained the same curve the whole time. While he gets weighed by the vet at times, I have a scale at home that is very accurate to a docs scale. I weigh him in my arms, then weigh myself. I did it right before the vet came last time and weighed him so I know how close it is to her weight.....
http://bowlingsite.mcf.com/Size/size.html
TheDailyPainter
Forums Enthusiast
I tried one of those websites and it underestimated River's weight. He is two years old and 18 pounds, so Remy seems like he will be a big boy.
Piper's mom
Moderator
22 pounds at 5 months does sound big but it's entirely possible that he may slow down in growth. Finnie was 10" at 10 weeks (perfect size) and yet he went over and is now 17"+ and 30 pounds full grown.
Do you have any idea how tall Remy is? You want to measure where their shoulders are and make sure they're standing straight. You'd have a better idea on his growth if you know his current height.
Elei
Premium Member
I used one of those websites, and I think when Kip was 5 months old it projected that he would be 21 or 22 lbs.
Kip will be a year old tomorrow, and he is 22 lbs. I don't have an accurate height for Kip, but I think he is between 16-17 inches. So it does sound like Remy will be big! Kip slowed down growing a lot around 5-6 months.
Sharon7
Moderator
Yikes, unless he's really tall that sounds heavy for 5 months. Meadow is 5.5 months old and 14 inches and about 14 pounds. My adult shelties range between 22 and 23 pounds at 16+ iinches.
How much are you feeding? Meadow gets a rounded 1/2 cup (measuring cup) twice daily now.
Bill Porter
Forums Enthusiast
I'm not sure I'm measuring correctly (plus he moves and bites the measuring stick) but I want to say he's 16-17" and a solid 22lbs. According to Fromm's (and Wellness') guidelines, he gets around 2 full cups a day (plus a little apple stuffed in his Kong). He went from fluffy little puppy to full dog in a flash.
Sharon7
Moderator
Just as a caution - the dog food companies want to sell food, so the guidelines on their feeding quantities are usually much too high. If he's really that tall then the weight is good. But you need to keep checking his weight by feeling his ribs, too. You should be able to feel them easily. It's much easier to keep them at a good weight than try and get weight off - just ask Sheep about that!
All my adult dogs have gotten a 1/2 cup of food twice daily - so Remy is getting twice that amount and puppy food has more calories.
Ann
Moderator
Sharon is right. Two cups a day is what my son feeds his 70 lb dog. It's way too much for a Sheltie, especially if you're feeding a quality food like Fromm or Wellness which are nutrient dense. Unless your dog is super active, that's a lot of food, even for a puppy. I would feed a puppy 1/2 cup three times daily until 6 months and then twice daily.
You don't want him to become overweight, especially as a puppy...Shelties tend to do that easily. It will impact his hips and joints. You really can't trust the guidelines on the food bags!