Big Boy?

If he's not fat I'd be cautious about cutting the food. Better to slightly overnourish than to undernourish, in my opinion.
 
Mignarda said:
If he's not fat I'd be cautious about cutting the food. Better to slightly overnourish than to undernourish, in my opinion.
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Actually, no.

It is better to keep a puppy on the lean side while growing. Overfeeding can lead to too rapid develop, obesity and stress on developing bones and joints leading to developmental issues such as hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia.
 
Yes, here's how he sums it: "The potential for harm is in overnutrition from excess consumption and supplementation." Nothing is really said about what constitutes "excess consumption and supplementation," but I think there's a big difference between erring on the side of caution and ensuring that the dog gets adequate nutrition than deliberately undernourishing the animal to lessen what might or might not be an appreciable risk of orthopedic problems. I think a more significant risk is that for infectious illness, particularly in a developing animal, and I don't think you're going to help that by a program of deliberate undernourishment. But all that's just my opinion! And it's also my opinion that in our modern age, with all of our wonderful scientific research, that we tend to think too much, and end up doing things that are counterintuitive and sometimes even contrary to common sense.
 
Notice I didn't say deliberately under nourishing them. But keep them on the lean side.

The OPs vet recommended cutting back the food. Trust me most vets unless they are involved in dog sports think most overweight dogs and puppies are just fine. If the vet said cut back the pup is too heavy.

The effects of overfeeding and obesity on growing dogs is well documented. You can never convince me overfeeding a puppy is the right thing to do.
 
I have to say I agree with the vet on cutting his food down, I figured he wasn't fat because I can still feel his ribs easily (compared to my yorkie who I am currently trying to get weight off of, you have to use more pressure to find his).
Though really looking at him, he seems to carry his weight more in his belly. In addition, I've been on the fence with how much I give him since I brought him home. I'm definitely not going to drastically cut back on him, he has an appointment in a month so I shall see then what the vet has to say about how his weight is coming along (:
 
my pup is at 23 weeks old, about 22 lbs (guessing, he was 21 last time i weighed him a week ago) and 16 1/2 (maybe 17 inches now?.. gotta measure him tomorrow) He doesn't look big at all though, in fact when I had him at a dog show person's house, she didn't believe my mom and I and she measured him herself with a wooden wick. You can feel his ribs and he's perfectly lean. Doesn't have much hair and has verrry thick bones. Small face as well. We give him 3/4ths of dog food twice a day. I don't think I would ever cut back on him though because otherwise he's like starving. My vet actually recommended us switching him to 3/4th when he was 8 weeks, but we just did 2/3rds until about a month ago. he's a growing boy :eek2: but that being said, you're vet should know weather or not you're overfeeding him or underfeeding him
 
I currently have 3 "giant" Shelties...and they own my heart! My Sheltie, Copper, who I lost in 2011, was just 23 pounds at his fluffiest, was only 11 inches tall and pure muscle...Currently, my boys are Dash, age 12, 47 pounds and well over 20 inches tall (we had a DNA test done, he is pure Sheltie!), Timmy is 37 pounds, and Pandi is 30 or just over that. More to love!!!! Timmy came from a very reputable breeder and had been destined for show, except for his size. We love them all, and they are perfect as they are. Size is a relative thing and varies greatly.
 
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