Should I change his food?

[MyPemCharlie]

Hi everyone,

Charlie just turned 12 weeks old yesterday, and I'm a little concerned about his low weight. He seems happy and healthy, but he is only 7 lbs (right after a big "meal"). He was 5 1/2 lbs when I got him Sept 1 (10 1/2 weeks).

Looking down on top of him, he does have a "waist", but rolling him on his back you can see his little distended "baby fat" belly.

He is eating more food than the puppy food recommendations. I have him on the same food as the breeder was feeding the pups: Hills Science Diet Small Bites Puppy. The bag recommends 1 1/2 cup per day for under 4 months and 8 lb puppy...I'm giving him 1 2/3 cups split twice a day, plus 2-3 puppy milk bones in between for treats.

My concern stems from his parents being "normal" sized (not small dogs) and postings I've read here where most pups seem to be heavier at Charlie's age.

He is current on his wormings (breeder had him wormed last on the day I bought him) and like I said, he "seems" healthy.

My question is whether I should change his food. He poops a lot (solid healthy poop, every time I take him out...but many, many poops a day). I'm wondering if the Science Diet is not giving him the proper nutrition for normal weight and growth.

Your opinions are appreciated in advance!

Thanks,

Chris

[Michael Romanos]

Hills Science Diet for puppies is extensively recommended in New Zealand. So it can't be the food. If I gave my Corgi exactly what Hills prescribes for a dog his size/weight, he would probably become overweight. So again, it can't be the diet.
I think something is eating your Corgi's meal - something internal. How's his breath? You can't overdose on worm tablets. Your pup may need another full dose of either worm tablets for puppies or all-purpose worm tablets of the type that rid a puppy/adult dog of several types of parasitic worms.
The other thing about food is that why don't you cut back a little on the Hills and give your puppy some pieces of diced cooked meat - not too fatty. Cooked offal such as lean hearts is what I usually give my Taylor on a daily basis as well as a couple of tablespoons of cooked brown rice.

[Chip's Mom]

You may want to gradually change his dog food to something different. My Dale didn't grow well on the dog food that he was eating and I changed him to Eagle Pack Holistic for puppies and he started gaining weight and is now at the correct weight for his age. I am not a Science Diet fan myself, I prefer a dog food that has no corn and other fillers that is added to the Science Diet. You may want to read the ingredients on the bag and compare to other premium dog foods. If you do change dog food, change gradually so as to not upset their tummy. I also give Dale a tablespoon of canned puppy food in with his kibble and moisten it. Hope this helps some.

[MyPemCharlie]

So Michael...you think he might have worms? He was just wormed 11 days ago so I wouldn't think so. I know there are worms you can see and worms you can't see...he does not have anything visible in his feces. He's not due for puppy shots/next worming until Oct 1, but I may see about taking a sample to the vet. I can't seem to cook consistently for myself (LOL) so I doubt I'd keep up too well with cooking meat and rice for Charlie.

I think before the next vet checkup, I may transition him to another food. Like Chip's Mom, I'm not a huge fan of corn as #1 ingredient. I had a very bad experience with my last dog testing allergic to 70% of everything they tested (food and plants) and had to be careful of food ingredients.

Hopefully Charlie's healthy and I'm over-worrying. But we can definitely take care of worms, if present. Meanwhile I think I will see if another food brand will "stick to his ribs". I do prefer foods with meat as the #1 ingredient. Guess I'll go label reading this week.

[MattC]

Hi Michael,
my corgi Nick was 7 pounds when he was 11 weeks when we picked him up from the breeder. His mom and dad were very big corgis and Nick gradually put on wieght. His bowell movements were pretty regular but nothing unusual. My wife and I feed him what the breeder reccommended. 1 cup of Canidae (PAWS, recommended for Puppies, Adults, Working Dogs, and, Seniors) dry kibble and two tablespoons of wet Canidae (PAWS). You might want to check with your vet. Also I wan to mention that sometimes changing food causes diahrea

[Michael Romanos]

If your Puppy was only wormed 11 days ago, then perhaps the worming tablet have not fully kicked in or that the benefits from the worming has not fully kicked in. It could be that the worm tablet administered is short of exiting all the various types of worms. I doubt it is the diet. If he is eating all his food with apparant relish, then the Hills will not be the problem. Hlls have specific food for specific problems that can only be prescribed through a vet.

[behinderhereyes]

Sophie has been the exact same way. But she eats like a cow.

[Chip's Mom]

What do you feed Sophie?

[Michael Romanos]

Eats like a cow,huh. That reminds me.... cow = grass. There is a chocolate Lab belonging to the president of a local dog training school, and he eats grass just like he is a cow. It is amazing. A regular motor mower. I think it is because the owner allows the Lab to eat toxic food such as mushrooms and grapes. The grass is the poor dog's answer to moderating all the poisons he eats. By the way, this Lab hates Taylor.

[glencorgi]

I'll have to respectfully disagree with our esteemed global moderator and say that it is possible to overdose a dog or puppy with de-worming medications. Other possible bacterial/parasitic problems he might be experiencing are coccidia or giardia. A vet check out might be in order to rule out those possibilities.

At twelve weeks a corgi puppy should weigh in the ballpark of twelve pounds, give or take a few ounces or pounds. Depending upon the overall proportions, amount of bone, general balance of a puppy, one could weigh a few pounds less or even a couple of pounds more.

There is NO one right food or way someone can suggest to feed your puppy. What can be shared is what has worked for us and our experiences and offer recommendations of things that have worked for us. IF you will read back in the archives of the forum, you will find some very heated discussions on this topic. You will also find some very good links to articles and websites on different foods and feeding posted by Darci (Cindy). I suggest looking those up to help with your label reading - an excellent first move on your part <IMHO>.

Not every food, no matter how excellent or highly recommended is going to work for every puppy or dog. A favorite food of many, many corgi owners in the US I found to be too rich for my corgis; stools were loose and frequent; they just didn't do well on it. But just because mine didn't do well on it doesn't mean it isn't a good food. I'm another one who prefers to have meat rather than corn as a first ingredient and I'd much rather have chicken meal rather than chicken by-products in the ingredient list.

The one correct way to feed your corgi is whatever food and regime that works for the two of you.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

Worm tablets - if you gave your dog double or even triple the recommended dosage according to the dog's approximate weight, then it isn't going to cause harm to the dog - only your pocket. If you gave your dog worm tablets every day, then it will be detrmental. Don't do it folk.

[behinderhereyes]

Originally Posted by Chip's Mom

What do you feed Sophie?

Half Solid Gold and half Nature's Select

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos