New puppy - Paw Talk

ninja_smurtles · #1 05-02-2005, 04:44 PM

I might be getting a new puppy next week or this (unsure yet!!!)
My gfs gran gave us Olle because she was getting a new puppy but now she cant cope with the puppy either so she wants to give it to us.
It is a schit-zu (sp?)
Well you know i told you Olle was very fat when we got him well she has done the same thing to the puppy and he is very very very fat.
So I am quite happy to be getting him so I can make him better.
He is only about 3 months old so not sure what a diet will do to him or how to do it.
Any advice would be great

RSbunny · #2 05-02-2005, 05:12 PM

I wouldn't necessarily diet him as such. I've never owned a puppy so there will be others that have more advice but I'd make sure you put him on a high quality puppy food and only feed the recommended amount...stay away fromt he treats for a while (unless training but you can train at home with dry kibble and just give him less at meal time) and exercise him to his needs every day. He's just been overfed so to actually 'diet' him shouldn't be necessary. Then just weigh him every week-two weeks to make sure he isn't losing too quickly..if he is losing too much weight too quick then he might not be getting enough and you can increase his amount of food.
Like I said, someone will come along with better advice I'm sure but I really don't think you'll need to 'diet' him

ninja_smurtles · #3 05-02-2005, 06:01 PM

No i did not want to put a puppy on a diet as he is too small and needs his vitamins but he is grossly overweight.
I dont know if you know much about the sizes of a schi-tzu but he is only 3 months old and his back must be about 6 inches wide

RSbunny · #4 05-02-2005, 06:06 PM

maybe book him in for a vet visit and follow their instructions...he is way too overweight! If he is that overweight I don't even know if I'd be exercising him much at first...let him lose a little weight first before putting extra strain on his heart.

ninja_smurtles · #5 05-02-2005, 06:11 PM

He is very active in the house runs around and jumps up you a lot but I think when she takes him out she carries him.
I really hope we get him because i want to save him

Amethystbelle · #6 05-02-2005, 06:24 PM

Shi-tzus tend to be quite rounded as puppies and do look quite chubby but that should just be their shape till they grow in length and height and then they should thin out. Six inches does sound slightly over wide for a 12 week old puppy i'd expect him to be that when he reaches adulthood but every dog varies!

He's still only a puppy so you shouldn't really diet him just make sure he's not being over fed and making sure he has some gentle excercise but not too much for a start as you should never over excercise a puppy as their bones are still growing and too much excercise can strain them and cause damage later in life. If he is really over weight i'd get him checked out by your vet as they will be able to tell you how much over weight he is and maybe offer you some advice on the foods that are best for him to get him back on track but without taking away all the vitamins he needs in order to grow up big and strong. I'd also suggest giving him no treats or using the dry kibble as Carmen suggested and giving him less at meal times

Nikki6496 · #7 05-02-2005, 06:29 PM

I hope you get him too. I hate to say this but I think grandma just isn't a dog person. Having a puppy severly overweight can't be good for him at all. I would definitely check with the vet to see what they suggest on weight management and how much your shih-tzu should weigh.
Puppies are a lot of work. I'm surprised your gf gran decided to give up an older dog for a puppy.

Good luck with getting the shih-tzu!

ninja_smurtles · #8 05-02-2005, 06:35 PM

Well Olle is just as much of a pain if not more and he is not a schitzu she only likes them.
Olle was originaly a rescue dog from a bad home and then my gfs grandad got him but he worked too much so gave him to the gran and she fed him too much and made him very what is that word ... when your nerves are on edge they snap...
Anyways (it is late).
she seems to think that feeding a dog is caring for it and they always have dry food down even when the bowl has been emptied plus wet food plus waffles and stuff.
I will get piccies and then you can see what I mean.
She has older schitzus and they are not as fat as him.
By the way his name is mick

pihlaja · #9 05-03-2005, 09:15 AM

Maybe having fat dogs is just a problem with older women in the Nordic countires.

My husband's mother has THE fattest Finnish Lapland Dog I have ever seen! We've tried numerous times to tell her it simply isn't healthy to feed Ines so much crap that makes her fat, but she won't listen.

Anyway. Since the dog is still just a puppy, I would put him a high quality food, cut back on the treats and make sure he gets plenty of exercise and play time. Also, pick up some puppy wormer for him just in case it could be worms. I know that in Finland, you DO NOT have to go to the vet to get wormer. It's at the pharmacies (apotek or something in Swedish, apteekki in Finnish) and you just select the one you need. It could very well be the same in Sweden.

If, once he reaches adult age, he is still plump them I would go ahead and switch him to a lighter food for less-active adult dogs. But, that's ONLY if the weight still hasn't come off by the time he's 1 year old, which it should if he isn't given doggie junk food and he gets plenty of exercise.

ninja_smurtles · #10 05-03-2005, 09:19 AM

I have worm tablets at home, as i just wormed all the others yesterday.
He might have worms as she does not even think there are such things as fleas...
She is from Finland so maybe it is a Finnish thing.
I am still unsure if we are getting him yet just wanted advice for now.
Should know by end of this week.
I hope she will give him us as he is so sweet but i am worried about him

ninja_smurtles · #11 05-03-2005, 11:37 AM

Looks like we are not getting him.
She has decided to keep him for now

pihlaja · #12 05-04-2005, 08:16 AM

Slip him some worm pills next time you see him, then.

In Finland, Finns are quite meticulous about worming. And I can understand about her not believing in fleas--my husband didn't either until he was attacked by them in Louisiana.

Finland doesn't really have a flea problem and most Finns go their whole lives without ever seeing a flea.

ninja_smurtles · #13 05-04-2005, 08:18 AM

I am gonna try and get some pics next time i go to show you lot
You never know next time she is feeling down she might give him to us.
This woman makes me so mad, not just with the way she treats he dogs

UTCandy112 · #14 05-05-2005, 12:50 AM

Its spelled shih tzu :-P I have a 3 1/2 month old...and he is so much fun!! I feed him Innova. The best thing to do for a puppy diet is look at the back of the bag for what fits her and spread that out to feed her about 3 to (better)4 times a day.