Murphy is now 4 months and 1 week old!

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Well, its just like the title says...He's a bit over 4 months old now and he really is a good boy.  We have been watching his food intake very closely and he is now ~22in tall, and ~50 lbs. His weight was on course with the rest of his litter mates, but he seems to have been growing a bit faster than them over the past month or so, not just in weight but also in height.  The breeder suggested uping the food even more as he is quite ribby.  Does his weight seem normal?  He could stand to hold another 5 lbs or so right now.

[People Whisperer]

5 lbs underweight is not big of a deal at all. It is better to have thinner pup for a while than increasing his food intake and make him grow even faster  Does he seem hungry and looking for food after feedings? 22 in sounds pretty tall for a 4 months newf

[lins_saving_grace]

I wish I was 5 pounds underweight. I work pretty hard to keep Grace at a certain weight, but after she got to be a little older, she had trouble keeping off the pounds.  I think they tend to maintain their weight better when they stop growing. 
He sure is cute.  That is such a cute age.

[Ursa]

He does seem tall.  Our Fargo was 4 months old this past Saturday and he's 19 inches tall and 43 lbs.

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Thanks for the replies.  When we bathed him last we noticed we could feel his ribs nearly all the way up to his shoulders, and his hips looked like they were sticking out.  I felt horrible, so I called the breeder and she explained that this will happen as the pup goes through various stages of growth.  He had grown roughly 2 inches in height in a bit over a weeks time.  I have been slowly increasing his food, until this latest jump, but he is now eating 1.5 cups, 3 times per day (4.5 cups total).  After he eats he is ALWAYS looking for more, and he knows where his treat jar is and will periodically get up and pace around near it.  I don't give in to his cravings though.

We got a male from this litter knowing the father was a bit on the small side 135# (29in tall), but we were warned that his grandfathers were huge, one ~210# (33in tall) and the other ~200# (32.5 in tall).  I am curious as to how big he'll actually get now.

I checked his height again last night to be sure and he is just over 22in at the shoulder.

[swebb]

What kind (brand) of food are you feeding him?  The calories in different foods vary widely, and the amount each day you should feed is dependent on how much of the food is filler.

Purina Pro Plan "Puppy" Chicken and Rice.  As directed by the breeder.

[lins_saving_grace]

Purina is one of the more heavy foods.  I started Grace on Puppy Chow and then went to Dog Chow.  My vet told me to switch to Purina fit and trim because she was about 15 pounds heavier than they wanted her to be.  She's gotten down to 99 poounds with the fit and trim, but that's combined with cutting her food to a cup 2 times a day. 
From all that Holly knows about nutrition, I'm still on the wrong food since Purina is one of the worst offenders for a few things...I'll let her explain all that.  All in all, my vet swears by it and since I'm almost done with her bag of Purina, I am trying to decide on a new brand.  Ask your vet what food is recommended.  just an opinion to mull over.  Also, your pet stores should be able to give you some input too.

[swebb]

Thanks to everyone for the replies and thank you Holly for the education.  I have been doing some reading and I was wondering if you know anything about Canidae?  Below is a list of the foods composition.  This is their "All Life Stages" food.


Crude Protein (min.) 24.00% 
Crude Fat (min.) 14.50% 
Crude Fiber (max.) 4.00% 
Moisture (max.) 10.00% 
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) (min.) 3.70% 
Calcium (min.) 1.20% 
Phosphorus (min.) 0.90% 
Vitamin E (min.) 200.00 IU/kg
Alpha Linolenic Acid (Omega 3)* (min.) 0.50% 
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) (min.) 50.00 mg/kg
Lactobacillus Acidophilus* (min.) 100 million CFU/lb.
Cellulase* (a) (min.) 100 CMCU/kg

[swebb]

Ok, so Canidae is out.

The Eagle Pack stuff looks good, but the Glucosamine content has me concerned. I have been told to stay away from puppy food that contains it, as it should not be given to the puppy until later into adulthood.  Is this true?

[swebb]

Also, what about "Life's Abundance"?  We fed this to our most recent Dachs, and they do very well on it.  But it is not cheap.

The P/C/F are as follows:

Protein:  26% Min.
Carbs:  41% Max.
Fat:  16% Min.



INGREDIENTS:
Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Brewers Dried Yeast, Flaxseed Meal, Natural Flavors, Dried Egg Product, Catfish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Salt, L-Lysine, Canola Oil, DL-Methionine, Calcium Carbonate, Monosodium Phosphate, Dried Carrots, Dried Celery, Dried Beets, Dried Parsley, Dried Lettuce, Dried Watercress, Dried Blueberries, Dried Broccoli, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacteriu m thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Pomegranate Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, Inositol, Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Citric Acid, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Proteinate, Selenium Yeast, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide.

Contains a source of live (viable), naturally-occurring microorganisms .

[swebb]

Well, we are in the process of changing him over to Eagle Pack, we have him on the puppy right now, and the next bag will be the adult holistic.  The local feed store here carries it and its actually cheaper than what I was paying for the Pro Plan. 

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Well, Murphy will be Five months tomorrow and the Eagle Pack seems to be working.  He is now 24" at the shoulder and 62 lbs.  His ribs can still be felt, but not to the extent that we could before.