My 13 week old bulldog overweight?? Help please!!

[Skilzzy]

Hi! I've recently started worrying about my 13 week old Achilles.
I feel like he might be overweight Even though the vet said he is perfect at the weight he is now.
We feed him 4 times a day and he eats HIGH quality puppy food until he is full.
His weight is 11 kgs ( 24.2 lbs)
Is that okay for a 13 week old english bulldog?

I SHOULD ALSO SAY THE ACHILLES WAS THE BIGGEST ONE HIS SIBLINGS IN THE SAME LITTER.

We have also been told to never put a puppy on a diet but to rather control his food when he is full grown. Help me out

 

[Rod52]

I believe to be at 13 weeks that's a bit to heavy. Your supposed to feed a puppy at least 3 times a day.

 

[helsonwheels]

How much in 4x a day....and what's the puppy food?

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[oscarmayer]

IMO, he's alarmingly too tubby for a Bulldog puppy with a heart condition, in any condition. The heart issue has to be a consideration especially since you previously stated that his heart rate was/is elevated. I have owned more than 12 Bulldogs in my lifetime and been involved in the rescue of close to 1000. I have never seen a puppy as large as yours at 13 weeks. How do you know he is full? Is he allowed to eat until he can eat no more?
I disagree with your Vet...but I'm NOT a Vet and you are not paying me for advice.
I get the impression that you don't have complete trust in your Vet or you wouldn't be second guessing him/her here. You need to have complete trust in your Vet.
Achilles is about as cute as any Bulldog I've seen, he's just beautiful. Do whatever you must to give him a long healthy life.
BTW, how much does he get at every meal? How active is he?

 

[Skilzzy]

thanks for your input on my post... i will answer all your questions below:
we put the puppy food in front of him and he is allowed to eat until he backs away, meaning he is full. Sometimes he eats a lot and sometimes he eats close to nothing.
The reason why i post things here is because the vet is a general vet for all kinds of dogs and not a specialist on bulldogs, and we can all agree on that bulldogs are a special kind of dog that needs special kind of treatments.
so no, i dont completely trust my vet but there are close to none vets here that have expertise specificly " on bulldogs but rather dogs general

To answer your second question: we haven't been weighing his food, as i said we just put it in front of him and he eats till he is full or backs away and then we remove it until next meal.
we are planning to cut down to 3 meals/day from monday
He is moderate when it comes to activity. we take him on walks that last around 1 hour a day/ 20 minutes three times a day.
and we also take him to the garden to play with a soccer ball.

What do you think we should do?
i heard its a big "NO-No" to put a puppy on a diet.
according to the dog seller and the vet they said that from 10 weeks until around 9 months they are in a super growing phase and they should never be restricted when it comes to food.
so thats what we have been doing, but seeing him i feel like he looks kinda fat, and as i stated in a previous thread. he has a murmur grade 2 in his heart, that makes me kinda worry a bit more.
i contacted the vet twice recently about the weight and he told me to calm down and stop worrying, that everything is just perfect.
I also just talked to the dog seller and she said the other dogs in the litter weighted around 17-20 lbs (and they are girls) and they are supposed to weigh less than the males
and she also stated that Achilles was the biggest one in the litter.
sorry for my bad english, its not my first language..
do you agree with all this? or do you think cutting down to 3 meals a day will do a huge difference?

 

[Lalaloopsie]

Yeah, guys covered you! He is a tiny bit chubby, not critical yet. He weighs definitely more than average bulldog puppy in this age, but he is also quite tall, I can see that his stature is not small. Still, with his heart in question, you don't want him to be overweight, which puts additional strain on his heart.

If you free feed him until he's full, he will surely tend to overeat. What is exact daily amount you give him? What food does he eat? It is better to follow instructions on the food label and use kitchen scales to weigh the food.
In my opinion, 4 times a day for 13 weeks old puppy is perfectly Ok. Just check the quantity. If it turns out you give too much, reduce. If you give exactly what label says, even if you give him 5 percent less, he will become slimmer in a matter of weeks. There is no need to put puppies on strict diet, they grow and even small reduction will give you good result.

 

[Lalaloopsie]

thanks for your input on my post... i will answer all your questions below:
we put the puppy food in front of him and he is allowed to eat until he backs away, meaning he is full. Sometimes he eats a lot and sometimes he eats close to nothing.
The reason why i post things here is because the vet is a general vet for all kinds of dogs and not a specialist on bulldogs, and we can all agree on that bulldogs are a special kind of dog that needs special kind of treatments.
so no, i dont completely trust my vet but there are close to none vets here that have expertise specificly " on bulldogs but rather dogs general

To answer your second question: we haven't been weighing his food, as i said we just put it in front of him and he eats till he is full or backs away and then we remove it until next meal.
we are planning to cut down to 3 meals/day from monday
He is moderate when it comes to activity. we take him on walks that last around 1 hour a day/ 20 minutes three times a day.
and we also take him to the garden to play with a soccer ball.

What do you think we should do?
i heard its a big "NO-No" to put a puppy on a diet.
according to the dog seller and the vet they said that from 10 weeks until around 9 months they are in a super growing phase and they should never be restricted when it comes to food.
so thats what we have been doing, but seeing him i feel like he looks kinda fat, and as i stated in a previous thread. he has a murmur grade 2 in his heart, that makes me kinda worry a bit more.
i contacted the vet twice recently about the weight and he told me to calm down and stop worrying, that everything is just perfect.
I also just talked to the dog seller and she said the other dogs in the litter weighted around 17-20 lbs (and they are girls) and they are supposed to weigh less than the males
and she also stated that Achilles was the biggest one in the litter.
sorry for my bad english, its not my first language..
do you agree with all this? or do you think cutting down to 3 meals a day will do a huge difference?

I think, he overeats. Bullies never allowed to free feed. You have to give him strictly amount that is appropriate for his age and weight on the food label. 1 hour of activity is perfectly enough for bulldog. Just reduce his dose of food and he will come right in 1 month.

 

[Lalaloopsie]

You must understand also, that puppy food is very rich in nutrients, it's pretty much like fertiliser so you cannot free feed wth it, as you don't want your bullie nor to be fat, neither to grow too fast, very quick growth is also kind of strain on his heart. So, adjust the amount, best is strictly in grams, not in cups, and he will become better in a month or so.

 

[helsonwheels]

[MENTION=17441]Skilzzy[/MENTION] again what is the brand of food you feed your dog and how much is in each serving? Free fed means there's always food throughout the day but you're mentioning its 4x. Also do you give snacks? If so what are his snacks? If he has a murmur, it's important to know how much to feed and especially what to feed him.

 

[cefe13]

Hello from Castor, a fellow Scandinavian bulldog! You've got great advice here. I am surprised that you have been advised to freefeed Achilles (if I understand things right?) - bulldog pups want to eat a lot so following instructions on the bag and perhaps limit feeding to three times a day would probably be wise.

What is Achilles eating? Raw food (there are serveras Scandinavian good brands like the Norwegian vom og hundemat, the Finnish Mush and the Swedish Nordic and Sund hundmat). Castor loves them all but as we have the opposite problem (he's a very slim 4-year-old with a sensitive tummy) we have had to skip raw at leasat for the moment. My impression is that raw-fred dogs are usually slim, though, so might be a food type to consider. Good kibbles available in Sweden and I assume Norway include Orijen and Acana. You will want to go for something that is grainfree and of high quality as that will lessen the risk of allergies and skin problems.

Good luck!

 

[rjisaterp]

[MENTION=17441]Skilzzy[/MENTION] I would not worry about weight until Achilles is about 1 year old. I agree you might be feeding a lot...but puppies burn the calories until they get to my age when just looking at food I gain weight. As you said 3 cups per day should suffice. I would like to reiterate that do not worry about weight until getting close to a year old. I hope this helps.

Skoal,

--rj

 

[Chevysmom]

My Chevy weighed 21.6 lbs at about 12 wks maybe it is just me but is he on the smaller side build wize I feed my Chevy 1/2 a cup 4 times a day but that is usually all he wants usually he leaves a bite or two in the bowl he does look a little chubby but he is also fixing to hit a growth spurt and may slim down more I am gonna say in the next week or two he will not look so chubby I'd say his weight will fit him perfectly just a thought

 

[ddnene]

I would feed him 3 times a day with measured amounts... free feeding will cause him to overeat, and with a heart condition you need to keep him on the slim side. He is absolutely adorable...

 

[betterxthanxnew]

As others have said- I wouldn't free feed. Puppies will eat, and eat, and eat some more. They don't just stop when they are full. Granted, they should burn the calories a lot faster. Best practice is to use specified meal times. Read the feeding instructions on your bag for a puppy his age, and divide it up into about 3-4 meals a day Bullies easily pack on the pounds- we are currently working on helping our 2.5 year old Effie to lose some weight. It's not as easy to lose once they've put it on! (Her issue was my husband giving WAY to much people foods lol). With their weight issues, and heart condition you mentioned it would be best to track how much food you actually are feeding on a daily basis, in case issues arise in the future.

Good luck! You're baby is beautiful.

 

[Skilzzy]

Hello from Castor, a fellow Scandinavian bulldog! You've got great advice here. I am surprised that you have been advised to freefeed Achilles (if I understand things right?) - bulldog pups want to eat a lot so following instructions on the bag and perhaps limit feeding to three times a day would probably be wise.

What is Achilles eating? Raw food (there are serveras Scandinavian good brands like the Norwegian vom og hundemat, the Finnish Mush and the Swedish Nordic and Sund hundmat). Castor loves them all but as we have the opposite problem (he's a very slim 4-year-old with a sensitive tummy) we have had to skip raw at leasat for the moment. My impression is that raw-fred dogs are usually slim, though, so might be a food type to consider. Good kibbles available in Sweden and I assume Norway include Orijen and Acana. You will want to go for something that is grainfree and of high quality as that will lessen the risk of allergies and skin problems.

Good luck!

Hi and Thank you so much for your input. Always Great to meet a fellow scandinaviian
We are feeding him Norwegian vom the highquality Brand