Hello all! Newbie here, but not a newbie to Goldens!

My husband and I were married in August and got our boy Ziggy in November. He is now 15 weeks. He weighs 29.5 pounds, and is big all over-huge paws, he's tall(I have yet to measure him, though), and was the second largest in his litter.

He is on 3 cups of Candiae all life stages a day, as the vet suggested we increase from the 1 3/4 cups a day the breeder suggested. The vet did say that our boy is big, and asked about his parents. His dad was also on the larger side for a Golden(but within AKC guidelines, as he is a champ).

How do I tell if he is overweight? It is hard to tell by body shape, as he's still young and pretty shapeless. I can feel his ribs, but they are not protruding.

As a puppy his body is changing rapidly. If you have to push through a layer to feel his ribs, or if there is no definite tuck between belly and thighs, then he is plump. but if so don't put him on a "diet" per se. Better to give him more exercise, substitute some apple and carrots for treats, etc. you can ratchet back on the food a bit if necessary but he's growing and needs energy.

Search on here or on Internet for "Purina dog body composition chart" and use that as your guide. It's intended for use on adults but is good guide overall.

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Kathleen, mom to one human, age 17, three canines, and a bunch of fish.

As Outwest said, the hands-on is really important. Ribs should be felt easily with light pressure. If you have to give firm pressure to really feel the ribs, the pup is probably a little heavy. You can also feel for hip bones. There should be a small fat pad between the hip bones, right on top of the dog, but a large fat pad or difficulty feeling the outline of the hip bones means too much fat.

If you can't see a tuck at the waist when you look from the top or the sides, feel for one. Some pups have fluff or loose skin that makes it hard to see, but it should be easy to feel a small tuck between the ribs and the hips when you feel down the sides of the dog. No tuck means too much fat.

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Last week the vert told me isla is a little over weight as you need to push to find her ribs. I've reduced her food so hopefully she'll be fine Poor thing likes her food.

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Came back to add link to the chart: purina body condition score dog - Google Search

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Kathleen, mom to one human, age 17, three canines, and a bunch of fish.

I would rely on your vet's advice.


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Grasslands Liberty Belle "Bella" CGC (5-7-2012)

He's going again on the 27th, so we will see what the vet says. It is so tricky, because I don't want to decrease his food while he is still growing.

29 pounds at 15 weeks sounds pretty good to me. Ziggy is growing really quickly and needs nutrition! Also 3 cups sounds like about the right amount.


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Dave

I agree with outwest, I know how it feels to have a big puppy. Everyone telling you how huge he's going to be and etc. you feed him the right amount but see your pup is absorbing that food so quickly unlike other puppies because of his body type. I am in your shoes I went from feeding a cup and 1/2 to 2 cups to now feeding 3 cups. Some say it's a lot but because Chester gets the proper exercise and his treats are healthy treats like apples bananas pieces of mango and carrots it all balances out.


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