Is my 14-pound Havanese puppy overweight? How can I prevent it?

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. 7kg is 15.4lbs which is rather hefty for a 7 month old Shitzu. Typically, Shitzu's when they are adults should weight between 8-15lbs. The Happy Dog Grain Free Food is good, but I would feed less perhaps. If there is a guide on the package as to how much to give, I would advise on following their recommendations. At 7 months, she should be less than 15lbs. As always, nothing can beat a hands on veterinarian exam. If you are concerned about her weight, having a veterinarian take a look at Hazal and accurately assess based on her body condition score, if she is truly overweight or not. Sometimes it can be hard to say without an exam. I hope this helps and thanks for posting!

That's a great way to plan ahead! As a Havanese, Kiba could eat either of the diets you mentioned with no adverse consequences. However, if his puppy food is lamb based, I would be more inclined to try the small breed lamb based diet so as not to change protein sources. I always recommend starting with a small bag of the new food in the chance that Kiba either won't eat it or develops stomach upset from the new diet. Anytime you change to a new diet, please do so by gradually mixing the foods together over 5-7 days.

This is above the upper weight range typical of Miniature Schnauzer's so yes she may be overweight. I see she's only about 8 months old, so instead of putting her on a diet (it's because she's still growing and you shouldn't restrict her feed when she's growing), I would increase her exercise. Make sure she gets at least 30 minutes of exercise twice a day.

Good on you for wanting to get Tiny to a healthy weight. I see that he is a Maltese. A healthy weight for a male that breed is up to seven pounds, so he does have a couple of pounds to lose if he's 10 pounds. One thing to do is cut out all treats. No puppy treats and no human food. Make sure he only gets his dog food, and stick to the daily recommended allotment on his food bag. Exercise him daily. Take him for at least 20 minute walks twice a day, although that may need to be cut down if it's very hot outside. You can play games with him in the yard for additional exercise. Finally, you can talk with your vet to see if a low calorie food may be appropriate for him. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Kyro is very handsome! I would feed him according to the package instructions on the bag. He is a puppy and is still growing, so it's not recommended to restrict his food. I would cut of the treats though, including the Milkbone, bully stick, and grain free treats. Treats should only be given occasionally not daily, and too many treats can lead to weight again. As for the roast beef and gravy, he really doesn't need that on his food, he should only be getting dog food. Try gradually cutting back on the amount of roast beef and gravy you add to his food until he is eating the dog food only. I hope this helps!

Based on his current weight, I would expect this mix to be around 30 lbs when he reaches adulthood, but this is a rough estimate. They shouldn't be losing any weight as puppies, but this does happen sometimes when they are in a new environment, or have a medical condition (i.e. diarrhea). I wouldn't be too worried if he lost a little weight, but is otherwise acting normal and appears healthy. It's good that you are thinking about controlling his diet. I recommend feeding a small breed puppy food to Pepe until he is about eight months old, then he can be switched to an adult food. A good dog food will have the adequate amount of calories calculated into their recommended feeding guidelines (can find this on the bag). If you feed according to that and limit the amount of treats and/or table scraps he gets, then you should be able to keep him from getting overweight. For more information on feeding Pepe, I recommend you read the article at the link below. This explains what to look for when choosing your food. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ I hope that helps and all is well with Pepe.

Without seeing her in person, I can't say for sure if she weighs too much, but at 17.7 pounds, she is on the high end of the range of normal weight for her breed. I would not be giving her treats every day. Treats should only be given occasionally, no more than two to three times a week. I would have her seen by a vet to confirm if she is overweight for her size and frame, and the vet can discuss weight loss methods, such as increased exercise.