My puppy looks fat. Is it okay for him to be pudgy while growing?

Well there can be certain breed standards of weight, but even as a puppy, it's hard to say what's a standardized weight. If you are concerned that Bella may be fat, it's best to have her seen by a vet to discuss this. It may be she is fine and not overweight. I hope this helps.

We really don't worry about puppies getting fat, as their calories should not be restricted during this important time of growth. It could be that Jarvis's belly is due to intestinal worms, which are common in puppies. Please give him a deworming treatment. As for diet, he needs a puppy formulated food. I recommend giving him Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. There is a daily recommended allotment of food listed on each bag, and I would divide it into three equal portions to be fed once in the morning, once at noon, and once in the evening. Best of luck.

This weight sounds appropriate, because not all puppies fit within a weight chart. In fact we as veterinarians never use a chart when it comes to assessing puppies weight, but instead we examine the pets physical appearance (spine, ribs, hip bone, waist). If you say that Tyson looks fat, then chances are he is an appropriate weight. Also most puppies with weight concerns have a bit of loose stool or excessive vomiting associated with it, so if he is otherwise healthy with normal solid stools, then he is likely at an appropriate healthy weight and body condition score (BCS). If you do notice any of those other issues with him, then it is best to get him examined by your vet for a fecal test to check for possible intestinal parasites as the cause.

An indent at the waist is acceptable on many breeds depending on where it is and how deep. Your vet can evaluate “body condition score” any time. Here is a good link for more on body condition score - though note that it is really more for adults than puppies. https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf As for the feeding, the “all Life stages” thing is confusing, especially when they do not give a chart for puppy feeding. (Though the food is fine for non-large breed puppies.) The adult chart is probably a good place to start, but you may need to increase from there. When all else fails, I usually say, “feed to maintain body condition”. If Louie is looking a little thin, increase food by about 25-50%. If he seems overweight or is leaving food in the bowl, tone it down by 25% . You can also ask your vet to calculate an actual calorie intake for Louie based on his current weight and then use that to know how many cups to feed. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Louie!

Rather than a particular weight, we want to go for an ideal body condition score. Now with young puppies (just like kids) they are growing and the body condition scoring doesn't matter as much, but we still don't want her to be very overweight. Here is a helpful guide to checking body condition at home : https://www.aaha.org/public_documents/professional/guidelines/weightmgmt_bodyconditionscoring.pdf and your vet can also weigh in on this.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Smokey. The average American dog is quite overweight. So if you have one at a healthy weight, it will usually look too thin. You want a thin covering over the ribs when you run your hands along his sides. He should have a waist the curves in from the top and size views. There is a one through nine scale of body condition scores. A healthy weight is a four or five. Every dog food contains a different amount of calories per cup. At six months of age, he should still eat puppy food. Look at the side of the food bag for feeding recommendations. Keep in mind, these are typically too high for most dogs. His weight looks great in your picture, but it obviously hard to tell for sure. Your current feeding amount is likely adequate. I hope this information helps! https://www.justrightpetfood.com/blog/dog-body-condition-score

I see that Ellie is five months old. Because she is a growing puppy, it is not recommended to worry about if she is overweight or not. Restricting any food or putting her on a diet at this age could adversely affect her growth. I would recommend feeding her a puppy formulated food, feed according to the instructions on the bag, and take her out for exercise twice a day for 25 minutes at a time.