Puppy Questions!

O

oconneam

New member
Hello everyone,

Tux our first Newfi is now 4.5 months old and is such a good boy. We are in love and he has made my life so much happier. As most of you owners know, having a puppy is a handful and i always seem to be worrying!!!! Every whine it seems im worrying about something, so i just have a few questions I hope some of you can answer.

1. Tux is being fed large breed puppy blue buffalo. When should I change him to adult food, he will be five months on the 12th of march.

2. Tux's eye sometime seems red, theres nothing in it and he doesn't rub it or pay attention to it at all. Im going to bring it up at the vet but it seems to come and go, anyone experience this. It just is a lil droopy and red, but not swollen or leaking anything from his eye.

3. Some times after laying down for a while when Tux gets up hes kind of stiff. And i have seen him limp on his leg before, actually it happened a few times yesterday and anyother time i havent seen it except some stiffness which i have experienced my self after sleeping on something hard like a floor. When i touch his leg he doesnt flinch move it or anything and doesnt seem bothered. and if he does limp after a few seconds hes back to normal and running around again in no time.

I may be worrying for nothing but I just want to see what you guys think. He has his rabies shot coming up so Im gonna ask about it then.
Im attaching a pic so tell me what you think of him hes getting big!!!
 
Windancer

Windancer

New member
Tux is beautiful....first off....
On the feed...check the protien levels.....everyone has a different idea, but I would stay at 24% for now..
on the eye...could be a host of things...allergies, something in the environment....give it time...lots of pups mature out of those things.
The stiffness the same....a mystery for now....but most newf puppies are loose at this age....if by six months he is having obvious problems, get him xrayed.
Huggs to you pretty boy....! ((((Tux))))
 
Bojie

Bojie

New member
He's beautiful! Rigsby is 6 months, and both he and Bojie have been on All Life Stages food since they were babies. Never puppy formula, so if you want to switch, you can switch now to an all life stages food if you want to as Windancer said, just make sure your protein levels are low. There are a billion foods out there with appropriate protein levels, Ca/Phos ratios that you can find out there for him. Love the photo's! You need to post more of them!
 
Sound Bay Newfs

Sound Bay Newfs

Active member
Tux is very cute!
Newf pups do well with adult food from the beginning due to the low protein, but also the calcium/phosphorus levels are correct for a growing pup. Switching to adult food now may also help his limp as it will slow his growth which is good for his growing joints.
His red eyes might just be the result of his head getting ready to grow. Before the head grows, the skin will loosen and sag exposing the red in the eye. But checking it out with your vet is a good idea if you are concerned.
 
rhoward

rhoward

Member
Sounds like what Sadie went through at the same age. If you plan to get insurance consider doing so before you do any Xrays. I did the same thing out of concern which turned out to be nothing and now this information is in her chart. If you think it is serious go anyway.
 
Ren

Ren

New member
I was feeding my Fergus Large Breed Puppy formula until right now, currently at 8 months we are making the switch to Orijen 6 Fish. The reason being I held no confidence in the dog food after I took a good hard look at the feeding regimen on the bag. At Fergus's weight and age category, he is off the chart. The lower end of the chart is 12-24 months and 5-10 lbs!! Who would need to feed their puppy large breed puppy food if it is that size? And it is not as if they use the same generic feeding chart for their whole line of dog food ... I checked!

http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssoul.com/products/puppies/dry_food/large_breed_puppy_formula/
 
sendchocolate

sendchocolate

New member
Sound Bay Newfs said:
His red eyes might just be the result of his head getting ready to grow. Before the head grows, the skin will loosen and sag exposing the red in the eye. But checking it out with your vet is a good idea if you are concerned.
Click to expand...
Wow, I had no idea about this! That's good to know!

By the way, Tux is adorable, love that second shot of him lying next to you. We use adult food, too. Never did have her on puppy food, per my breeder. She said it causes growth to happen too fast. Genetically, Poppy will still reach her full size, just takes a bit longer, and gives her bones and muscles a chance to catch up and get stronger in order to support her weight. She is 13 mos old now...and 108 lbs. And still growing.

As for the stiff... Poppy is stiff a bit after first waking up. First comes the stretch, then the movement. I think, just like us, we get stiff after sitting for a bit and need to stretch to get the blood flowing.
 
LoveLandseers

LoveLandseers

New member
The whole when to switch to adult food thing is so controversial! We had so much trouble making the decision because everyone told us something different.
 
Janet Massey

Janet Massey

New member
My Bibbins, almost 9 months old is on the raw diet. He gets about 2.5% of his body weight in food a day, and he is a lean almost 130 pounds. The redness in his eyes could be something as simple as a growth spurt or mild ectropian - which often corrects itself as the puppy matures and if it doesn't and causes chronic inflammation, it is a simple surgical procedure to correct it. As to the lameness - once again it could be pano (although that is usually more pronounced and in one - maybe - two legs at a time - but it is self-limiting), simple stiffness - although in a puppy that is unusual unless they have had a particularly strenuous play date, or early signs of hip dysplasia. Getting x-rays at 6 months is not always definitive, but 8-10 months can give you a pretty idea if there are any problems.

And I second the health insurance! I have VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) - started before my pups were a year old - and it has paid for itself 10 times over during the years!
 
O

oconneam

New member
thanks everyone for your help. Ya know i find myself worrying because he really is my child to me and i just want to make sure hes healthy and perfect! I think after this last bag im gonna switch to adult food, slow down his growth and hopefully eliminate any limpness from growing pains or soemthing like that. ill make sure to keep in eye on it. Thanks and more pics to come! BTW how do i just post pics to my post without it being an attachment? just curious.
 
sarnewfie

sarnewfie

New member
What a cute pup. Sometimes newfs can get "cherry eye"
You can research that on Google.

Although to me it looks from the pics that this is normal for head growth. HEad grows eyelids sag. Normal.
Just make sure he stays within the rule if it is in his lines, 10 # over the months of age is max. No more. If growing to fast they will be over that.( with acception to certain lines) personally i prefer the SLOW TO MATURE lines.

The "Growing pains" they experience in puppy stage can be normal. Xrays will show if it is pano. Many giant breed pups can get Pano in their front or rear or all legs at different times. It can come to one leg, then go to the other,then the other and so on. During this stage it is wise to consider a slower growth food.
 
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twright1231

twright1231

New member
Tux is adorable. If you are going to make the food switch, you might consider mixing in the adult food with the puppy food now. Small amounts at a time and gradually increasing, until its all adult food. Gradual food changes can help the digestion transition.
 
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