Puppy Size

[lilbonfire88]

Hi there, we just brought our second Newfie home today. He is 8 weeks and 2 days and absolutely adorable and oh so playful. We knew that he looked smaller than our first newf did at that age, but he was about the same size as the rest of his littermates. He is from the same breeder, but different parents. Our first Newfie came home at 9 weeks and weighed in at 22 pounds. We decided to weigh this guy when we got home a little bit ago and he is only 12 pounds at 8 weeks! That seems awfully small to us, he will be going for his vet check up on Monday, but he just had one with the breeder last Tuesday and he definitely acts totally healthy. We mentioned how much smaller he looked than our first one did when he was that age, and the breeder did say that this particular mom seems to have pups that grow slower, but they eventually catch up. Since we know there are other people out there who have gotten this Mom's previous litters and love them, we assumed that was just the case, but when we got home and saw that he didn't just look smaller, but was almost 10 pounds less than our other guy at around the same age we got a little concerned. His parents are both very nice sized dogs, his dad is very big and his mom is about average.

I guess my question is: is it normal for some mom's to throw smaller pups than others? Will they still catch up in size in the end? Does 12 pounds at 8 weeks sound really off? We just want to know if there is anything we need to be specifically concerned about or looking for at the vet on Monday. Since the rest of the litter was about the same size, should we not be concerned?

Thanks, we had a rough go with our last newfie as he developed severe health issues at 5 months. The vet explained to us that they were not hereditary issues, our poor guy had just been born with the short end of the stick. This puppy is our "replacement puppy" (God I hate that phrase) that we got from our original's health guarantee. We love this new guy's temperament, but we want to make sure that this isn't a bad sign of anything, and that he will also be at least averaged size.

 

[wrknnwf]

I would not be terribly concerned at this point about his size. Every creature grows to be the size they are genetically programmed to be, unless they are impaired health wise. Have your vet take a thorough look at him before you start to worry.

8 weeks is awfully young to be sent to a new home because certain health checks are not valid until he is older. Did the breeder do any health checks on him? Did you get to see those documents? I assume you got his American Kennel Club papers.

If he is healthy, he will grow, and you don't want them to grow too fast anyway, so try to relax until you talk to your vet. Also, it's not unusual for a Newf puppy to put on 5 lbs per week, give or take, in the beginning. The grow spurts seem to be variable at times when they are young.

Also remember that an adult male Newf is generally anywhere from 120 lbs to 150 lbs. Quite a leeway in terms of weight. Even if he is smallish for a male Newf when he grows up, that won't detract from his personality. He will always be your lovely pup.

 

[lilbonfire88]

Thanks. I know it sounds crazy to worry, just after what happened last time we want to make sure we don't miss anything. Our other boy was a very big boy, he hit 70 pounds at 18 weeks, but maybe he was too big. Thank you though. I'm not normally a worrier, but it's hard not to be sometimes.

Yes, we have his AKC papers to send in once we think of our name, but we only have limited registration as we don't intend to breed or show. Both of his parents are hip, elbow, eye and cystinuria (sp?) cleared. He had a comprehensive exam with their vet last Tuesday and according to the papers I received he got shots, a normal exam, and no signs of heart murmur. What else should we have him checked for?

 

[wrknnwf]

He should have a board certified cardiologist check his heart after 10-12 weeks. Normally the breeder does this before sending the pup to his new home. Did you actually see the certificates for his parents health tests?

You can always go to the www.ofa.org website to look them up and see if they are in the database. Do not be alarmed if they are not listed, but consider asking the breeder if you can see the certificates. There is a search function on that website. Look on the left side of the home page for the search box. Also on the left side is a button to click to find what tests a Newf should have. Great website, very informative.

 

[lilbonfire88]

He should have a board certified cardiologist check his heart after 10-12 weeks. Normally the breeder does this before sending the pup to his new home. Did you actually see the certificates for his parents health tests?

You can always go to the www.ofa.org website to look them up and see if they are in the database. Do not be alarmed if they are not listed, but consider asking the breeder if you can see the certificates. There is a search function on that website. Look on the left side of the home page for the search box. Also on the left side is a button to click to find what tests a Newf should have. Great website, very informative.

Thanks, will check it out to see what tests to have done!. Yes, I did see his parent's documentation and their family trees.

 

[wrknnwf]

Great! I'm betting that everything will be fine for the little fellow. But I do "get" the part about worrying. After all, he is just a baby...your baby. We've all been there.

And this may sound silly, but (just a gentle chiding) don't sound so apologetic about having a limited registration on him. It helps prove that his breeder cares about the pups he/she produces. It's something to be proud of, not embarrassed by, and in no way affects what a magnificent dog he will become.

 

[lilbonfire88]

Great! I'm betting that everything will be fine for the little fellow. But I do "get" the part about worrying. After all, he is just a baby...your baby. We've all been there.

And this may sound silly, but (just a gentle chiding) don't sound so apologetic about having a limited registration on him. It helps prove that his breeder cares about the pups he/she produces. It's something to be proud of, not embarrassed by, and in no way affects what a magnificent dog he will become.

THANK YOU! :kgo_027:

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

Your pup is on the small side. But if he checks out healthy, he should catch up. But you have to have him checked by the cardiologist. A regular vet cannot make a complete heart evaluation. Was he from a large litter? Sometimes pups are smaller if in a large litter.

 

[victoria1140]

Dont worry too much.l have also had alternatives after loosing dogs at young ages so do understand the worry.

It will take time to stop treating them as a replacement and worrying about everything but even though some are more special than others we sti love them just the same.

Also what are you feeding as slow growth is better than too many fast spurts

 

[Anthony99]

I brought home my Avlon at 10 weeks old at 18 lbs she was the so called runt. Well 11 yrs later she is 125lbs and 29 inches tall. Very tall for a female.
Good luck !

 

[Darwinsnewfie@1855]

I brought Ella home at 12 weeks and she weighed 20lbs. She turns 17 months next week and she weighs 110lbs. We were instructed to keep her on kibble that wasn't too high in protein and to help her grow slowly. She is 26 1/2 inches tall and getting very broad throughout. I also thought she was smaller than other Newfs her age, but she turned out practically perfect in every way, well from my perspective she did. One thing that we discovered at 12 weeks was that she had worms. Once she was treated and cleared of the worms she put on a little weight. Have fun with your new Pup and it sounds like he is very healthy and happy.

 

[NinaA]

Congratulations to you and all the other puppy people here. I envy you all. Your little one will be fine. I just know it.