How to know if my puppy is too thin or fat and how much to feed?

Question

Should I be able to see an indent on Louie's body? Or should he be straight shaped? I feed him an active puppy and dog food but it only gives adult feeding guide so I don't know if he is getting enough or too much. After he poops he goes to having an indent but until he does he has a straight shaped. Also do I feed him by the adult chart? Or double it? I feed him Victor nutra pro. Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | neutered | 4 months old | 80 lbs

Makenzie Kurth, DVM · Accepted Answer

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!

How to know if my puppy is too thin or fat and how much to feed?

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