[Koushik]

I want a little advise on how big my boxer should be:

He is currently 15" tall (I measured it at his head level) and weighs 17 kilograms. If anything he looks slightly plump. He is currently 3.5 months old.

About his diet : I feed him four times a day (6:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM & 9:00 PM).

Feed 1 : ProPett (125 grams)

Feed 2 : Curd Rice with 2 boiled eggs

Feed 3 : ProPett (125 grams)

Feed 4 : Milk (boiled, 750ml).

On weekends, I feed him BUTCH. He eats 800 gms of BUTCH over the weekend along with the regular routine. I use it as a treat and feed it to him in between the meals. We also give him dog biscuits, he eats about 50 gms of that everyday on an average. He also drinks about 1 liter of water a day.

Please tell me if this is fine. My VET tells me that he probably shouldn't be eating him so much BUTCH, but said that if it does not affect his appetite, it is fine.

Another boxer in the vicinity (2 months older than Mike) looks pretty much like Mike, so I wonder if he is being fed too much and is growing unhealthily fast?

 

[sully]

Well, I can tell you....a 3.5 month old should not be plump.  A boxer puppy should be skinny, you should be able to see at least a few of the ribs from the ribcage.  Most people have difficulty keeping any weight on a boxer puppy so he's either eating way too much, not getting enough exercise, or both.  I am not familiar with Propett (is that a Pedigree product?) but if it's a kibble, thats a good start.  I can tell you that he is eating too much junk.  Curd rice and 2 boiled eggs needs to go.....theres no need to feed this on a daily basis.  I'm curious why you are feeding that and milk, these are not things that should be fed on any regular basis, especially to a puppy.  I don't know what BUTCH is either but I'm guessing that needs to go.  Treats for training are good, and here or there you can give him some table scraps, but a puppy should be eating a high quality kibble and thats it.  I would immediately cut down on the junk, read the threads in the food section about quality kibble, and get him down to proper size.  If you don't get his weight in check you are risking a multitude of growth and skeletal problems, such as hip dysplacia and arthritis down the line.

 

[Koushik]

Hi Sully. Thanks for that. Propett is something like Royal Canine. Kibble food, I guess. If the cost can be an indicator of quality, one kilogram of propett costs somewhere in the vicinity of $5. I used to feed him royal canine, but they are not available everywhere, so I feed him propett.

Curd Rice and Eggs - I think it is something that most people feed these to dogs here in India. Since table scraps are mostly spicy stuff, Mike has developed a taste bud for it. So if I feed him only kibble, he will refuse to eat it :-( Any ways of overcoming it? I started feeding milk too because everyone at home drinks milk before sleep.. and its like - we don't want to let mike out of that or something..

BUTCH is pre-processed meat meant for dogs.