Coco is so small...

[mlyn627]

Coco is doing great with us, she is eating and drinking normally, she is potty trained, she knows sit, and lay down, she is our pride and joy! But she is so tiny! She is 11 weeks, I'm not sure what she weighs right now but at nine weeks she was only 5.8lbs. She doesn't feel or look too skinny she looks healthy, just tiny. Is this normal? Anyone else have a tiny one and how big did they end up getting?

[Auddymay]

My Lily is petite. She topped out at 33 pounds and just this year managed to get up to 38 pounds. She will be 7 in June. At 6 months she weighed 27 pounds. I hope this helps.

[MissV]

At 6 months, my chowlie weighed 35 pounds...

[cherriemater]

Our Chow Chow weights:

Leo Max
8wks 8.6 9.8
9wks 10.5 11.4
12wks 15.5 18.6
16wks 24.5 26.9

You can see from pictures of Leo and Max, Leo seemed to be very diminuative next to Max but their weights were still pretty close. I even wondered if they really WERE brothers at one point. But, as time went by Leo found his appetite and started gaining on Max, even though he remains lean while Max remains wide. Consider also that even human siblings can have different body types.

Now, before you get concerned at Coco being half Leo's weight at this point, please keep in mind that boys generally weigh more then gals. I have found that rather than getting overly concerned about the weight of the boys, I took a step back and waited for their weigh-ins at their Vet appointments. Looking at that chart above tells me all I need to know, as well as the fact that the boys are eating well, sleeping well, socializing well and eliminating well. The latter alone has aleviated any of my worries.

I understand where your concern is coming from and can tell from this what a loving, caring parent you are. Hope what I said helps somewhat.

[mlyn627]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Thanks for the weights of Leo and Max, I have been looking for something like that on here for awhile. I'm probably worried about it more than I should be. She is healthy, she plays, she loves people and playing with other dogs, and she is potty trained! She is eating about a cup a day of Avo derm puppy formula, and seems to like it. Is that an appropriate food to be feeding her? She has a vet appt on friday to get her second set of shots and dewormer she will be exactly 12 weeks.

[cherriemater]

That's what Leo and Max were at when we first got them, one cup each. We had two separate bowls for them, even though they were free-fed at the breeders, and I put a cup in each so I could discover how much they were eating and how often. My worry over Max came when he would finish what Leo left. But, I have found that to be normal, and, as I mentioned, Leo has since found his appetite.

I looked at the ingredients of Avoderm and it looks very similar to the TOTW High Prairie Puppy: http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/pr ... y_formula/

Avoderm Screenshot for those not familiar.

avoderm.JPG (76.32 KiB) Viewed 9031 times

http://www.avodermnatural.com/Dog_Foods/puppy_cr.htm

I like that it's all-natural ingredients, grain-free and no preservatives. Now you just have to decide how much Coco enjoys it and if she does, you're all set. With that in mind, keep an eye on her skin. SOME (and not all) chows can be sensitive or allergic to chicken. So, if she develops hot spots you MIGHT have to consider alternatives. Our boys have some dry skin issues but our vet said to just add fish oil to their food. I accomplish this by piercing a regular capsule and squishing over food or on their treat. I tried it first just on a plate (thinking they'd like the fishiness ... but that failed). The other thing I recognize as similar is the added DHA, which is for brain development. Now, who could say No to that??

I strongly encourage you to watch this if you haven't already: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTWHxvjI ... ure=relmfu
It really helped me to understand what to look for and what to "look-out" for in the food choice I made. Also, the TOTW link above has a Feeding Guideline at the bottom which also helped me to understand how and when to increase or be ready to increase their food intake. This should help you a bit, too.

PS ... DYING to see pictures!!! Hint hint, nudge, nudge, wink wink!

[Penelope]

So my puppy is 10 1/2 weeks and is 16.7 pounds! She's big!

[mlyn627]

Here are some new pics of Coco.

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IMG_20120104_160904.jpg (56.55 KiB) Viewed 9013 times

IMG_20120117_190012.jpg (33.31 KiB) Viewed 9013 times

I can't wait to get home and give her hugs! Chows are the best!

[mlyn627]

And more...

I have not seen a man love a dog more than he loves Coco!

IMG_20120108_193537 (1).jpg (27.48 KiB) Viewed 9013 times

IMG_20120117_190004.jpg (49.59 KiB) Viewed 9013 times

[BeckiHutton]

Aww she looks very very sweet and pretty... almost like an adult pom, not a chow pup... in a good way

[Cocoa]

She's beautiful, I absolutely love the pictures of her asleep with her head between her paws. There is nothing more adorable than those bear paws they have as puppies.

[Rory's Dad]

The weight seems fine. Petite ladies are not uncommon. That being said, at her age, I am sure she is still visiting the vet for puppy shots. Ask away, the vet should be able to give you very concrete thoughts on her weight. Keep in mind the standard health overviews...you should be able to feel the ribs and spine, but not have them readily visible. The sideline should be slightly indented between the shoulders and hips (girly figure), but not exaggerated. Thighs should be somewhat stocky and muscular with a solid lower leg.

I felt Rory was a bit on the stocky side...8.5 lbs at 8 weeks, 18.9 lbs at 10 weeks, 27.8 lbs at 14 weeks..but the vet said he is perfectly fine. Mind you, males are a bit different in the growth cycle and overall weight. I suspect he will finish up a bit over 60 lbs. We do have him on a protein high diet with Large Breed Puppy food and extras of cottage cheese and either hamburger or chicken breast.

I think Cocoa looks fantastic. She appears healthy with a nice shiny coat and bright attentive eyes. Ask the vet for reassurance, and do the 'feel' test, but i think she is OK.

[cherriemater]

She certainly does represent her name well as Coco Channel was very petite and stylish. You've got a GREAT girl there and she looks like she just looooooves her Dad!!!

@Rory'sDad ... I LOVED your comment re: "feel" test.

[MissV]

look, i dont want to throw a spanner in the works, BUT... my one friend had a puppy who just wasnt developing. Her appitite went down, but she continued to play and was a ball of fun! At 8 months, she had to be put down. Most depressing thing ever! My friend (shes pretty stupid for a smart chick) bought the pup from a puppy-mill and her pup's kidneys hadnt developed properly. Her blood was pretty much toxic and she was slowly dying .

Keep going to your vet - and address your concerns with them. Make sure they dont just brush you off like my friends vet did. They told her that her dog was fine and she was stressing for nothing (she also worried about the weight) - and then BAM! a few months down the line and she has to put her dog down! GRRRRR! Some vets make me so mad!

On a lighter note: i am in love with your puppy! I WANT TO STEAL IT AND HUG IT AND SQUEEZE ITS FUZZY BELLY!!!! super duper cute !!! I am totally jealous

[Penelope]

She's sooo cute!!! She reminds me of Sophie when she was a puppy!!

[Judy Fox]

She is absolutely beautiful - so huggable.

My Milly and Mabel were small - Milly, now in The Happy Hunting Grounds reached about 38 lbs and Mabel still here and nearly 12 is about 42 lbs. so some chow chows are smaller. Out two youngsters now 2 and a half are a good deal bigger than Mabel and much heavier so the sizes can vary.

[Victory]

She is adorable. I didn't have Firesong when she was a puppy, but she never weighs over 42lbs as an adult, and I can' only get her there by feeding her crap food, (more grains and fats) when she's on a high quality food, (most of the time) she's 38lbs and that's it. For a chow she is very fine boned and petite or svelte as her vet calls her. Her heart, lungs, liver function, pancreas levels are all very normal even though she's almost 12 now.

Like Judy said, some chows, especially the girls are small. And there has been a tendency to breed "small" chows lately.

[mlyn627]

12 weeks today and exactly 9lbs! So she has gained 3.2 lbs in three weeks! At least I know she is gaining. I do think I am going to try another brand of food to see if she will eat more, she is only eating about a cup a day and that doesn't seem like enough. I am going to try mixing in TOTW and see if she likes that better. Thanks everyone for your advice.
@Rorys dad, she feels like you described! Thanks for the info. Everyone here is AWESOME!

[Sirchow]

She looks small and perfectly formed to me
You could try adding in minced beef, pilchards, and scrambled egg and other proteins into her current food. Ours get some wet very good quality wet food which is just meat and veg in with their kibble to up the protein. Just a thought incase she doesn't take to the change.
Coco is absolutely adorable

[Fozzbear]

My Fozzchop was a tank in comparison to CoCo at that age - and she still is.
She is eight months old and weights 24kg.
We met a same age chow chow the other day who was two-thirds her size. The little one was adorable and pretty. Fozzchop is a chunky monkey but a healthy one. There is obviously a lot of variation within the breed so I shouldnt worry. CoCo looks beautiful.

[mlyn627]

OMG Fozzy is so cute!
I have Coco on TOTW now and she is eating more, she really likes it! We had to take her to the vet yesterday, she has conjunctivitis She is 15 weeks and is up to 13 lbs. YAY!

[Cocoa]

I just took my Cocoa in for her vet visit and she is definitely not tiny - 64.7 pounds! She isn't fat at all (confirmed by her vet), just a large chow girl.

[Hooch]

My black chow Khan is 4 months now and tipped the scales at 40 lbs exactly on Friday. He's gonna be a beast.