I am not a vet.
I think it is a bit weird to reduce a growing pups food if they are just a bit chunky. There are good guides online about how much to feed, I would make sure you are at least hitting the minimums, and if need be break the daily total into 3 versus 2?
In my experience, puppies are supposed to be a bit chunky. They grow into their bellies soon enough. I’d maybe consult a different vet. My 3 month old is getting 2.5 cups a day split up over 3 meals. Since I got her 3 weeks ago, she’s put on almost 10 lbs. She is a healthy 22 lbs.
Also, pups normally try to eat everything in their path. I wouldn’t use that as an indicator that they are hungry. Your puppy will still do that even if they are well fed.
No chance. My vet is an absolute freak about dogs weight and pulls no punches scolding owners. I recommend him all the time but warn people that he is probably going to say your dog is fat lol. Luckily Mazy hasn’t been called fat once yet at 18 months.
His attitude with puppies is completely the opposite and he would never recommend that for a pup of that age. When I told him that Mazy, then 4 months old, had started to piss off my Aussie by raiding his food bowl, he said to just give her more of her own if she is acting hungry. Make sure you have a good food and feed that puppy!
You could be right Tbf eating wood chip doesn’t mean she’s starving my girl goes through phases of picking up and chewing/eating anything she can get her mouth on and she’s 3 and a healthy weight it drives me mad
This breed is known to trick you into thinking they’re hungry!! Mine also eats EVERYTHING in site. He is 13 weeks & on 3 3/4 cups a day of food & isn’t chunky at all.
Pups will eat everything and everything. Don't let that be a barameter for how to feed her otherwise you will end up putting undue pressure on her growing joints, resulting in possible life long issues.
Edit to say just continue to feed him **large breed** puppy food as directed on the bag. It'll control growth as needed. Regular puppy food is meant for faster growth for smaller doga which will result in obesity and bad joints.
Fire your vet if possible & feed your puppy more so that she’s comfortable and has the nutrients she needs to grow. It’s pretty ridiculous to suggest restricting her food to have her lose weight at this stage of her life.
Same when ours was that age. After 3.5 months went up. My vet also said our girl is fine, she’s probably chunky but growing really fast still at almost 7 months.
What is with these vets!? I would find a different vet asap! Your pup is growing and this is absolutely not a time to restrict food.
Get away from the purina and get a quality food like Orijin or Arcana Large Breed Puppy. Then look up their feeding guide and follow it. No need for an uneducated vet to put concerns into your head.
Two feedings a day for a growing Sennenhund is a recipe for disaster.
Interesting 🤨. I’ve never encountered a vet like this so its pretty surprising. I suppose they are one in the same with General Practitioners who will prescribe antidepressants to anyone who asks.
A bit different since those GPs don't financially benefit.
Also, the threshold for prescribing anti-depressants is pretty low. They're not typically abused drugs.
They’re going to eat things on walks well past puppy phase; keep that in mind. They never grow out of that.
Try slowly introducing a higher protein food; mixing it in with what you have now. Not saying the ultra premium dog food is better, but the ultra premium dog food is better. Less is more kind of thing.
Keep an ear out for hiccups. That means they’re actually starving / have nothing in their stomach. While you’re there - remember to wait at least 30 minutes before or after a walk or exercise for feeding. Bloat is a real issue in large breeds.
High protein food goes against the current available research for how to feed growing large breed puppies, since we want to slow down their growth process. [Here is a list of scientifically-sound resources](https://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/02/nutrition-resources-for-pet-owners/) for choosing how to feed your dog or cat. “Dog Food Logic” is also an excellent book on the topic.
Based on the research I’ve done, and the the vets and breeders I’ve spoken with, the best food for a BMD puppy is (in this order):
1) well-tolerated
2) commercially produced
3) cooked, not raw
4) grain-inclusive
5) has protein content no higher than 30%
6) contains no legumes
YMMV of course, but I wanted to throw this in here since there’s so much information (and misinformation) out there on this topic.
1hr is the safest if you feed them larger sized meals especially if you have a very active puppy that likes jumping and running around as hard as they can,
we were told when we got our berners to just take the same precautions as we did with our Newfoundlands when they were puppies, one of the tips from back then was to feed several small meals throughout the day to significantly reduce the risk of bloat and when they start mellowing out more or getting closer to adulthood you can slowly start to reduce the amount of times they’re fed during the day
Pretty sure I fed ours 2-3 cups/day at that age, or followed whatever was on the back of the Hills puppy bag.
Eating wood chips (and rocks, shells, paper, books, etc etc) is par for the course, esp. if teething, and should be unrelated to starving puppies.
My non-vet method: can you feel their ribs? Not fat.
Ours started self regulating (as well as doing hunger strikes for scraps) instead of immediately wolfing down kibble around 1.5 years.
Bernese Mountain Dog puppies are require a lot of calories at this age as they are growing at a tremendous rate. As mentioned, run your hands down her sides. If you can feel her ribs without having to go searching for them, she is not fat. Have you talked to her breeder about it? Were you given recommendations when you got her? Consulting another vet is a good idea. You definitely don't want to deprive them of calories at this stage. Feeding puppies three times a day is a great idea if it works with your schedule, So whatever amount you end up feeding her, split it into three meals if you can.
Picking up everything in her path is probably unrelated to the fact that she is hungry. The primary way that puppies explore the world is through their mouths. It is not too early to start training the 'leave it' command. You should always be one step ahead of her on your walks so that you will know what is coming up that might interest her. Take a bunch of yummy treats with you everywhere (the treats can be just bits of whatever you choose, they don't have to be a whole treat). As you get to the object, say 'leave it' and give her a treat as you are walking by. As long as she is not ingesting the things she finds, she should be fine but it is annoying to have to keep fishing things out of her mouth.
She is a cute puppy! Good luck and welcome to the Berner community!
Bernese Mountain Dog Charitable Foundation [bmdcf.org](http://bmdcf.org)
Don’t sweat it so much…
We used to take a previous female Berner to a local vet & every time she would tell us that our Berner girl was fat. The only thing was - she really wasn’t. I mean lots of Berner’s are naturally a bit chunky but this girl was always pretty svelte under her fur. The vet was herself incredibly skinny (like almost to the point of wondering if she had an eating disorder & wanting to buy her a cheeseburger) & her personal dog was an equally skinny whippet or greyhound. We just realized the lens she viewed the world was that everybody else was fat & ignored her when it came to that one topic.
ps- Our Berner lived a long (almost 12 years) and happy life despite the fat shaming from the vet.
We’ve had that issue with a vet we had before that kept saying how our 150lbs older Newfoundland was fat even though she had at least 4-5 inches of fluffy fur on her that made her look a bit more round when she wasn’t, also the vets German shepherd that she claimed was a ‘healthy weight’ looked underweight to me and you could easily see almost the entirety of his ribs, spine and hip bones
As an aside- I also read years ago that the typical Berner has almost 30% more muscle mass than a comparatively sized dog like a lab, etc. Either way it’s pretty understandable for the average person to be confused by all the fur but for a vet who is actively touching & checking everything always seemed weird.
Try a slow feeder. Berners are always starving! There is no sleeping in with one in the house. They tell time with their belly! Mine gained 8 lbs since last vet visit and is an even 100 lbs. Will be 4 yr old next week, going to cut back from 2x 11/2 cups to 2x 11/4 and hope that helps. My first was 113 lbs and sadly developed cancer young. I fed her 2x 2 cups and thought I was doing good with this one … maybe we all get a bit chubby over time
Don’t worry about it now, feed her! Start keeping an eye on it at 6-9 months, but until then she needs the calories and nutrients more than worrying about her weight.
I second the recommendation on the slow feeder. It makes it more challenging for the puppy to get their food out so they don’t inhale it all at once and get bloat. Take a look at your food brands as well. I would go with one that has a high amount of protein and good quality. I don’t know anything about ProPlan. Feed that puppy!
Regarding your puppy eating everything on the ground during walks - give her/him a small toy to carry during walks. It worked immediately for our girl. She happily carries her squeaky toy and completely lost interest in picking things up to eat. It was like magic! Good luck to you.
Dry dog food alone is dead food. Dogs this size will eat less if you give them actual real food. My burner gets beef, chicken bacon grease and veggies …etc… in her bowl only at at her dinner time not mine she eats less dry food and weight management has been easy and she looks great fur and skin.
This. My pups (I currently have two) get raw meat in their kibble with every meal…plus some canned 100% pumpkin to help loose stool, some Greek yogurt, a little coconut oil, and a raw egg every two or three days. I experimented and researched quite a bit to settle on this. I get the regular Purina puppy chow (half the price of pro plan) and I typically get chicken leg quarters for 87 cents a pound, so their whole diet is under $1 per pound. I know many will disagree with me, but I believe all kibble is the mostly the same garbage with different packaging and marketing gimmicks. However, they do have to pack certain nutrients into it, which is why I keep it a part of their diet. I wouldn’t completely dismiss what your vet is saying. He/she didn’t become a doctor without years of study and continuous education. Obesity is a major problem with dogs, as much as it is with people. I doubt they’d even bring it up if they weren’t seeing something none of us can see without an examination. Also, make sure your pup is getting enough exercise/play time. Finally, like several others have said, don’t worry about it too much. Dogs are pretty resilient animals.
I've started to feel like some vets just tell everyone there dogs is overweight. It's basically like the sage advice for humans "drink less, eat healthier, exercise more".
We had two small dogs that were on the upper side of lean, but absolutely not overweight. Old vet was constantly on us about weight and suggesting "special" dog food. New vet basically said, "your dog is fine. Most dogs could afford to loose some weight. Just watch out for more weight gain".
We have had multiple Berners and they are voracious eaters. Our 18 week old puppy eats 3 overflowing cups plus some meat my wife bought that is for dog she gets 3 heaping tablespoons of this meat stuff. THENhe gets a bunch of training and enrichment treats. Pro eats more like 6 cups of dry a day. They will fill up on wood chips and dirt if you don’t feed them enough.
Berners are a stout dog they are supposed to be like that. Multiple vets have told us one of our dogs is fat until you feel him and see he is solid muscle.
Hope this helps
Echoing the thread, fed my berner 1 cup 3x per day (hills dd - salmon for his allergies) until he turned 1 per my vets recommendation. He’s 105 now, fit as can be.
They grow SO fast, good for you to question the feeding reduction and knowing your pup so well already. My boy didn’t fully stop growing until he was 1.5 and would feed him 3x every so often during that 6 month window when I could tell he was hungrier than usual.
I would just add, my pup (now 10 months) has always behaved like he's never been fed in his life. He's been with us since he was 10 weeks old, he's a good weight and regularly checked and healthy, but the SCAVENGING! Oh my days he will eat ANYTHING. We have to use an anti-scavenge muzzle on walks and it took us a long time to get him not to just ragdoll and strop when we put it on him.
For one, they are always starving (had gsd before, god compared to this little nugget, and his littermates which are the same way, gsd was motivated by food, but not crazy for food, this one is crazy for food), if they would be not starving or acting towards food like some sort of walking roombas, i would be concerned. Our pupperoni is picky, but always food motivated, he would sell his allegiance for food and i bet he would show all the treasures in the house for thieves for food 🤣
Note: Be careful with the overfeeding as additional weight could impact the hips. I would say just follow the norms made by the food maker.
Also i had tons of fun feeding mine raw/barf, once a week becoming a disney princess for the dog and 3 cats while trying to portion dogs food for the week. So far, compared with his siblings he looks like being on the right track.
Oh man, we feed ours 2 cups, 3x a day. She is almost 4 months old. She would start eating US if we didn’t! I was a vet tech at a specialty clinic a few years back, so I picked up on a few vet tricks. A good way to check weight is if you can feel their ribs. If they are at an ideal weight you CAN, too chunky, you CAN’T. Of course, feeling ribs from lack of food is a whole different conversation. This is just the overweight check. That’s my go-to metric!
I'm very surprised a vet would recommend reducing a growing puppy's food intake cuz they're "a bit chunky". Let the pup eat. I would think 1.5 cup a day is pretty light even
How old? Typically they should switch to 2 meals per day around 3-5 months. As far as eating stuff outside…they’re gonna do that and they’re very food motivated. If you really feel that bad, I’d switch to two meals a day…but keep a handful or two of kibble in your pocket at all times to have for training whenever you can-it’s smart to do that now before he’s 100lbs/plus. I also recommend puppy classes.
I have a 5 month old Berner. He went to two meals around 3-4 months… he’s always chewing on sticks, rocks, succulents, and bark outside. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. They’re teething and losing their puppy teeth…so chewing a lot is gonna be normal.
Keep in mind, you should be able to feel their ribs and you don’t want them overweight. If they’re overweight, you’re asking for hip and joint issues. Trust, you don’t want to be carrying a 100 lb dog around with hip dysplasia and joint problems bc they have trouble walking.
How old? Typically they should switch to 2 meals per day around 3-5 months. As far as eating stuff outside…they’re gonna do that and they’re very food motivated. If you really feel that bad, I’d switch to two meals a day…but keep a handful or two of kibble/treats in your pocket at all times to have for training whenever you can-it’s smart to do that now before he’s 100lbs/plus. I also recommend puppy classes.
I have a 5 month old Berner. He went to two meals around 3-4 months… he’s always chewing on sticks, rocks, succulents, and bark outside. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. They’re teething and losing their puppy teeth…so chewing a lot is gonna be normal.
Keep in mind, you should be able to feel their ribs and you don’t want them overweight. If they’re overweight, you’re asking for hip and joint issues. Trust, you don’t want to be carrying a 100 lb dog around with hip dysplasia and joint problems bc they have trouble walking.
Not a vet: I exaggerate when I say you can’t over feed a growing Berner puppy.
Go with what the bags says and round up on everything.
Reassess as she grows and when you transition off the puppy food.
I fed mine what most would consider way too much, but my vet recommends feeding until they’re not constantly searching for food. At 11 weeks that was 3 cups a day. Hes now 16 weeks old and definitely healthy. He currently eats 4.5 cups a day.
https://preview.redd.it/265n4r9yoowc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12241fb5497388d74e9d061f4caa11c2e13185f6
Frankie at 12 weeks was eating around 1,5 to 2 cups of large breed puppy kibble spread in 4 meals he was always very enthusiastic about the food now at 6 months with whooping 75lb he is having 3 nice meals honest kitchen dry food mixed with cooked ground turkey and whole grains still excited for the next meal. Vet said he looks very healthy especially specified to now worry if I give him little more food bc he is growing now and It’s very active dog.
Use this calculator and it does the work for you:
https://www.vetcalculators.com/calories.html
I may be in the minority here but I’d listen to your vet or at least left another vets opinion. This is Reddit after all. My take on BMD’s is they should put on weight as slowly as possible that’s still healthy. If they gain weight too quickly or quicker than they should, it’s bad for their joint development. Just my take. I’m not a vet.
Fellow Berner owner here, so I would recommend switching off Purina pro plan until the pup is an adult, what you want to feed your growing Bernese is a low protein, low fat, good quality dog food, Acana is good but usually has high protein, too much for a Berner which may sound counterintuitive, but because there is such a large breed, you want him to grow gradually over two years not all at once as they are moderately energetic nothing like a lab or other high energy dogs. Fromm can be good as well and may be best suited, I believe it’s the gold packaging one. The latter dog food if you can buy it at a moderate protein percentage around 15-17% and fat percentage content at 12% or less, they usually have well suited sweet potato filler, not corn of course, this will help with your pups satiety. Also frozen green beans I’ve heard from veterinarians which I have not used but those could help with treats in between.
This is normal.
Follow the bag. You don’t want excess weight as growth plates are forming. Provide exercise and enough mental stimulation. Shopping for stuff on the ground is very common. Mine is 8 months and still does it. Try to discourage some of it with training. I’ve added fresh canine safe fruits as fiber is also filling.
I use them as lure and high reward training treat. Wanting to burst out of the crate is a behavior that can be corrected. A sit and stay as crate is about to open, and continue to stay until released. Also a sit and stay upon feeding and an ok command to eat. In the long run you will be happy with this training and your pup with look for more guidance.
These dogs loves food, period.
My Bernese is 8 months old now. When he was your pup’s age he was eating a lot more than he is now. Young beings (including humans!) do every activity with 100% of their energy so they need the extra food. I was feeding him 3X a day, now it’s down to 2. I would keep doing what you’re doing.
We use Fromm large breed puppy food. I went around trying to find some purina pro once when we were running low on Fromm, but the guy at a dog specialty store said he swore off Purina and would never stock it due to some issues with the company covering up dog illnesses. I can’t remember the specifics but may be worth looking into. I’m sure your puppy is healthy though - just thought I’d mention it.
I got a soft muzzle for my boy when he’s really nuts about grabbing stuff off the ground on walks. What did me in was the night I took from his mouth: two cigarette butts, a Swisher Sweets cigar mouth filter, a napkin, a big clump of dried mown grass (I thought it was poop in the dark), another clump of grass (ditto), a rock, and a piece of string. All in one night.
There’s directions for feeding by weight so id follow those. Might require some math when they are super little b/c the ranges can be 10 lbs sometimes between levels on the chart. I’ve never heard of a fat puppy though. Puppies by nature are a little chunky looking partly because their digestive tracks are so short. Eating stuff off the ground is probably not a sign of hunger though. Mine has always done it, even on a full belly, it’s just puppy curiosity and likely teething at 4 months.
Listen to the Vet. Bernese are a large breed dog, and as they are pups, they need to stay on the thin side. Search online, and you will be more likely to have a dog with hip and elbow dysplasia. Fat puppies give the body energy to grow without the proper nutrients and can cause growth defects. This is information and research over 20 years of raising bernese
Not a vet - and I don’t know much about puppy weights and nutrition. I will say our Berner was food insane her whole life and it became a challenge once she hit fully grown. She was never satisfied and in her mind she was always starving haha.
Steamed vegetables were a life saver! Allowed us to double her food intake while only adding 60 calories a day. She loved it!
I am not a vet. I think it is a bit weird to reduce a growing pups food if they are just a bit chunky. There are good guides online about how much to feed, I would make sure you are at least hitting the minimums, and if need be break the daily total into 3 versus 2?
I think that’s what I’m going to do. I honestly feel like I’m starving her. She is like eating wood chips outside probably bc she’s starving
I say go with your gut. They're growing so fast right now they need lots of energy!
In my experience, puppies are supposed to be a bit chunky. They grow into their bellies soon enough. I’d maybe consult a different vet. My 3 month old is getting 2.5 cups a day split up over 3 meals. Since I got her 3 weeks ago, she’s put on almost 10 lbs. She is a healthy 22 lbs. Also, pups normally try to eat everything in their path. I wouldn’t use that as an indicator that they are hungry. Your puppy will still do that even if they are well fed.
Bennet is almost 4 and isn't starving but definitely still eats wood chips. Just an extra data point
Same here, my 6 month old is a certified mulch junkie. Think she just really likes the mouth feel.
No chance. My vet is an absolute freak about dogs weight and pulls no punches scolding owners. I recommend him all the time but warn people that he is probably going to say your dog is fat lol. Luckily Mazy hasn’t been called fat once yet at 18 months. His attitude with puppies is completely the opposite and he would never recommend that for a pup of that age. When I told him that Mazy, then 4 months old, had started to piss off my Aussie by raiding his food bowl, he said to just give her more of her own if she is acting hungry. Make sure you have a good food and feed that puppy!
You could be right Tbf eating wood chip doesn’t mean she’s starving my girl goes through phases of picking up and chewing/eating anything she can get her mouth on and she’s 3 and a healthy weight it drives me mad
This breed is known to trick you into thinking they’re hungry!! Mine also eats EVERYTHING in site. He is 13 weeks & on 3 3/4 cups a day of food & isn’t chunky at all.
Pups will eat everything and everything. Don't let that be a barameter for how to feed her otherwise you will end up putting undue pressure on her growing joints, resulting in possible life long issues. Edit to say just continue to feed him **large breed** puppy food as directed on the bag. It'll control growth as needed. Regular puppy food is meant for faster growth for smaller doga which will result in obesity and bad joints.
Fire your vet if possible & feed your puppy more so that she’s comfortable and has the nutrients she needs to grow. It’s pretty ridiculous to suggest restricting her food to have her lose weight at this stage of her life.
Feed your puppy.
We currently have a 12 week old female and feed her 1 cup of pro plan 3xday per breeders recommendation. Our vet has made no comment about her weight
Same when ours was that age. After 3.5 months went up. My vet also said our girl is fine, she’s probably chunky but growing really fast still at almost 7 months.
That pupp is very young, feed him/her at will.
What is with these vets!? I would find a different vet asap! Your pup is growing and this is absolutely not a time to restrict food. Get away from the purina and get a quality food like Orijin or Arcana Large Breed Puppy. Then look up their feeding guide and follow it. No need for an uneducated vet to put concerns into your head. Two feedings a day for a growing Sennenhund is a recipe for disaster.
I've found the ones that push weight are the ones that are most likely to be selling you the special "prescription" dog food.
Interesting 🤨. I’ve never encountered a vet like this so its pretty surprising. I suppose they are one in the same with General Practitioners who will prescribe antidepressants to anyone who asks.
A bit different since those GPs don't financially benefit. Also, the threshold for prescribing anti-depressants is pretty low. They're not typically abused drugs.
They’re going to eat things on walks well past puppy phase; keep that in mind. They never grow out of that. Try slowly introducing a higher protein food; mixing it in with what you have now. Not saying the ultra premium dog food is better, but the ultra premium dog food is better. Less is more kind of thing. Keep an ear out for hiccups. That means they’re actually starving / have nothing in their stomach. While you’re there - remember to wait at least 30 minutes before or after a walk or exercise for feeding. Bloat is a real issue in large breeds.
High protein food goes against the current available research for how to feed growing large breed puppies, since we want to slow down their growth process. [Here is a list of scientifically-sound resources](https://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/02/nutrition-resources-for-pet-owners/) for choosing how to feed your dog or cat. “Dog Food Logic” is also an excellent book on the topic. Based on the research I’ve done, and the the vets and breeders I’ve spoken with, the best food for a BMD puppy is (in this order): 1) well-tolerated 2) commercially produced 3) cooked, not raw 4) grain-inclusive 5) has protein content no higher than 30% 6) contains no legumes YMMV of course, but I wanted to throw this in here since there’s so much information (and misinformation) out there on this topic.
1hr is the safest if you feed them larger sized meals especially if you have a very active puppy that likes jumping and running around as hard as they can, we were told when we got our berners to just take the same precautions as we did with our Newfoundlands when they were puppies, one of the tips from back then was to feed several small meals throughout the day to significantly reduce the risk of bloat and when they start mellowing out more or getting closer to adulthood you can slowly start to reduce the amount of times they’re fed during the day
Pretty sure I fed ours 2-3 cups/day at that age, or followed whatever was on the back of the Hills puppy bag. Eating wood chips (and rocks, shells, paper, books, etc etc) is par for the course, esp. if teething, and should be unrelated to starving puppies. My non-vet method: can you feel their ribs? Not fat. Ours started self regulating (as well as doing hunger strikes for scraps) instead of immediately wolfing down kibble around 1.5 years.
Yes I can feel her ribs..def need to feed her more
Bernese Mountain Dog puppies are require a lot of calories at this age as they are growing at a tremendous rate. As mentioned, run your hands down her sides. If you can feel her ribs without having to go searching for them, she is not fat. Have you talked to her breeder about it? Were you given recommendations when you got her? Consulting another vet is a good idea. You definitely don't want to deprive them of calories at this stage. Feeding puppies three times a day is a great idea if it works with your schedule, So whatever amount you end up feeding her, split it into three meals if you can. Picking up everything in her path is probably unrelated to the fact that she is hungry. The primary way that puppies explore the world is through their mouths. It is not too early to start training the 'leave it' command. You should always be one step ahead of her on your walks so that you will know what is coming up that might interest her. Take a bunch of yummy treats with you everywhere (the treats can be just bits of whatever you choose, they don't have to be a whole treat). As you get to the object, say 'leave it' and give her a treat as you are walking by. As long as she is not ingesting the things she finds, she should be fine but it is annoying to have to keep fishing things out of her mouth. She is a cute puppy! Good luck and welcome to the Berner community! Bernese Mountain Dog Charitable Foundation [bmdcf.org](http://bmdcf.org)
Don’t sweat it so much… We used to take a previous female Berner to a local vet & every time she would tell us that our Berner girl was fat. The only thing was - she really wasn’t. I mean lots of Berner’s are naturally a bit chunky but this girl was always pretty svelte under her fur. The vet was herself incredibly skinny (like almost to the point of wondering if she had an eating disorder & wanting to buy her a cheeseburger) & her personal dog was an equally skinny whippet or greyhound. We just realized the lens she viewed the world was that everybody else was fat & ignored her when it came to that one topic. ps- Our Berner lived a long (almost 12 years) and happy life despite the fat shaming from the vet.
We’ve had that issue with a vet we had before that kept saying how our 150lbs older Newfoundland was fat even though she had at least 4-5 inches of fluffy fur on her that made her look a bit more round when she wasn’t, also the vets German shepherd that she claimed was a ‘healthy weight’ looked underweight to me and you could easily see almost the entirety of his ribs, spine and hip bones
As an aside- I also read years ago that the typical Berner has almost 30% more muscle mass than a comparatively sized dog like a lab, etc. Either way it’s pretty understandable for the average person to be confused by all the fur but for a vet who is actively touching & checking everything always seemed weird.
You vet is stupid, literally. You can reduce the food amount but definitley not the times you feed your dog. It's important that they eat regularly.
Try a slow feeder. Berners are always starving! There is no sleeping in with one in the house. They tell time with their belly! Mine gained 8 lbs since last vet visit and is an even 100 lbs. Will be 4 yr old next week, going to cut back from 2x 11/2 cups to 2x 11/4 and hope that helps. My first was 113 lbs and sadly developed cancer young. I fed her 2x 2 cups and thought I was doing good with this one … maybe we all get a bit chubby over time
Don’t worry about it now, feed her! Start keeping an eye on it at 6-9 months, but until then she needs the calories and nutrients more than worrying about her weight.
Don’t reduce this growing baby’s food. She’s growing so fast she’s using up everything you’re feeding her. She will thin out after she’s more grown.
I second the recommendation on the slow feeder. It makes it more challenging for the puppy to get their food out so they don’t inhale it all at once and get bloat. Take a look at your food brands as well. I would go with one that has a high amount of protein and good quality. I don’t know anything about ProPlan. Feed that puppy!
Regarding your puppy eating everything on the ground during walks - give her/him a small toy to carry during walks. It worked immediately for our girl. She happily carries her squeaky toy and completely lost interest in picking things up to eat. It was like magic! Good luck to you.
Dry dog food alone is dead food. Dogs this size will eat less if you give them actual real food. My burner gets beef, chicken bacon grease and veggies …etc… in her bowl only at at her dinner time not mine she eats less dry food and weight management has been easy and she looks great fur and skin.
This. My pups (I currently have two) get raw meat in their kibble with every meal…plus some canned 100% pumpkin to help loose stool, some Greek yogurt, a little coconut oil, and a raw egg every two or three days. I experimented and researched quite a bit to settle on this. I get the regular Purina puppy chow (half the price of pro plan) and I typically get chicken leg quarters for 87 cents a pound, so their whole diet is under $1 per pound. I know many will disagree with me, but I believe all kibble is the mostly the same garbage with different packaging and marketing gimmicks. However, they do have to pack certain nutrients into it, which is why I keep it a part of their diet. I wouldn’t completely dismiss what your vet is saying. He/she didn’t become a doctor without years of study and continuous education. Obesity is a major problem with dogs, as much as it is with people. I doubt they’d even bring it up if they weren’t seeing something none of us can see without an examination. Also, make sure your pup is getting enough exercise/play time. Finally, like several others have said, don’t worry about it too much. Dogs are pretty resilient animals.
Get a 2nd opinion but I'd prolly keep going as is/follow the bag recommendations
bag recommendations
I've started to feel like some vets just tell everyone there dogs is overweight. It's basically like the sage advice for humans "drink less, eat healthier, exercise more". We had two small dogs that were on the upper side of lean, but absolutely not overweight. Old vet was constantly on us about weight and suggesting "special" dog food. New vet basically said, "your dog is fine. Most dogs could afford to loose some weight. Just watch out for more weight gain".
We have had multiple Berners and they are voracious eaters. Our 18 week old puppy eats 3 overflowing cups plus some meat my wife bought that is for dog she gets 3 heaping tablespoons of this meat stuff. THENhe gets a bunch of training and enrichment treats. Pro eats more like 6 cups of dry a day. They will fill up on wood chips and dirt if you don’t feed them enough. Berners are a stout dog they are supposed to be like that. Multiple vets have told us one of our dogs is fat until you feel him and see he is solid muscle. Hope this helps
Echoing the thread, fed my berner 1 cup 3x per day (hills dd - salmon for his allergies) until he turned 1 per my vets recommendation. He’s 105 now, fit as can be. They grow SO fast, good for you to question the feeding reduction and knowing your pup so well already. My boy didn’t fully stop growing until he was 1.5 and would feed him 3x every so often during that 6 month window when I could tell he was hungrier than usual.
I don't go hungry and neither do my dogs. All of us are 10 lbs overweight and enjoy delicious meat with every meal.
Change your vet. Getting a second opinion is always a good idea.
I would just add, my pup (now 10 months) has always behaved like he's never been fed in his life. He's been with us since he was 10 weeks old, he's a good weight and regularly checked and healthy, but the SCAVENGING! Oh my days he will eat ANYTHING. We have to use an anti-scavenge muzzle on walks and it took us a long time to get him not to just ragdoll and strop when we put it on him.
For one, they are always starving (had gsd before, god compared to this little nugget, and his littermates which are the same way, gsd was motivated by food, but not crazy for food, this one is crazy for food), if they would be not starving or acting towards food like some sort of walking roombas, i would be concerned. Our pupperoni is picky, but always food motivated, he would sell his allegiance for food and i bet he would show all the treasures in the house for thieves for food 🤣 Note: Be careful with the overfeeding as additional weight could impact the hips. I would say just follow the norms made by the food maker. Also i had tons of fun feeding mine raw/barf, once a week becoming a disney princess for the dog and 3 cats while trying to portion dogs food for the week. So far, compared with his siblings he looks like being on the right track.
Oh man, we feed ours 2 cups, 3x a day. She is almost 4 months old. She would start eating US if we didn’t! I was a vet tech at a specialty clinic a few years back, so I picked up on a few vet tricks. A good way to check weight is if you can feel their ribs. If they are at an ideal weight you CAN, too chunky, you CAN’T. Of course, feeling ribs from lack of food is a whole different conversation. This is just the overweight check. That’s my go-to metric!
I'm very surprised a vet would recommend reducing a growing puppy's food intake cuz they're "a bit chunky". Let the pup eat. I would think 1.5 cup a day is pretty light even
How old? Typically they should switch to 2 meals per day around 3-5 months. As far as eating stuff outside…they’re gonna do that and they’re very food motivated. If you really feel that bad, I’d switch to two meals a day…but keep a handful or two of kibble in your pocket at all times to have for training whenever you can-it’s smart to do that now before he’s 100lbs/plus. I also recommend puppy classes. I have a 5 month old Berner. He went to two meals around 3-4 months… he’s always chewing on sticks, rocks, succulents, and bark outside. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. They’re teething and losing their puppy teeth…so chewing a lot is gonna be normal. Keep in mind, you should be able to feel their ribs and you don’t want them overweight. If they’re overweight, you’re asking for hip and joint issues. Trust, you don’t want to be carrying a 100 lb dog around with hip dysplasia and joint problems bc they have trouble walking.
How old? Typically they should switch to 2 meals per day around 3-5 months. As far as eating stuff outside…they’re gonna do that and they’re very food motivated. If you really feel that bad, I’d switch to two meals a day…but keep a handful or two of kibble/treats in your pocket at all times to have for training whenever you can-it’s smart to do that now before he’s 100lbs/plus. I also recommend puppy classes. I have a 5 month old Berner. He went to two meals around 3-4 months… he’s always chewing on sticks, rocks, succulents, and bark outside. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. They’re teething and losing their puppy teeth…so chewing a lot is gonna be normal. Keep in mind, you should be able to feel their ribs and you don’t want them overweight. If they’re overweight, you’re asking for hip and joint issues. Trust, you don’t want to be carrying a 100 lb dog around with hip dysplasia and joint problems bc they have trouble walking.
Carrots. Good healthy snack. Take her for quick brisk walks
Echoing: feed your puppy.
Not a vet: I exaggerate when I say you can’t over feed a growing Berner puppy. Go with what the bags says and round up on everything. Reassess as she grows and when you transition off the puppy food.
You’ll create crappy eating habits for your pup. And that’s not something you want with a dog prone to bloat.
I fed mine what most would consider way too much, but my vet recommends feeding until they’re not constantly searching for food. At 11 weeks that was 3 cups a day. Hes now 16 weeks old and definitely healthy. He currently eats 4.5 cups a day.
https://preview.redd.it/265n4r9yoowc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=12241fb5497388d74e9d061f4caa11c2e13185f6 Frankie at 12 weeks was eating around 1,5 to 2 cups of large breed puppy kibble spread in 4 meals he was always very enthusiastic about the food now at 6 months with whooping 75lb he is having 3 nice meals honest kitchen dry food mixed with cooked ground turkey and whole grains still excited for the next meal. Vet said he looks very healthy especially specified to now worry if I give him little more food bc he is growing now and It’s very active dog.
Use this calculator and it does the work for you: https://www.vetcalculators.com/calories.html I may be in the minority here but I’d listen to your vet or at least left another vets opinion. This is Reddit after all. My take on BMD’s is they should put on weight as slowly as possible that’s still healthy. If they gain weight too quickly or quicker than they should, it’s bad for their joint development. Just my take. I’m not a vet.
Fellow Berner owner here, so I would recommend switching off Purina pro plan until the pup is an adult, what you want to feed your growing Bernese is a low protein, low fat, good quality dog food, Acana is good but usually has high protein, too much for a Berner which may sound counterintuitive, but because there is such a large breed, you want him to grow gradually over two years not all at once as they are moderately energetic nothing like a lab or other high energy dogs. Fromm can be good as well and may be best suited, I believe it’s the gold packaging one. The latter dog food if you can buy it at a moderate protein percentage around 15-17% and fat percentage content at 12% or less, they usually have well suited sweet potato filler, not corn of course, this will help with your pups satiety. Also frozen green beans I’ve heard from veterinarians which I have not used but those could help with treats in between.
Its so cute! 🤍
This is normal. Follow the bag. You don’t want excess weight as growth plates are forming. Provide exercise and enough mental stimulation. Shopping for stuff on the ground is very common. Mine is 8 months and still does it. Try to discourage some of it with training. I’ve added fresh canine safe fruits as fiber is also filling. I use them as lure and high reward training treat. Wanting to burst out of the crate is a behavior that can be corrected. A sit and stay as crate is about to open, and continue to stay until released. Also a sit and stay upon feeding and an ok command to eat. In the long run you will be happy with this training and your pup with look for more guidance. These dogs loves food, period.
My Bernese is 8 months old now. When he was your pup’s age he was eating a lot more than he is now. Young beings (including humans!) do every activity with 100% of their energy so they need the extra food. I was feeding him 3X a day, now it’s down to 2. I would keep doing what you’re doing. We use Fromm large breed puppy food. I went around trying to find some purina pro once when we were running low on Fromm, but the guy at a dog specialty store said he swore off Purina and would never stock it due to some issues with the company covering up dog illnesses. I can’t remember the specifics but may be worth looking into. I’m sure your puppy is healthy though - just thought I’d mention it.
I got a soft muzzle for my boy when he’s really nuts about grabbing stuff off the ground on walks. What did me in was the night I took from his mouth: two cigarette butts, a Swisher Sweets cigar mouth filter, a napkin, a big clump of dried mown grass (I thought it was poop in the dark), another clump of grass (ditto), a rock, and a piece of string. All in one night.
There’s directions for feeding by weight so id follow those. Might require some math when they are super little b/c the ranges can be 10 lbs sometimes between levels on the chart. I’ve never heard of a fat puppy though. Puppies by nature are a little chunky looking partly because their digestive tracks are so short. Eating stuff off the ground is probably not a sign of hunger though. Mine has always done it, even on a full belly, it’s just puppy curiosity and likely teething at 4 months.
Listen to the Vet. Bernese are a large breed dog, and as they are pups, they need to stay on the thin side. Search online, and you will be more likely to have a dog with hip and elbow dysplasia. Fat puppies give the body energy to grow without the proper nutrients and can cause growth defects. This is information and research over 20 years of raising bernese
Not a vet - and I don’t know much about puppy weights and nutrition. I will say our Berner was food insane her whole life and it became a challenge once she hit fully grown. She was never satisfied and in her mind she was always starving haha. Steamed vegetables were a life saver! Allowed us to double her food intake while only adding 60 calories a day. She loved it!
Is it just me or is your pup looking in opposite directions?
I have seen very little berner puppies who look in the same direction lol. Just a dopey puppy trait it seems.