Will under feeding puppy stunt growth?

Noxide

I was concerned with my bully when he was younger that he may not get very big. When I had my bully in dog training classes, I was told he was getting too fat. He was only 3 months old are so at the time. So we backed off on his food going with her advice. So throughout his life hes always had 3 cups of TOTW daily, plus every so often we would make the meat ball recipe I got from you guys.

At 5 months old he was about 15" tall and 25lbs. Hes now 13 months old, 18" tall and 46lbs. He's definetly much smaller than I thought he would be. I've been feeling guilty that maybe it was my fault because I possibly underfed him?

What do you guys think?

Recent photo of my boy

 

 

Boyda

I feed my dogs way more then three cups a days, EBT's are an active breed and need the extra calories to help fuel all their play. I wouldn't listen to any trainer or vet who tells you that your dog is fat, others will chime in here with their same experiences in this area. Bull Terriers are the one breed that doesn't have a very specific height/weight standard. The only way you would know for sure about what weight/height he would be would be from both his dam/sire. If they are in the same weight/height as he is, then that's about it. He looks like he is in good shape, a little more terrier type would also be a factor in his weight. But to answer your original question, most definitely under feeding a dog will stunt their growth. I have worked with a foster who didn't feed her rescue puppy correctly and the pup did have growth issues.

philsergeant

He looks about as perfect as a Bullie could possibly be!!... Definitely a mustard case.

Noxide

Thanks, but I'm not really sure what a mustard case is! LOL

We love him to the moon and back. He is entertainment alllll day long, love love love him!

Once he gets a little older we definitely want to add another to the family.

I was just really hoping he would have been a bit bigger. Its depressing to think I could possibly be the one to blame, but he was also the runt of the mix too.

Regardless of his height/weight, we love him and wouldnt ask for a better dog. I just want him to live a long healthy life!

Thanks

BulliesofNC

As many members of this forum will contest, there have been several people remark about their trainer or Veterinarian telling them their Bull Terrier is overweight when they're in their puppy stages or early youth. I've never seen an overweight BT that was under 12 months old. I'm not sure it's even possible due to their natural growth and energy level. You could over feed a BT while they're between the ages of 3-12 months and they'll either eat it all and poop a lot or become finicky with their food and leave plenty of left overs instead of finishing their food.
In the event you kept your bull terrier at 3 cups per day it may have been skimping on the volume he should have been receiving (at least 4 cups per day) but it would not have stunted his growth especially if you were providing him a good quality food. To be honest I'd rather know you were feeding him 3 cups of a good quality food than 5 cups of junk food.
No, his growth hasn't been stunted and he's still very young. At 13 months he has probably reached his final height but he is still filling out and developing mass. His final structure and development is best to be judged at 24 - 30 months. He has plenty of developing to do and now is a great time to put mass on him by concentrating on his diet and exercise. he's a good looking Bullie. In the photos he appears to have an underbite but it just may be the black lower lip creating an illusion. Even if he does it adds to a nice thick muzzle which suits him well.
Attached below is a recipe I recommend you try. Provide him one raw Meat Ball a day in conjunction with his normal diet. Feed him twice a day with each portion being 2 cups of a quality grain free food mixed with 1/2 can of a good canned food. During his evening meal provide it with the Raw Meat ball. Give it to him daily and after 30 days if he hasn't gained from 4-6 pounds of mass come back on this forum and tell everyone Steve lied to you. I promise you'll see a noticeable difference.

Noxide

Lol Steve, you're too funny. I really appreciate the information, and I feel a bit hopeful now we can get him to at least 50lbs. And yes, you're correct he has a heck of an under-bite!

Thanks alot! I will keep you updated

philsergeant

On this forum it has become form to express the "yumminess" of EBTs ( otherwise known as hot dogs) by "getting out the mustard" .... So when we want to express that we are impressed with a particular dog it's our way of saying we could eat them all up!

Quinnofhearts

If it makes you feel any better, my female bull terrier is 2 years old and is only about 18-19 inches tall and the heaviest she ever weighed was 41 pounds. She's always been short and lean, never been a stocky "bull" type. I always wondered whether I fed her incorrectly because I never gave her "puppy chow." I started her on Taste of the Wild. However, she also contracted giardia at 7 months and broke her leg at 10 months, so we had some other things to contend with... I'm not sure if any of this affected her size, but her mom is 50 pounds, dad is 60, sister from another litter is 60+ and sister from the same litter is 50. They just come in all shapes and sizes!

Soapskid

With Spud I was told only 45 lbs max since his mom was around 40 and dad never topped 50 but what I didn't factor in was the diet the couple I got him from he was on which was puppy chow. I immediately changed diets after a week (10 weeks) to Blue Buffalo then TOTW then eventually settling for 50/50 raw and kibble diet at 8 months.

He's now right under 50 lbs at 11 months and 18 inches tall. He's skinny tho as you can see it and he's very active. I have a feeling he may top out more with the diet but that isn't my concern. My only concern is he just be a bully and no get hurt - as you mentioned I've gone through lots of other issues than diet with Spud, but I think all of us here have.

Anyways, your pup is handsome. Keep feeding him based on what you think is best but also gauge him if he's hungry. Spud will sit by his bowl and lick his lips at times if I'm not feeding him enough.

Noxide

Henry is loving his new diet. Hes getting 2x a time, 2 cups of TOTW w/ half can of Blue buffalo wilderness. Then hes getting the meat ball as a snack.

Hes nice and full and obviously a happy camper.

BUT! Boy oh boy does he have some smelly gas!! Im assuming its just because of the change in diet, its been happening for a couple days now hopefully it will go away soon. Any tips on the gas?

BulliesofNC

LMAO, yes the gas will come with any new diet especially raw meats. As his digestive system gets used to his diet the green clouds will dissipate. Give it some time and not only will the gas go away but you'll see some weight gains so weigh him now and then again later.