A healthy weight?

I wasn't sure where to post this... since photos are involved, I opted for the Picture forum.

I have had a few people hint that Norm is "too heavy" - they don't think he's "too heavy" until they hear exactly how much he weighs. At 7 months and 1 week old he is 121 lbs/55 kg and 30 inches/76 cm at the shoulder. From what I can tell he is average weight and height. I know it's hard to tell from photos, but do you think he looks like a healthy weight? He has a lot of loose skin, good bone, and I can feel his ribs, though they aren't visible.

These photos were taken this morning



I figure 40 lbs can be credited to his big ol' head



This doesn't show his physique, but I wanted to share it any way

hi shel,

i dont think norm looks over weight he looks healthy and strong and is a stunner.
because of the probs my big man has with his tummy due to his first ever owners mistreating him when we got him last summer he weighed in at 8 stone and id say hes only bout 10 stone now and hes four years old this year.
i do joke and say i have a bulimic st.bernard.

sashasmom

Aww i just love norm to bits and he looks fine to me he certainly doesnt look over weight and they say if you can still feel the ribs then thats good


Lorri x

ignore them

mine range from 45kilos to 75kilos and all are healthy!!!

i really dont tend to go by weight but rather by looks!!!

i think he looks great

i must admit i really really HATE over weight dogs i think it should be classed as abuse !!!! its really not good for the dogs and think the owners should be delt with properly!!!

to me he looks just lovely!!!! as he gets older he isnt losing his stunning looks but is getting better

cheri xxxx

Norm looks just about right to me.

Dennis from our D litter, at 8 months is just over 31" & over 60kg, for his height he could probably carry another couple of kilos but we tend to try & keep them leaner as youngsters.

Looks can be deceptive though, Toby can look like he is carrying an extra kg until you put your hands on him & he is just right.. Thats the good (& bad) thing with smooths at least you can see!!

sashasmom wrote:

hi shel,

i dont think norm looks over weight he looks healthy and strong and is a stunner.

Thank you... I think he's pretty handsome myself, but I'm biased

lorri wrote:

Aww i just love norm to bits and he looks fine to me he certainly doesnt look over weight and they say if you can still feel the ribs then thats good


Lorri x

Thanks Lorri.

ourfairview wrote:

ignore them

mine range from 45kilos to 75kilos and all are healthy!!!

i really dont tend to go by weight but rather by looks!!!

i think he looks great

i must admit i really really HATE over weight dogs i think it should be classed as abuse !!!! its really not good for the dogs and think the owners should be delt with properly!!!

to me he looks just lovely!!!! as he gets older he isnt losing his stunning looks but is getting better

cheri xxxx

Like you, I think it is criminal to let a dog get obese. I am bit of a nut when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight on my dogs (I wish I could do the same for myself). I weigh all my pups weekly until they are 12 months of age, then monthly until 2 years old, then twice a year after that. I have to admit that Norm is much larger/heavier than I expected for a 7 month old pup, but he's my first Saint, so I really don't have any comparisons. Norm's dam is 65 kg and his sire is 90 kg, both are a healthy weight for their frames - so I guess Norm will end up in that range.

Mawreddog wrote:

Norm looks just about right to me.

Dennis from our D litter, at 8 months is just over 31" & over 60kg, for his height he could probably carry another couple of kilos but we tend to try & keep them leaner as youngsters.

Looks can be deceptive though, Toby can look like he is carrying an extra kg until you put your hands on him & he is just right.. Thats the good (& bad) thing with smooths at least you can see!!

Thank you for sharing Dennis' weight and height. If Norm keeps growing the way he is, he'll be about the same size as Dennis at 8 months of age. I have Newfs, so I'm use to relying upon my hands to determine a healthy weight - and if I do the same with Norm, he feels a good weight - not too skinny, not too meaty.

I spent the afternoon visiting your website. You have gorgeous dogs. Norm's sire is a mix of Scandia and Van Rijn. Odin was such a stunning boy... I am sorry for your loss. I will be back to visit your website often.

Welcome

I have to say I was surprised at how tall Dennis is when I saw him!! - he has been run on with a friend of mine. He should be fab once he's finished growing up & out.. the mind boggles how much taller he may get though!!

Odin was a fabulous boy bless him. 2 lovely litters from frozen semen were born within a week or so of each other so we will have 2 Odin daughters with us towards the end of the year & I have his grandson Toby here so we are lucky in that respect

He's Gorgeous Shel .

To me he is not too heavy, he looks to be a really good weight
He looks a very handsome boy with a very beautiful head!

Will you be showing him?

Saint wrote:

He's Gorgeous Shel .

To me he is not too heavy, he looks to be a really good weight
He looks a very handsome boy with a very beautiful head!

Will you be showing him?

Thank you for your kind words. I think Norm has a nice head too... I often wonder what he'll look like as an adult. No, I won't be showing him... our location and current family responsibilites do not make it possible.

I am sure he will be a very handsome Adult

We wish you all the best with your handsome boy

he looks good to me, some dogs can look fat, and yet be within recommended range, it all depends on how the dog is made up, Phoenix is 180lb, he dropped 10lb since he was last weighed in july 09. he looks good, but is heavier than his dad who stands taller, so you'd expect Indi to look thin, yt he doesn't, so as i said , go by look and feel, and trust your instincts. every dog is different just like us .

I think he looks perfect! He is so adorable!

Thank you... this is such a nice group of Saint folks.

Herewith a good 'norm' to work with: (sorry this is in Kg's as we work in Kg's in SA, but it translates to 1kg = 2.2pd

St Bernard Weight chart
Weeks Weight (D) Weight (B)
1 0.7 0.7
2 1.35 1.35
3 1.86 1.86
4 2.77 2.72
5 4.04 3.9
6 5.22 5.03
7 6.67 6.35
8 8.07 7.71
9 10.25 9.84 In bitches full height usually reached at 15 months
10 12.2 11.75 Males reach full heigh between 18-20 months
11 13.61 13.15
12 15.69 15.15 Standard mimimum height for bitches is around 65cm and males 70cm
13 18.14 17.6
14 19.55 19.05 Rule of thumb: 0.9kg per cm of height for bitches
15 20.77 19.96 : 1kg per cm of height in males
16 22.23 21.32
17 24.49 23.41
18 27.67 26.31
19 29.94 28.8
20 31.3 29.71
21 32.66 31.18
22 34.47 32.93
23 36.51 34.47
24 37.87 35.83
25 39.92 37.87
6MTHS 41.28 39.24
7MTHS 45.81 43.77
8MTHS 47.63 45.81
9MTHS 52.16 50.58
10MTHS 54.43 51.03
11MTHS 55.79 53.3
12MTHS 58.51 53.98
18MTHS 70.31 55.56
24MTHS 71.67 56.7
30MTHS 72.57 57.15
3YRS 72.57 60.78
3.5 YRS 74.84 61.23
4YRS 77.11 61.23
4.5 YRS 79.83 62.37
5 Yrs 83.46 63.05

Oops, I only see now that the . after the weeks didn't copy. But anyway, each line represents a new week. Thus from week 1.