Has anyone ever had the runt of the litter (shar pei)? I'm just wondering on any hints or tips on how to ensure he grows as big as he can.
He's gorgeous! How old is he? Both Georgina and my previous Pei were about 5 kg at 8/9 weeks old. Georgina is now 3 years old and slightly under 18 inches tall and weighs 17 kg/ M'boi also a girl was 16 inches tall and weighed about 15kg. Pei have a wide variation of sizes and weights but so long as they're happy and healthy it's all that really matters I see you're from Chesterfield. One of the best Shar-Pei vets is Chris Mann at Chapel House Vets in Chesterfield.
Me and my partner think he's gorgeous too! He's not home yet. He's 5 weeks 3 days today. We're any of your pei's the runt of the litter?? Thanks for the reply
He is adorable! So young yet to call him a runt. I am sure that once he is home with you he will develop wonderfully. What do you plan on feeding him?
That's very reassuring. We are planning on giving him Dr John's complete puppy mix and puppy milk to help him bulk up a little bit.
Barbara @Pork1epe1 is the Pei expert here, so any queries/problems she will be the person who knows the answers. I know nothing about Peis except that I think they are adorable. But having bottle-fed and then weaned my mini monster [been there, done that years ago from newborns] I have my own ideas about weaning. With Tikva I weaned her onto human baby food until she could cope with regular food, and although I never push it on anyone, I am a raw feeder
What's he been fed on at the breeders? Dr Johns is not a particularly good quality food and assuming you bring him home at around 8 weeks, puppy milk is necessary, hell have been fully weaned for a while.
Congratulations on your new puppy, have you chosen a name yet? I would continue to feed whatever he has been having whilst with his breeder until he has completely settled with you. Changing homes is enough of a challenge for a puppy without changing his food too. In the mean time you could start looking out for a quality puppy food, which you could gradually start to change over to. Do not be tempted to overfeed him because he is small, you want him to be well filled, but not fat. I'm sure Barbara will have some suggestions for you.
Depends on your budget and what you are comfortable feeding really Mine eat a selection of everything lol... as a general rule I avoid vague ingredients lists (things like cereals, meat & animal derivatives, derivatives of vegetable origin etc) and prefer to feed things that have a named meat as the first ingredient, and specifics rather than just general terms. It's a good idea to stick with what the breeder feeds for at least a little while then swap over to whatever gradually, just so not everything is changing at once for him. Leaving everything he knows and going to a completely new environment is going to be stressful enough without worrying about tummy upset.
Thank you Carole! Great advice. His name is Chester and is due home on or just after the 6th of Oct depending on when the breeder can get him to the vets for his injections. I'm so excited!!
Thank you blue Jay. Are there any brands you would suggest for when we change him over once he's settled?
Barbara Are there any specific brands of complete puppy food you could recommend after he's settled in with me and my partner? I've been advised not to change it for a while. I've been told by quite a few members that you are the person to speak to in regards to shar pei
Wet or dry? Mine have had, to name a few... (ready? ) Wainwrights (standard and grain free), Fishmongers Finest, Fish4Dogs, Radiance, Autarky, Wellness, Lukullus, Wolf of Wilderness, Taste of the Wild, Evolution Naturally, Purizon, Acana, Laughing Dog, Barking Heads, Platinum, Alpha Spirit, Guru, Lily's Kitchen - all dry
Okie doke. That's a lot to consider lol! I'll see what my local pet suppliers has and what they can order in for us. Thanks for your suggestions
Generally dogs are like people, they grow to what there genetics say they will be. There is no making a dog bigger only fatter. Just keep him at a healthy weight and a good diet, so he lives a good life. Great looking pup.
@Karen87 BTW. My daughter weighed 4lb 12oz when born, full term. At a year old she was still in baby sized clothes, but as an adult she is about 5 ft 2in and is, hmm, perhaps a little overweight. I used to breed Toydogs, and was always amazed by the tendency of some of the smaller ones to have a late growth spurt and become leggy. As LMost says, keeping the right weight to develop lean muscle is the important thing, size, (as in height), will be predetermined by his genetics. I hope you will post some photos when he comes.
@Karen87 - if you have a question for Barbara - or anyone - type @ and then their user name. For Barbara, start your message @Pork1epe1 [it will show up in red when posted] so as soon as she logs on she will see an Alert that there is a message for her. Your puppy is so adorable - I bet you are counting down the days until you can bring him home!
Hi Karen I'm sorry I haven't answered before but my computer was offline from Sunday evening until this afternoon. From 8/9 weeks onwards because they're a rapidly growing breed, Pei puppies should always be fed an adult food. And because they're prone to yeast infections it's important to feed a good quality grain free. I feed both my dogs mainly on a "home cooked" diet, but they're also given kibble and canned wet food. My preference for kibble is Acana grain free and for wet food Brit or Belcando Single Protein, both of which are 100% meat. They also get Grancarno but only the ones that don't contain cereal. Puppy milk isn't necessary but if your planning to feed kibble only you could try adding a little goat's milk or goats or cottage cheese. Mine always have blob of plain yoghourt or kefir on top of their evening meal as both are good probiotics which help to keep yeast infections at bay. As has already been said if you're planning to change his food do it gradually to avoid an upset tummy. If however he does get loose poos then feed him a bland diet of boiled chicken mixed with some mashed cooked pumpkin ... Butternut squash is very good. Hope that helps but if you have any more questions please ask.
