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Age and size of your Hav

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#1 ·
I was just wondering what the age and size of everyone's Hav's are. I know there is a wide range. My Einstein is 13.2 lbs and Watson is 16.4 and they just turned 3. I haven't been on here in a few months. Nice to see the new members.
 
#162 ·
Ginny is 16 months and weighs almost 18 pounds. Griffin is 19 weeks and weighs 7 pounds, 6 ounces. I hope Griffin ends up being a little smaller than Ginny...she can be hard to pick up! She is very tall and athletic, too. (I looked at her vet records from around 19 weeks and she was closer to 10 pounds, so likely Griff will be smaller. :))
 
#163 · (Edited)
Canela at 16 months weighs 10 pounds.

Vino at 4 months weighs 7 pounds and 14 ounces.

The vet thinks he's going to a little bit bigger then Canela. Canela at 17 wks weighed 4 lbs 5oz. His whole body feels so SOLID. Canela's legs and paws feel delicate and tiny compare to his solid legs (bones) and his paws, but I guess that's normal for a boy Hav.
 
#168 ·
Had to go to one of those kilos to pounds sites because we do kilos in the UK! Cuba was 3.3lbs when I got her at 12 weeks and has doubled in size to 6.6lbs at 6 months now. Does anyone know when they stop growing? Is it at the first season, as someone suggested to me? My memory of both my Cotons is that they went on growing for longer than up to reaching puberty. Cuba's parents are both larger than my Coton, Tycho, who weights 11lb....I guess you can go on the parents' size as some kind of a guide?
 
#169 ·
I think they level off at about a year, although Lucky (and the vet still says he is perfect in proportion etc.) at a year and a half just reached 23 pounds (added a pound). He was six pounds at 10 weeks when we brought him home. When it come to Havanese, good things come in small and large packages.
 
#171 ·
I have two rescues that we adopted just over five years ago. Jesse James weighs just over 12 pounds and is about 7 years old. His brother, Shadow, weighs just over 11 pounds and is also about 7 years old. No idea if they are true brothers but they came from the same Missouri mill. The mill owner dumped them on someone who wanted to buy a female and ended up with two intact males. HRI to the rescue. We are forever grateful to HRI and Carole and Cal, Shadow and Jesse's foster family. BTW, it is amazing what that one pound difference makes in how big the two dogs look. Jesse is taller and bigger boned than Shadow. Both look like 20+ pound dogs but get them wet and it becomes very clear how small they really are.
 
#173 ·
I will try to figure out how to get a photo up of them; we are not very good photographers but there are a few that might work. You wouldn't believe how different these little guys are from when we got them. Loved to be petted and Shadow, especially, likes to snuggle right next to me on the couch. At night he snuggles as close as he can get to my husband. Both of them get so excited when he comes home, Jesse can get on the back of the couch and jump up and down at the window then they run back and forth from the living room to the garage door barking and carrying on until he comes through the door. We are just so darned happy with them around, what a difference they have made in our lives. Our only issue is that they are still really afraid in the car; we use thunder shirts and that does help but doesn't entirely take away their fear. So we can't really travel with them the way we hoped but we really don't care. Rather stay home with them anyway. Shadow still has some crazy fears, has always had them and I think, always will but they are much more manageable. Nothing that would prevent anyone from loving and caring for him. He is our little character, so funny and loves to play. Jesse is more calm and he is very smart. Shadow sometimes is afraid of the dog door and he will stay outside in the rain; Jesse will come and get me when he thinks it is time Shadow came inside. They are very different personalities and both are delightful. I can't thank HRI enough for allowing us to adopt them.
 
#179 ·
Body Condition Scoring Chart

Guest post from Dr. Patrick Mahaney, VMD:
How can you tell if your pet is overweight or obese? I use body weight as a landmark, but focus on a pet's Body Condition Score (BCS) by referencing the Body Condition Scoring Chart created by the Nutritional Support Services at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The BCS scale ranges from one to five, with one being too thin and five being too fat. The ideal BCS is three. Pets having a BCS of four are considered Stout. Those grading as five are Obese.

Here's the full range of the BCS scale:

1 = Emaciated. Ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all body prominences evident from a distance. No discernible body fat. Obvious absence of muscle mass.

2 = Thin. Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones less prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.

3 = Moderate. Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side. This is the ideal body index score.

4 = Stout. General fleshy appearance. Ribs palpable with difficulty. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar spine and tail base. Abdominal tuck may be absent.

5 = Obese. Large fat deposits over chest, spine and tail base. Waist and abdominal tuck absent. Fat deposits on neck and limbs. Abdomen distended.

http://vet.osu.edu/vmc/body-condition-scoring-chart

http://www.petsafe.net/blog/2013/08/26/pet-obesity-the-1-nutritional-disease-in-pets/
 
#180 ·
Our Barney would definitely fit into the moderate category on the scale. He is a healthy weight for his size, but I would not want him to get any heavier, but he may still be growing.

His ribs are very easily felt just under his skin, but are not sticking out, not that we would notice with all that fur!

Our vet was very pleased with his condition and weight although it was noted he is a large male Havvy compared to others he had seen.
 
#181 ·
Our Barney would definitely fit into the moderate category on the scale. He is a healthy weight for his size, but I would not want him to get any heavier, but he may still be growing.

His ribs are very easily felt just under his skin, but are not sticking out, not that we would notice with all that fur!
This is a very important point! There is NO WAY of knowing a Havanese's body condition without putting your hands on them. That coat can make a painfully thin dog with a very profuse coat look "chubbier" than an obese dog with less coat. You HAVE to learn to assess your dog's condition by feeling them. Then, once they are full grown, and you know they are in good condition, you can weigh them and use that as a guide. But I still think hands-on is better.
 
#185 ·
Wow, I did not know a Havanese could weight in at 18 lbs. Django's fighting weight use to be 10 lbs but after his Addisons diagnosis and thanks to the wonder drug prednisone, he had gained 2 pounds. I am happy to report however, through a slow diet, he has managed to loose 1.4 pounds and has an amazing spring in his step now. So on a good day, he's 10.9
 
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