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How big should an 8 month old purebred Border Collie female be?


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Skye is my almost 8 month old purebred Border Collie female. She was the runt of her litter, and at 8 months old I would guess she weighs 25 lbs at the most if that! Her mom is around 40 lbs and her dad is around 50+ lbs I would guess. At 8 months old, how big should she be by now? She's still super tiny, and everyone thinks she's a mini Border Collie. She also had coccidia when i got her, and the vet who treated her overdosed her on antibiotics and severely damaged her gut wall. now her gut wall is healed and she's on two probiotic suppements. Could this health issue earlier in life possibly stunted her growth?

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Welcome!

 

Sure, problems like those that affect nutrition and other aspects of health can slow growth down but if it is not too severe, many animals will have compensatory gain (or making up some growth but likely not all in the later stages of active growth).

 

In addition, in spite of the size of her parents, she could simply be a small girl. Working-bred Border Collies don't have a "standard" in terms of physical attributes - other than that they are healthy and sound - so that there is a great deal of variation in the dogs. My Dan weighs in at a long, lean, and lanky 52# and his mini-me littermate sister was a tiny thing (but with a very big presence).

 

Also, many of these dogs mature fairly late and she may continue to grow until 12-15 months of age, when her long bones will finally stop growing.

 

I had a dog like your pup, who came to me at 12 weeks of age with giardia and hookworm, and also a genetic deficiency (he could not absorb Vitamin B12 sufficiently). He was very small and always thin, but that didn't stop him from being a great dog. I'm glad you are working with a vet because I think you can make the most of your dog's potential by taking into account the damage she has experienced and compensating for it with care in her diet.

 

Very best wishes!

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No comment on the stunted growth, but my perfectly healthy 8 month old girl is between 22-25 lbs. I wouldn't be concerned just based on weight. Her parents weren't as small as she is, Border Collie size can really vary.

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