My maltese is fat?

i have a maltese and when i bought him they said he was pure bread. Arent pure bread maltese only about 7 or 8 pounds? my maltese is almost 11 pounds? is he not purebred? why is he so big? we feed him his regular food, and sometimes he eats a little chips and stuff but not that much/.. is this normal?

do you have any pics? how does his body feel? does it feel solid?(can you feel his ribs,hip bones,etc..)sometimes you can get dogs that weigh more than whats expected but depending on how much you feed him he may be overweight.my mother in laws maltese is 14 pounds!! i have told her her dog needs a diet but she refuses to listen. if your dog is overweight you should put him on a diet (even cut back his food rather than change it) because it could cause him alot of problems. he could get to the point where he could have heart trouble, breathing problems...etc. you should take him to the vet to make sure it is weight issues though because s i said some dogs weigh more than average and some weigh less.your vet can tell you for sure if he needs a diet. hope this helps!

try feeding him something like sience diet its alot better for him and it will help him to maintain a healthy weight and read the back of the bag to find out how much a dog his size should be eating. try to get him on a scedual maybe feed him just once a day. he may just like to eat:) good luck

If breeders don't breed to the standard set out by their breed club, you often get dogs bigger or smaller than they should be. Doesn't mean that they aren't purebred, just means when it comes to the standard, they are tall.. When it came to the conformation ring, they would be judged accordingly.

If you are really worried about your dog being fat i would take it to the vet who will advise you either way. If so they will also advise you on how to put your dog on a diet and the right way to go about it..

Well, if your dog is made out of bread, that is a normal weight.

If, however, you meant purebred, then I would suggest consulting a vet, and giving your dog more exercise.

Good luck.

put it on a hollistic food diet ex eagle pack dog food and other hollistic foods. my dog eats it and he has kept off the weight and his fur is very beautiful, check out a pic

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee216...

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee216...

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee216...

No one can tell you your dog's weight to an exact poundage like that, as all dogs are not build equal. Just like, you can't tell exactly what a human's weight will be. It depends on structure, muscle tone, height, etc. Before deciding your dog is "fat", then run your hands down her side and see if you can feel her ribs. If you can feel the indentions between the ribs, but they are not CAVERNS, then, she's a perfect weight for her size. If you can't feel the indentions, or even the ribs, then your dog is fat. Your vet can also give you an assessment of her weight. (Although vets allow a little more weight than I like on my dogs.)

If she is fat, then look at her food- if it has a high protein count, then lower it. Also, make sure you are feeding a high quality food- many cheap foods are full of fillers and just raw calories that are good for nothing.