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Archived Message

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Linda/Noah

I have been reading the messages for some time now. I want to thank all of you for the great info. I have two questions. I have seen older maltese and they all seem to be over weight, is this a common problem or are these dogs just being over fed? These dogs look like barrels with legs. I think it takes away from the breed. My little Noah is six months old and the best thing that ever happened to our family. I understand (from reading the messages here) that around 8-9 months puppy hair changes. Can someone describe the changes?

DISCUSSION:

Well, all I can say is that my mother's maltese gained a lot of weight the second -third year, because of them feeding him too much and some people food too. I think people find it hard to resist the cute little face begging for food. Now our dog, who will be two October 1st, has not gained any weight since he was 8 months old. Still 5 lbs. We are firm about only feeding him dog food, dry, and a few treats. The hair change was not real evident in our dog, but we keep him clipped, somewhat. Take Care, Patti
-Patti

Maltese get fat for the same reason people get fat, too much food, not enough exercise. And it's very bad for them, it can cause a lot of health problems. You're doing the right thing, keep it up. As for the coat - some Maltese coats differ but in general the puppy coat is very soft, flufy and fine, it may matt easily and be hard to groom. Around 1 year old the coat should seem silkier and shinier, more manageable. Also any lemon or tan markings could disappear. If your pup has the cotton coat you may not notice a difference. Good luck.
-Carol Abey