A rather large Maltese

Click here to visit the most complete Maltese site on the WWW

Please bear in mind when reading topics pertaining to health issues, that most of these questions were answered by helpful Maltese owners with no formal education in veterinary medicine. When in doubt seek a professionals advise.

Archived Message

A rather large Maltese
by Megan Ritchie

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
A rather large Maltese... Our Maltese is 4 yrs old, he's registered with the AKC but...he's rather large for a Maltese. (25 lbs, to be exact.) He's incredibly healthy, but my vet suggested we put him on a diet. After doing this, he went down to 23 lbs, but it still goes up and down periodically. Then our vet suggested that he might not even be a Maltese but a Bichon Frise. I doubt this as he has all the characteristics of a maltese (except for being between 4-6 lbs.) Does any one else have a Maltese quite this large, or should I take my mother's advice and call up the Guiness Book of World Records? :)

DISCUSSION:

Wow! I thought Carty was huge at 14 lb! (Actually we just came from the vet and the Nutro lite is working; he's down to 13 lb! ) I keep thinking he's got some bichon mix in him (I rescued him and his "parents" got him at Dr. Pet or someplace, so I assume a puppy mill mom and dad). My vet, though, assures me that he is 100% maltese. Go figure! I think maybe you SHOULD try for the record books!
cathy brown

Hi, I just wanted to let you know that i have a large maltese as well. His name is Rocky and he's 15 pounds, the vet sayshe's healthy and not overweight, he's just big. I also have Cosmo whose normal size, 9 pounds and they came from the same breeder. But i would look into the largest size Maltese, 25pounds seem like it could be a record! All the best Haze
Hazel

One of my Maltese Gizmo is 10 lbs, I have heard of Maltese up to about 20 lbs. I wonder if anyone can top 25 lbs, wow.
Kathy S.

25 lbs! Wow!!!!! I've been so nervous about my Bailey hitting the 10lb mark!!!! I thought there must be something not quite right! But I guess he is fine...25lbs is really big! I would love to see a picture of your little (or big) guy!!!! :) And as far as the book of records....go for it! Cathy Brown~ I'm so glad that Carty likes the Nutro!!!!! I think its an excellent choice as it has no fillers or bi-products... Bailey and Natasha love it too. I'm thinking of switching Bailey over to the "diet" mixture myself. The vet thinks he's just fine but could maybe lose 1 lb.... He's only 14 months old though...so I'm not sure if I should do that....Any thoughts?? BTW...Natasha is only 4.1 lbs and 5 months old....Let's hope she stays within standard!!!! :)
Carla

Hey there!My maltese is 19 lbs. I call him my portly pup. Some do remark that he's a little chunk, but I know that he is quite healthy. He is on a low fat food, and I make sure to get is heart rate up frequently with exercise. Don't be alarmed, just make sure your dog is healthy. I get a litte alarmed hearing about a full grown Maltese whose weight is only 4 lbs! Every dog is different I guess...BYE BYE.
kathleen

So you want to see a picture of my record breaking Maltese? Well go to my pictures page and see a few pictures of him. The first pic is of him when he was a little puppy, about 4 months old. The second picture (the one in front of the snowbank) is him, at 25 lbs. You can't really see him very well, but hopefully I'll put a better quality picture of him up soon...

Believe it or not, he's really quite healthy, and he gets out fairly often during the winter, and spends all his time outside in the summer.
Megan Ritchie

Megan: My Gracie is 11 pounds with georgous white silky hair. I don't care how big she is as long as she is healthy. Good Luck with your girl.
Renee

Meagan, Your pup is beautiful. Your right I couldn't see him too well in the picture with all the snow (ugh--snow!) But he doesn't really look all that large! Best wishes with your baby.
Carla

When Mika was 6 months old she weighed 6 lbs. I though I was in for a big girl but now at 13 months she weighs 6 1/2 lbs. Is 6 months average time for then to stop growing?.
Jackie Florio

Well, I guess it is time to "confess"

. My Theo is 15 pounds! He has been on a diet: he was 19 pounds when I was uneducated about the damage of too many treats. We switched to carrot sticks and his lowest weight was 14.7, I think. His ribs are alpable now, but I still worry when I think he waddles. But, we do lots of walks and he is healthy. My Toby is 7.6 Cuddles' 6.1: short but stout! Enjoy your little fur ball...I just say that Theo is my MEGA-size Maltese!
Beverly

If you dog is registered with AKC how can you think there is Bischon blood in your dog, I think perhaps he's just a large Maltese, orginally they weighed 30 to 40 lbs., then were bred down to the size that is considered for AKC specifications, not to worry, just love the pet you have no matter how small or large.
Dottie

Dottie, please don't make the mistake of thinking that just because a dog is AKC registered as a certain breed that it is actually purebred. The truth is that there are plenty of mixed breeds registered as purebreds with the AKC and other registries as well. The AKC is merely a registry. They will tell you that themselves. Their records as to the lineage of a dog are only as reliable as ALL the breeders in the pedigree. Its a fact that many "Petstore Maltese" are in reality Bichon/Maltese, with more and more dishonest "suppliers" getting on the bandwagon everyday now that bigger litters can be obtained this way. AKC papers is in no way a guarantee of quality, good or bad. It has gotten to be just a matter of formality for most. It started out as a great idea. There is talk of the AKC to incorporate DNA into their registry program soon-if they do it correctly this would be an excellent way to help cutdown on the fraud.
Jay

Dottie, The AKC does not come to check your home when you apply for papers for your litter of AKC pups. They ask you to supply the restistration numbers of the dam and sire and have you sign your name. Its too easy to cheat. I hope they do start using DNA. I'm tired of hearing people claim their 20 lb curly hair "Maltese" that they bought through a breeder in Georgia or some other state (I live in Wisconsin) is just different than other Maltese. Its clear that in many cases, these are just mixes or Maltese that should not be bred.
Devonne

I am considering purchasing a Maltese from a local lady that rescued him from the pound. She told me that he weighs 15-20 lbs. (?) After reading some comments on this topic, maybe that is not that unusual. I have not met him yet but I am sort of worried about this weight. I also have a Yorkie that was rescued. We want the Maltese for a "play-mate"... Please advice.
Kim Wade

Kim, while I think that weight is too large for a Maltese and would definitely wonder about the purity of his lineage - you obviously have a good heart in wanting a rescue dog instead of purchasing a puppy from a breeder & I would think that in this instance you should focus more on the personality of the dog itself rather than size. Sometimes size is a definite factor with what we can or cannot handle personally, and it is a very personal issue, only you can answer this question. You didn't say how big your Yorkie is.

Good luck to you & I'm sorry I couldn't be more help.
Leslie R

Megan, that is very large for a Maltese, as large as I have ever heard, I have three Maltese, one is six years old and named Cassie, she and another Maltese we had named Chunky had a puppy, by mistake, His name is Corky, he weighs 12 pounds. That may not seem strange but Cassie weighed 5.9 lbs, and Chunky weighed 6.2 lbs, we were amazed, we now have another little one from Chunky and Cassie, 3yrs later and another mistake, her name is Cammie and at 14 months old she weighs just under 5 lbs, go figure. Our little chunky is no longer with us and we will see him at rainbow bridge but don't worry to much about size, if you love your little,big one that is all that matters, He is deffinitely not show quality, but sounds deffinitely like pet quality. My little Corky is my favorite and my wife calls him horse, but I love him most, He can't be shown either, but I don't care.
Charlie Kinnard

Hi, I have enjoyed reading all the previous comments about the larger Maltese. My Cody (a male) is almost five years old and he weighs between 13 and 14 lbs. My vet doesn't seem concerned about his weight. He is healthy, loveable, and enjoys playing. His mother and father are both small. In fact, he was the smallest in his litter when he was born. His mother has had a litter since he was born and I was told he had a brother that weighed 5 lbs. I met a family just the other day who had a 6 year old Maltease that was tiny. But, we do love our "larger" baby.
Linda