11 months - Adult? Enough Food? Drinking from dog park pounds and lakes...

Alright, I'm gonna try and make this short as i have a tenancy to ramble...

My pup was born on May 12th, 2009, he's 11 months today and weighs 30 pounds (last time i weighed him... within the month maybe). He eats 2 meals a day, 1 meal consisting of 2/3 cups of Orijin dry kibble and 1/4 of a large pattie of Stella & Chewy's raw food (spoiled? yes he sure as heck is). Is this enough food for him? Is this too much? When is a corgi considered an adult in regards to his body? I get comments from friends and family he looks fat, but I think it's just the fur, I can feel the ribs if i pet his side and he's active and seems to never wanna go back home when we're outside.

Also, we've been going to the dog park recently, and he's loving his time there playing with other dogs and he's doing a good job about being respectful of people and not jumping on them and playing with other dogs. But the only problem I have is that he LOVES LOVES LOVES going into the puddles, streams and lakes to take a mid waist dip and then starts chopping away at the water and drinking it. I'll put some fresh water in front of his mouth but he'll just take a sip or two and then run off, play, and then find the nearest body of water and go splashing in it and start drinking from it. I'm going to assume that this is bad due to what could be in the water when he drinks it, but i'm fine with him getting a dip and cooling off. But I don't want him to get sick... and I can't find a way to correct him so he wouldn't drink the water without making him think that going into the water is a bad idea all together (which I don't care if he goes in and gets dirty, he's getting a bath after the dog park either way). Should I be giving him any extra/different types of medication to help prevent anything (he's had all his vaccinations and the like)?

Your words of wisdom are needed my dear Corgi friends.

Here's a link to the pictures I've been taking of him at the dog park... as you can see... he gets dirty within the first 10 minutes there...

http://picasaweb.google.com/grimookami

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Our boy Merlin is also a water baby.We thought the black in his tri color was part lab!!so far sp good on not getting sick from drinking out of the ponds,but I always worry anyway.thanx for the tip about the horse medicine.may need to have some on hand,now that it is camping season again.woohoo!!
As I have a girl, i'm not up on proper weight for a boy, but that seems like a lot of food. Ella will be 2 yrs. in june, and as of last month weighed in at 22lbs. She gets 1 cup of kibble per day, during summer i add a handful of frozen veges as she is more active and loves the cold crunches. A few times a week she will get a doggy treat.
As a puppy we gave her a bit more 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cup per day, but once she turned 1 we slowly decreased it over the course of a month.
As for the water, i try to avoid standing water such as road puddles due to oil, gas, etc. You may want to think about a monthly flea prevention that also repels mosquitoes and ticks, so you guy won't get all bit up. And monthly worm would also be a good idea. Talk to your vet about what bugs are common in your area, to advise you on vaccines.
My 3 go in the water all the time but on our property, it's a running stream so I don't worry too much about standing water problems. However, they are pretty wwet and dirty all the time...sigh. I do try to hose off feet and belly before they come in the house each night. It's realy fun to see them so happy and playful, isn't it?

I do heartworm and comfortis every month since they are outside all the time. No specail vacinations, though.

And I also think that's just a bit too much food, even for an 11 month old. I feed just 1 cup a day, total and they are all very active. I feed a little less than I'd want to so that I can give them a treat each evening when it's time to settle down. They get overweight SO easily...
My Harley is just a day older than your dog, and judging by your pictures your dog looks much bigger than Harley. Harley weighs somewhere around 20-25 lbs and is by no means skinny. Personally, I think the Orijen is not a good choice, as it is very very high in protein and way too low in fat for a year old, mid sized dog. Orijen is for adults, namely larger highly active adults who can better digest a grain free or raw diet. Harley eats 1/2 cup of Wellness twice a day, which is what is recommended on the bag for his age and weight. We are switching him from the puppy formula to the weight management formula, because the weight management formula has more fiber, which we have discovered is what Harley needs to keep firm stools.

Any time you have a weight or diet concern (or any health concern), speak with your vet. Especially about the drinking outside water.
I totally feel that feeding by weight is just a bad idea. Our boy is 38 lbs, but perfectly preportioned (not just my bias that's what the vet said lol!) We were only feeding him 2 cups a day when we got him, but after just a month or so, our vet said he was losing to much weight and getting super skinny. Our vet has recommended that we feed him 3-4 cups a day (he is on cheapo Pedigree, which may be the cause of needing more food). Have you talked to your vet about how much to feed him? You could also talk to them about what they recommend for vaccinations and illness in your area. My vet also offers advice / reading material / websites / etc about training or discouraging unwanted behaviour. Another option to consider is enrolling in obedience classes, then he might be more likely to listen to your commands at the park when he is off leasg. I would recommend talking photos of him every week or so, and then comparing them so you can better see if he is getting overweight. Its hard to tell when you look at them everyday. Good luck!!

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