Hey Georgia!
I was aware of growth charts but hadn’t fully appreciated how useful they could be in practice, particularly when it comes to helping guide conversations with owners.
A case that really stands out to me is one I saw with a puppy named Citrine. Her owners were incredibly worried about her growth because she wasn’t eating in a typical way. They were focused on her food intake, sometimes struggling to get her to eat consistently, and they were concerned that she wasn’t growing as she should be. But in reality, her weight was tracking well, and she was developing normally. Navigating those conversations was tricky because their concerns were very real to them, and it’s always difficult to balance reassurance with ensuring we’re not missing anything medically significant.
I think if we had been using growth charts more proactively, it would have helped a lot. Being able to show them clear data on her weight trajectory compared to expected norms might have provided reassurance much earlier. It’s one thing to say, “She’s growing well,” but having a visual representation to back that up could have made a big difference in easing their worries.
What do you advise when puppies don’t eat in a patters deemed ‘normal’ by their owners?
Cheers,
Scott 🙂
