# Under developing puppy??



## thebigchev (Oct 31, 2012)

Hi guys, I recently started a thread about a extremely underweight GSD. I got some good feed back, and have managed to use some of the advice.
My concern is that my puppy is coming up to 4 months old and weighs 7.5kg, around 16 pounds. I know that he is underweight, as that is how I got him when I purchased him. I believe the breeder neglected him and as the runt of the litter he found it hard to gain the weight he needed from 8-12 weeks. 
He is eating fine now and in the space of a month has basically doubled his weight. 
That's the story, and this is my question and I would love some feedback. 
Does my dog look like a 4 month old and if not could he be a month behind in his development due to his poor start? Will it affect his health, and physical growth?? 
I shall post a couple of pics so you can make some comments. His legs are very short but do seem to ge getting longer.
Maybe I'm just over concerned, but I really love this dog and I hope he will be ok.
Thanks guys. 
-Matt


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## thebigchev (Oct 31, 2012)

Here are a couple of pics. I`ll try to get some side on photos tomorrow.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

He looks just fine, and he'll be just fine. My pup got parvo at 8 weeks and didn't eat for a week. Lost a lot of weight, and was super skinny. He was at least 10 lbs behind his litter mates and at 11 weeks weighed less than what he weighed at 8 weeks when we took him home. The vet told us it wouldn't be an issue...and it wasn't. I now have a fully grown 85 lb male that is one of the larger dogs by weight at my GSD club.

Genetics are funny...your dog might grow up to be the biggest one in his litter. My breeder told me that they've had that happen but usually the runt ends up just like the brothers and sisters. GSDs go through growth spurts at different times.

Also...if the breeder did neglect him, it doesn't sound like the best breeder. So I might not even trust the age he sold him to you at. Some people will sell puppies off extra early and just tell people that don't know that the pup is just small for his age when he's really 2-4 weeks younger than that.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

I agree with martemchik

I'd keep an eye on him and be sure to consult your vet if anything looks off. As long as he's steadily gaining, that's a good sign.

And oh my gosh, his eyes in the second pic! *melt*


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

How old was the puppy in those photos? They appear younger than a 4mo. old...


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## thebigchev (Oct 31, 2012)

He is just under 3 and a half months in those pics. Yeah he may have been sold earlier but I did contact the vet that did his first vaccination and it all adds up to him being the right age, having said that, she may have been a part of the conspiracy also hahaha. He does seem to look a month younger than his age suggests.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I think I fixed them for you, so they are upright


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

Do you have any pictures of him at about 8 weeks when you first got him?

I'm curious to see the difference. He does look much younger than what they would normally look like at that age, I'm just wondering if we can compare to when he first came home?


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

With a breeder like that...who knows. Interesting that you have vet records though if this was a "neglected" puppy. Your dog looks like a 2-3 month old GSD. No development issues so far. Give it until 7-8 months to see what the size is like and you might have a better idea of age.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

If it helps any to use for comparison .....

When we rescued Woolf, he was 19 wks old and weighed 16 lbs. To me he looked much younger because of the size. Now at a little over 2yrs, he is tall 27 in. weight at 70 lb.

pics to compare:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/happy-birthday-gotcha-day/190694-happy-birthday-woolf.html

His physical issues from the undernourishment during that time may be some eyesight problems, other then that he is aka Mr Tall and Skinny  and healthy.

We kept him exercised, good food and started supplements early because of all he missed those first weeks.


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## thebigchev (Oct 31, 2012)

Thanks for getting those photos upright, really appreciate it. I've uploaded another two photos, the first one is literally 10 mins after I got him and the second is about a week after I got him. Wish I had more photos but I was to busy worrying about his health.
Thanks for all your comments guys, all the info is useful.
Also though I'd mention that I got him at around 10 weeks.
Cheers guys.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

The pics of when you first got him he looks about 5-6 weeks old.  I don't know. My boy didn't want to wean...and didn't want to eat. When I got him at 11 weeks he was just under 18 lbs. He's eaten well for me, and is steadily gaining weight. I think they catch up over time... but I have a hard time with the stated ages in those pics of yours. The pup looks MUCH younger than that in both sets.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Has this puppy's left eye cleared up? He's got drainage from it in almost all the photos?


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## thebigchev (Oct 31, 2012)

He still has drainage from both eyes actually. The vet said it could be an allergy to something.


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## MattLink (Oct 23, 2012)

I'd be less interested in his current weight, and more in his eating habits, and energy levels since it seems you can't trust the people you got him from. 

Also in my experience some vets are great, some are terrible and either not knowledgable or irresponsible or both. Hope you've got more than one opinion on him. 


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

If you claim you got him at 10 weeks...the weight you said he was at is really really low, even for a runt. Many times the runts start to catch up as soon as kibble is introduced because there is much less competition for food then. After seeing the other set of pictures I'm convinced he's younger than what you were told. His features just aren't developed like they should be by a certain age and this isn't something that is a problem in runts...runts develop just stay smaller. If he's not eating...he might not like the food that much, but a puppy at that age should just be gobbling whatever you're giving him.

Have you had him checked for all the general puppy stuff? Worms? Parasites? Things like that?


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## thebigchev (Oct 31, 2012)

Hey guys, been awhile. Rocky is doing great after a tough couple of days. I live in Australia and he really struggled during the first couple of hot days after a much cooler spring than normal. He actually collapsed and couldn't move.

I rushed him to the vet as soon as it happened and he came to his senses there. The vet was stumped, he may have fainted but she couldn't put a finger on it. I took him back a couple days later for a routine check up and she was extremely pleased with the way he looked and behaved. We still have no idea what happened to him. 
Now a few days later I saw another vet to get a second opinion and to get his final vaccination. He was more than impressed with the way he looked even though he was on the small side. 
He's eating fine, drinks plenty of water, is wormed regularly and his poo's are big and solid. I believe he's really healthy now and he weighs just over 8kg's. 
Also, all the people at the vet couldn't get enough of him, and I even got a few trade offers thrown my way. Hahaha, I refused Offcourse.


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

thebigchev said:


> Hey guys, been awhile. Rocky is doing great after a tough couple of days. I live in Australia and he really struggled during the first couple of hot days after a much cooler spring than normal. He actually collapsed and couldn't move.
> 
> I rushed him to the vet as soon as it happened and he came to his senses there. The vet was stumped, he may have fainted but she couldn't put a finger on it. I took him back a couple days later for a routine check up and she was extremely pleased with the way he looked and behaved. We still have no idea what happened to him.
> Now a few days later I saw another vet to get a second opinion and to get his final vaccination. He was more than impressed with the way he looked even though he was on the small side.
> ...


I hope the best for lil ol rocky


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

The collaspse was probably near heat stroke or heat exhaustion. BTW your pup looks fine to me.


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## MattLink (Oct 23, 2012)

Link had trouble with the heat during the summer here, and I'm in Canada! Been to Australia during your cold season (I use the term "cold" loosely), cant imagine its easy in the summer. We had air conditioning but it's cheap and was only in the one room, so every now and then I'd take him into the bathroom and run some cool water over him to keep him more comfortable. And when we went outside he had his puppy pool


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