# 9 week old puppy underweight?



## Coalthegsd (Mar 4, 2015)

We have had our puppy for almost 2 weeks now. He is playful and has a steady appetite. He will be 9 weeks old tomorrow and only weighs about 10 lbs. is this normal? Everything i have found online says he should be closer to 18-20lbs by now. He has been eating 3/4 of a cup of purina one healthy puppy blend each day, spaced out into 3 meals. We have been feeding him this much based on the weight chart on the food bag. Should we be feeding him more? Is there a better food we should be feeding him to help him catch up to where he should be? Are we just being paranoid puppy parents??


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

At that age, he needs 3/4 cup four times a day.

You might want to go to dogfoodadvisor.com and find something better than Purina One.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/purina-one-smartblend/


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

There is a difference between underweight and small. A smaller puppy can weigh much less than the averages you're seeing online and still be at an appropriate weight for him. It's pretty much impossible to know if he's underweight without seeing a picture, preferably from the side. If he's truly skinny you should increase his food, but if he's small but not too thin, feeding him more will not make him bigger overall, just chunkier. 

That does not sound like very much food, but I have no idea how calorie dense that food is compared to any others.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> There is a difference between underweight and small. A smaller puppy can weigh much less than the averages you're seeing online and still be at an appropriate weight for him. It's pretty much impossible to know if he's underweight without seeing a picture, preferably from the side. If he's truly skinny you should increase his food, but if he's small but not too thin, feeding him more will not make him bigger overall, just chunkier.
> 
> That does not sound like very much food, but I have no idea how calorie dense that food is compared to any others.


3/4 cup a day of any food is not enough for a GSD.


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Do you have pictures ? like others said.. you might wanna do better than Purina . 3/4 cup seem so little for a baby GSD.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Your starving your puppy by feeding 3/4 cup of any food. Purina is a really poor quality food which makes it that much worse. Your puppy needs good nutrition to develop properly.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

No that doesn't sound right, at 9 weeks old Delgado was eating 1.5 cups of a good quality food and was soon up to 2 cups by the time he was 11 weeks old. You want them lean as they're growing but they do need good nutrition

As others have said, finding a better quality food in the long run will be much healthier for your pup.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

At 8 weeks, my boy weighed about 12 lbs. He was certainly not 18-20 lbs. So Debbie is asking a good question...is your puppy underweight? or just small?

If underweight, why? Have you taken him to a vet yet? Checked for worms?

You are reading the chart on the bag incorrectly. The weight ranges are referencing the full grown size of the dog, not the current weight of the puppy.

You should be feeding for the full grown weight of 76-100 lbs which up to 3 months is 1-3.25 cups. so increase his food to 1.5 cups per day for a few days and then up to from there. To much suddenly could cause some stomach issues.

There are far better food out there than Purina. Do a search on the board. Many threads.


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## Doc (Jan 13, 2009)

What did the sire and dam weigh when full grown? By 8 weeks my pups are eating 3-4 cups of food a day spread into 3 or 4 feedings. Amount depends on the growth and feel of the pup. I have feed pups Purina ProPlan with good results. I always say buy the best quality kibble that your dog will eat without issues, AND the one you can afford. 
My last two litters were fed Royal Canine Max Starter then Maxi Puppy and the pups were outstanding with no intestinal issues. At 6 months they are usually switched to something else. Just don't read the ingredient list on the RC. LOL I just know it has worked for my pups better than other premium kibbles in the pup stage.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Saphire said:


> Your starving your puppy by feeding 3/4 cup of any food. Purina is a really poor quality food which makes it that much worse. Your puppy needs good nutrition to develop properly.


 
The instructions state to feed a puppy that will grow into a 51-75lb dog 2/3 to 1 1/4 cups a day. The OP wasn't far off the mark.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I was feeding Seger 3/4 cup of Bravo Balance 3x a day and he got fat. The amount of food you feed is dependent on the dog. The guidelines are just that...guidelines. Adjust them to your dog. If you think he's to skinny, add more food. If you think he's getting fat, cut back a little. Feel his ribs and back bone every couple of days. You should be able to feel his ribs. If they are prominent and visible, he is to skinny.


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## Ruger Monster (Jan 29, 2015)

Without pictures it'd be hard to tell if he's underweight or just small right now. 

Ruger was 10.8lb @ 10½ weeks. He was slightly underweight for his size (was less than 7lb at 8½ weeks and had coccidia to get rid of). He's 15 weeks now, and 24.2lbs, but at a healthy weight for his current size. Nowhere near close to the "chart", but puppies are like people and grow at different rates  Ruger's dam was 80-85lb and sire was 100lb, so he's got some growing to do I'm sure ... just going slow & steady. If he's just small right now, there are a few growth spurts waiting to happen anyway!

I also agree on finding a better quality food - there are many suggested on this board. I personally use Fromm Gold LBP and Ruger loves it. He gets between 2½ - 3 cups a day right now split in 2 meals, with some plain yogurt mixed in for extra enjoyment.


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## Palydyn (Aug 28, 2014)

As others have mentioned it does not appear that you are feeding your little guy enough. At that age Rommel got 3 cups per day spaced over three meals with a tablespoon of toppers like cottage cheese, baby food or shredded turkey/chicken. Plus supplements. If I recall correctly he weighed 16.5 lbs at 8 1/2 weeks and was a little on the thin side.


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## Coalthegsd (Mar 4, 2015)

Thank you all so much for all the feedback!! We have increased his food intake today and are going to gradually up him to the full amount he should be recovering. I also went out and bought a nice big bag of the blue buffalo wilderness large breed puppy food this afternoon which we will be weaning him onto as well. The purina is what the breeders were feeding him and we will be donating the rest of ours to an animal shelter as soon as he is fully weaned on the the blue. 

Thank you all again!


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

Good job!! I look forward to pictures soon!


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