# Underweight Puppy



## Lauren Burdge Thomas (Dec 29, 2018)

Hello All,
I am new to posting in this forum but I’m hoping someone else has some success stories. I recently rescued a precious little German Shepherd pup. He was full blooded AKC registered but his mom just abandoned the litter and has had nothing to do with the puppies since they were 3 weeks old. He was 2lbs 5oz at 6 weeks. I took him straight to the vet and he had roundworms and bacteria enteritis. We’ve got him on medicine and he was dewormed again. He was also dehydrated. We’ve got this precious boy moving in the right direction thank God. I’m just curious if anyone else has had a situation with a low weight puppy that turned out okay.


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## Malibu (Jul 27, 2017)

NONE HERE, But good for you. Sounds like your doing everything right. Just keep doing what your doing..


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

2 lbs 5 oz at 6 weeks??? Are you sure this is a purebred? Or that he was 6 weeks old? An 8 week old should be around 10# or more. 

A good breeder would have hand fed them if the mother wouldn't care for them and they would have been a normal weight. I would suspect these aren't purebreds with that size.


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## Lauren Burdge Thomas (Dec 29, 2018)

Def purebred I have papers on both Male and Female. I for the life of me can’t understand why someone would think it was okay for the puppies to be this size. I would’ve turned right around and left but I was honestly worried he wouldn’t make it if I did. The breeder kept telling me not to worry he would be huge. I’m not concerned about size at this point I want the dog to live! If he stayed 2lbs his whole life I would love him. In 2 days he’s gained a pound and is now happy and playful with tail up and wagging. The Vet told me not to let him play too much because his body needs to rest and heal. I have thought about looking into the AKC website surely there has to be a way to report this. Mother and Father are also OFA certified. The whole litter was so small. She told me the female wasn’t interested in the puppies anymore or I would’ve never taken it until he was 8 weeks.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Wow. Can you PM the pedigree to me? And the breeder?

Is it possible he's a dwarf? The whole litter was this tiny? We did buy a Boxer who was 4 lbs at 8 weeks (should have been about 10#). She was the runt and obviously was never allowed to eat and grow but the other puppies were all normal and looked healthy.


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## Lauren Burdge Thomas (Dec 29, 2018)

Sure will! I asked the Vet and he said no he wasn’t a dwarf but that he was taken off the mother way to early. According to the breeder she had been feeding scrambled eggs and goats milk which the Vet said okay that’s fine but he wasn’t getting any nutrients he needs. I’ll go grab my folder and send you the pedigree.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

That Boxer was only 42# as an adult. She did fully recover and lived a very healthy 12 years. I would suspect that the severe neglect will cause your puppy to be a small adult. (It sometimes takes me a while to actually answer the question  )


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## Lauren Burdge Thomas (Dec 29, 2018)

Picture of this sweet boy who is finally feeling better


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

He's cute <3


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## gabby100 (Dec 30, 2018)

Yeah, my puppy struggled with it too.. But thanks god everything turned out to be okey. My dog's vet recommended me to give puppy high calorie food for weight gain.


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## superczar (Dec 13, 2017)

Keep an eye out for worm recurrence in the poo
I have seen pups that were way underweight blooming into healthy dogs - all it takes is a few months of careful feeding

Keep an eye on the speed of food intake, underweight pups can tend to get overzealous while eating and get an upset tummy/runny poo bringing you back to square one
I would say that for the next few weeks, give a grade A kibble (would recommend Farmina N&D - regular, not grain free) 
Make sure you have soaked with warm water for at least 10 mins 
Also, split up his food in 5 maybe even 6 servings a day for the next few weeks

I would also suggest adding boiled eggs as a rotational meal once a day or so

Keep him away from dairy (i presume you already are) but once he has settled into a groove (and the poo is all firmed up - 
Try using a tiny bit of cream/high fat milk as a trial top-up ... keep an eye for any GI issues for another day or so ; if you are lucky enough to have a lactose tolerant dog, you can use cream/milk as a top-up for the next few months 

I know the bit above may be controversial but I have seen it work wonders for their appetite!


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## Lauren Burdge Thomas (Dec 29, 2018)

Thank you so much for all your advice! Just a little update at his 7 week check up (my vet is checking on him daily and wants to see him once a week) he was 4.8lbs so he’s getting there and he is almost a completely different puppy. He’s so playful and happy! We have him on Royal Canin GI can food until his tummy gets better. They did another round of deworming and he passed some more and then I found tapeworms. I knew when I got him he had flea dirt but I couldn’t find a flea to save my life. I finally found one by his ears so we got him medicine for tapeworms. I think the passing of all the worms has messed his stomach up and his bottom seems to hurt when he poops. The vet recommended diaper cream.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

My older dog was a rescue found abandoned at 7 weeks, severely underweight. She was fostered for two months and put up for adoption when her weight increased. We took her home at 4 months. By then she was eating normally and her weight increased at a steady rate. As a puppy, she was extremely active. She has always been small but she overcame her early low weight.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Lauren Burdge Thomas said:


> Hello All,
> I am new to posting in this forum but I’m hoping someone else has some success stories. I recently rescued a precious little German Shepherd pup. He was full blooded AKC registered but his mom just abandoned the litter and has had nothing to do with the puppies since they were 3 weeks old. He was 2lbs 5oz at 6 weeks. I took him straight to the vet and he had roundworms and bacteria enteritis. We’ve got him on medicine and he was dewormed again. He was also dehydrated. We’ve got this precious boy moving in the right direction thank God. I’m just curious if anyone else has had a situation with a low weight puppy that turned out okay.


Shadow weighed less then a can of pop at 3 weeks old. And yup, loaded with worms and a bacterial skin infection, tips of ears and tongue damaged, couple of mangled toes, bruising everywhere, dehydrated, malnourished and unresponsive when found. No one expected her to survive the night.
Happy to report that at 8 years old she is a happy, spoiled, witch. Really small, really frequent meals. I mixed puppy formula in with her meals until she was around 9 weeks? I think. Just for the extra boost she needed.


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## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

Lauren Burdge Thomas said:


> Sure will! I asked the Vet and he said no he wasn’t a dwarf but that he was taken off the mother way to early. According to the breeder she had been feeding scrambled eggs and goats milk which the Vet said okay that’s fine but he wasn’t getting any nutrients he needs. I’ll go grab my folder and send you the pedigree.


Can you PM me the breeder? Or the pedigree?


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## OurbuddyKrypto (Jul 15, 2021)

Hi I was just wondering if you could possibly give an update on the size of your puppy. I see that this was posted at the end of 2018. Currently are white German Shepherd pup at 6 weeks is 3 lb. His mom died and there was an emergency C-section performed. There were 12 puppies total and 10 of them survived their all between 1 lb and 3 lb right now. I haven't seen him in person but I'm hoping that by the time we get him at 8 weeks he will be a little heavier. Also if anybody else has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.


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

The OP hasn't been active here in over two years, she's unlikely to see your post.


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## OurbuddyKrypto (Jul 15, 2021)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> The OP hasn't been active here in over two years, she's unlikely to see your post.


Thats unfortunate. Thank you.


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