# Skinny or Lean? Photos enclosed



## unloader (Feb 16, 2010)

I know...I know, this has been covered a million times, but I need your opinions please.

Do you think he looks ok for a 20 week old puppy?

He is 35lbs as of last week and eats 3 to 3.5 cups of Wellness Super5 LBP a day.





































Thanks in advance!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

normal...does he get to run and romp or is he always tethered? I'd like to see a bit more tone, but a pup is usually gangly. 
He is adorable!
If you think he needs more, bump up the food for a bit. 
Teething usually begins now(I always have seen a big growth spurt right before the heavy teething and then again afterwardsat about 7 mos)


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

very normal,,males especially I think go thru alot of different growth stages, some which I call "the uglies",,where they look, long lean lanky, boney, are clutzes you name it..

He's very cute by the way


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Looks normal to me. German Shepherd pups are kind of skinny, geeky, gangly dudes. They should be a bit "unthrifty" as my vet would say. I would much prefer on the thin side than fat while growing up.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark looked like that for a few weeks. People kept saying I wasn't feeding him enough but he was eating 2-3lbs of food per day plus training treats!

I agree, they go through this "ugly/bony/skinny" stage for awhile. It seems like they can't keep anything on those bones. 

If you are worried I would just add a little to his daily intake, if you feed raw maybe up the amounts a tad for awhile.


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## unloader (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks for the quick responses! I can't feed him any more of his regular kibble because he gets loose stools at the end. I have been giving him a giant knuckle bone and a soup bone, so hopefully the fat and meat on it will help some. Although, I mainly gave those to get his ear back up. He is currently teething now and has only lost his front teeth.

Anyway, thank you all for your replies.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

you can give him a RAW snack every now and then, like a turkey neck...maybe a raw egg, cottage cheese...Jake looks same way and he is 5.5 months and teething. Someone just asked me about an hour if he was ok because he was thin...LOL Jake is 60 pounds!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I think I'd increase his food a bit for a while. It's so hard the first year to figure out the amounts cause they go thru growth spurts and really DO need more food. He is absolutely NOT heavy at all, so if you increase his food a bit as he's growing the next few months, you can then just cut back if he seems to be getting too heavy.


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I would personally increase his food a bit for a little while, get a little more meat on his bones. Although it's good to keep them more on the thin side than the heavy side, I'd prefer to see a little more meat to him than he currently carries. With that being said, I don't think you are "under feeding" him or that he is anything but a normal, gangly, growing GSD pup.


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## unloader (Feb 16, 2010)

Thanks all! I would like to up his intake but he gets soft stools. I guess I could add in some orijen kibble since I ultimately want to switch to that. He just won't hold 3.5 cups of wellness without having weird stools. He did have issues as a puppy and we finally got over it, but "over feeding" him causes the loose ending. 

I just don't have the mindset for RAW currently, I give raw bones, but that is as much as I am personally comfortable with (I'm weird, what can I say). I guess I could try an egg once a week. I wonder if it would be ok to add 1/2 cup extra(for the day) of orijen mixed in with with his 3 meals.

Any other tips for upping his food intake without getting soft stools? Would the mixture of different kibble possibly work?


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## unloader (Feb 16, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> normal...does he get to run and romp or is he always tethered? I'd like to see a bit more tone, but a pup is usually gangly.
> He is adorable!
> If you think he needs more, bump up the food for a bit.
> Teething usually begins now(I always have seen a big growth spurt right before the heavy teething and then again afterwardsat about 7 mos)


He is normally tethered to a 30' lead, so he does get his share of running. I guess I need to go somewhere to get him off lead more often. It's just been so hot!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

feed him a midnight snack for a couple weeks, that should do it and keep his stools from getting too soft. Though you'll probably have to double the doggie duty pick up during this time.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

unloader said:


> He is normally tethered to a 30' lead, so he does get his share of running. I guess I need to go somewhere to get him off lead more often. It's just been so hot!


 Is taking him swimming an option?


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## unloader (Feb 16, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> feed him a midnight snack for a couple weeks, that should do it and keep his stools from getting too soft. Though you'll probably have to double the doggie duty pick up during this time.


Great Idea! I'll try that!



onyx'girl said:


> Is taking him swimming an option?


Swimming, hmm...I don't really have a great place for him to swim. Are chlorine pools bad for dogs?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If you hose him down afterward, I think it will be ok, many people on the board show pics of dog in pools(though I'm not sure if they're salt or clorine) and try not to let him drink the water, good luck with that!
Maybe whoever lets you take him in their pool will not treat it with chems until after you've exercised him.


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## unloader (Feb 16, 2010)

I should note that he does play with my parent's Malinois, so he does get a fair amount of exercise in that respect. 

Oh, and the late night feeding went well last night, so we will continue with that until proven otherwise.

Thanks again!


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