# I need to put weight on my GSD... but how??



## Nikki & Niko

I have a new GSD, 21 months old, male and he weights only 65 lbs! He arrived to me this way, I've only had him 4 days. Anyway my vet said he needed to gain at least 15 lbs!! How??

I feed him 3x's a day, 8am, 1 pm & 6:30 pm. He eats a mix of dry (high quality) dry food with 8oz of natural raw beef. He doesn't always finish he's am meal so I add a bit to it and give it to him again at 1pm. He gets about 30 mins for each meal, or to finish it. Does this sound okay and should I not take away his food after 30 mins. He doesn't seem to interested in it after that amt of time and he's not food motivated. 

Any help would be great! Thanks so much!! -Nikki


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## Hunther's Dad

There's a supplement called Vertex that you can add to his regular food. It will add extra calories. It's available online.


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## roxy84

some male gsd's at 65 lbs arent necessarily underweight if they are on the small side. what is he eating? do you have any pics of him standing from the side?


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## MaggieRoseLee

The vast majority of vets see obese dogs all day long, so their idea of a healthy and fit weight is NOT correct. Your pup may (or may not) be a good weight but it would be better if you could get a good standing side shot of him, as well as one from the top looking down. We want a belly tuck, and a definite indent where the ribs end.


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## Cassidy's Mom

Nikki & Niko said:


> I have a new GSD, 21 months old, male and he weights only 65 lbs! He arrived to me this way, I've only had him 4 days. Anyway my *vet said he needed to gain at least 15 lbs!!*


Why? Is your vet basing that on the idea that a male GSD _should_ weigh that much, or is your boy actually emaciated? 

Fifteen pounds is a LOT, if he's truly that underweight you'd be able to see all his ribs. If you can easily feel his ribs when you run your hand down his side and see maybe the last one or two, if you can see a "waist" when you look down on him while he's standing, and a tuck up at the abdomen when viewed from the side, his weight is perfect for his size.

ETA: It's hard to tell in that picture because he's laying down, but he does not look overly skinny to me.


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## Jax08

If he really does need to gain that much weight then I think you are going about it correctly. You'll want a high quality, higher protein (to gain muscle mass instead of just fat) food. I would feed him smaller quantities more often (3-4 times per day) throughout the day so his body can better process and utilize what he is eating.


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## Dawn

When I took Raven home she weighed 66 pounds. 
I have switched her over to Blue Buffalo dry and canned twice a day. (2 cups dry and 1/2 can mixed in AM and PM)
She is now 64.9 pounds. I orignially wanted to go to about 70 pounds as I t hought she was alittle thin.
She is not a big eater. She will eat her breakfast and dinner but sloooowly..lolol
hmmmmmmm


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## lcht2

vertex and superfuel are junk, trust me, i've tried them. try satin balls, you can google the recipe. i had a very thin GSD i fostered for a while that was about 30lbs underweight, satin balls plus some over feeding and table scraps put 10lbs on him in a week.


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## chocolat

coat looks good and he seems bright in his picture..hard to believe he is truly that far underweight


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## selzer

21 months, 65 pounds does not sound terrible. But German Shepherds range in height, length, depth and roundness (ie barrel chested, etc.). So it is nearly impossible for us to tell you how much your particular boy should weigh. 

A little underweight is far better than overweight. But if you are seeing ribs (plural) and your dog seems thin to you. Then adding some weight does sound in order. 

How to do this. Well. Everyone else will not agree, but sometimes grain free and meat heavy diets are not conducive to gaining weight. Higher calories and fat will get you to gain weight. Grains do provide calories. But, I think you are doing good with your dog, you have only had him four days and need to give him a chance to gain on what you are feeding him.

I guess it is important to know why the dog is not gaining on the food you have him on. Of course, you have had him only a couple of days and that is not enough of a test. But, if you feel he is disinterested in the food, then he could not be gaining because he is stressed and not very hungry. 

Adding a little animal fat to your kibble will increase weight, partly because of the fat, but also because of the flavor of the fat, it can get him to eat. A little bacon grease will do wonders. But I have a hard time believing that this is the best time to do this. I think you need to give your boy two weeks on the quality kibble and meat that you are feeding him and then re-weigh him. More importantly FEEL him, his ribs, back, Look at his overall condition. 

An egg a day can help as well. Eggs are cheap, hard boiled they do not have any extra fat, particularly non-animal fat, they are high in protein. Dogs love them. The raw feeders will say to just give it to him raw, but YUCK -- in my opinion. I hard boil a dozen and a half and give them one a day. (I have more dogs, so whatever you are comfotable, hard boiled eggs last a good week in the fridge.)

Lastly, I would pick the bowl up after 10 minutes. My dogs scarf theirs much quicker. But the dog then KNOWS it is going away, and he does not get more until his next scheduled meal, then he will be more likely to eat it promptly, and eat it all. A healthy dog will not starve himself to death. After a day or two you will see the food disappear in the allotted time. Otherwise you can have a picky eater. 

Also, my first indicator of my dogs' well being is if they ate their food this morning. If someone did not finish, I look closer because I KNOW they are under the weather. 

Good luck.


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## Fafhrd

Ditto on the hard boiled eggs, one a day.

Weight doesn't mean much by itself. You should be able to feel the ribs easily, but they shouldn't be sticking out like a washboard.


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## blackviolet

My mom is caring for a GSD my husband found wandering the side of a desert road, dehydrated and underweight. As he turned his truck around to go get her, he watched her basically collapse. 


Anyway, my mom has been feeding her "satin balls", and they seem to be helping. She's still thin, but doesn't look terrible anymore, and her coat is getting better.


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## sable123

*green tripe*

Feed RAW green tripe, very healthy and great digestive aid to help maintain proper weight


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## dmj1972

Most GSD's that we have had have been slow eaters. We always leave dry food in their crate for them to eat if they are thin. Our 10 yr. old male was always thin no matter how much I fed him. We switched to Royal Canin GSD and Eukanuba GSD and mixed in 1/2 and 1/2 and he finally put on the 10 lbs. I have tried for 3 years to get him to gain! We also found out he had whip worms! He also have a sensitive stomach. Have your vet check for whip and hook worms since they are microscopic. Try the satin balls and maybe a breed specific food. Maybe give him the canned at meal times and leave the dry available all the time for him. I swear my GSD thinks he is a cat! He eats like one.


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