# Is my puppy too thin?



## triangulum (Dec 14, 2011)

The last time Vecna went to the vet, she said he was too thin. He's a little over 8 months old and is 26" tall and 75 lbs. He eats 6 cups of Orijen Large Puppy, a inch or two of Natural Balance rolls for training treats, and half a can of Merrick Brauts n Tots in his Kong. He's eating SO MUCH already and he doesn't look overly thin to me, he just looks like an athletic young dog imo. What do you think?


















A puppy who was way too skinny wouldn't have that good of muscle tone, would they?


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

I think he looks great (my dog is also 26" and weighs 72 lbs), but that is A LOT of food he is eating! I would be concerned with him eating that much food and not putting on weight.


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## triangulum (Dec 14, 2011)

I know, that's why I'm hesitant to feed him even more haha. He's been eating all that for well over a month now and hasn't put on any chub as you can see in the last photo, which was taken last week. He just had a big growth spurt and seems like he's filling out a bit which probably is contributing to his massive food intake.

E: Misread your post. The vet doesn't think there's any malabsorption issues because his growth is fine. He's gaining weight pretty steadily too, he was ~66 lbs a month ago.


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

My 20 month old male grew exactly like this (my female too), with everyone thinking they were too skinny.

They were on 6 cups TOTW, 1 - 2lbs of raw and treats a day, but they burned every calorie working, running and training.

Actually, until about 2 months ago I was still struggling to keep weight on, so I started searching for a new food. (I had done Orijen, Evo, Acana and TOTW at this point)

I actually put them on Red Paw, which is a food formulated for sled dogs and high performance dogs, they have the option of grain free foods as well as grain in.

I can't tell you the immense changes I have seen in my dogs in the last two months. I didn't think their coats could get nicer, they did; their muscle tone shot through the roof (especially on my 3 yr old Female) and my Male has put on about 7 lbs of muscle on front and back, but you can still just see ribs.

They now get 1800 calories (3 cups) from the Red Paw each day and 1-2lbs of raw, plus training treats. I would think somewhere between 2000-2500 calories a day. This is what my dogs need, because they are so active. Even my training colleague, with a Shepherd two days older than my female, doesn't need to feed anywhere near the calories because her dog is not as active (1 -2 cups TOTW).

If he is growing well (as you say) and has good muscle tone, just accept the fact that he is going to be lean until around 2 or 3. Also, remember that a lot of vets see obese animals on a daily basis, so they are often not used to seeing a "normal" growing puppy going through an awkward phase.


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## MichelleMc (Mar 3, 2013)

My boy is about that thin too. He is younger though. But he eats well and is very active. So I am not to worried about it. He looks good to me. Very nice looking dog 

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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

He looks lean, and fit. I wouldn't worry at all, especially if he is gaining weight steadily as he grows up.

Love your choice of name for him as well, by the way.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I would find another vet.


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## AngelaA6 (Jan 20, 2013)

Looks lean and fit to me  and very handsome


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

triangulum said:


> E: Misread your post. The vet doesn't think there's any malabsorption issues because his growth is fine. He's gaining weight pretty steadily too, he was ~66 lbs a month ago.



Oh that's good! Just be careful and make sure he doesn't start to gain too much weight if his metabolism levels out and he's still consuming that many calories. I accidentally let that happen when my dog was about 7-8 months old, and again when he turned 7 years old. He looks really nice right now!


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## lostangl (Jul 15, 2002)

My boy Jacob looks just like him! I was feeding him Orijen and he was losing weight on it! I put him back on Nutro Max and he is filling out again. He just turned a year old and weighs 75lbs now.


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## AugustGSD (Mar 29, 2013)

My pup is on the lean side too, and I often feel that he should weigh more, but he is very healthy and active. His vet told me to keep him lean because he was worried about joint problems when he got older. 
We think August will be pretty big though once he reaches adulthood. Your pup looks in great shape to me. You spend a lot more time with him than your vet, so I would either trust my instincts or get a second opinion.


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## triangulum (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks for your input everyone (and the kind words about my pup!) The vet I saw wasn't my regular vet and I won't be returning to her because I was very unimpressed overall with how she handled my dog.


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