# Skinny German Shepherd



## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

I adopted my 3 1/2 year old male German shepherd dog from a rescue group 2 years ago. He is tall and long-but VERY skinny: all of his ribs show as well as his hip bones, and he is rather "flat"- like a fish. That is, if he tries to lay on his back, he simply falls to one side or the other because his spine sticks out. He weighs about 60 lbs. He eats normally- Iams dry chunks and a fair amount of protein scraps each day (chicken or poirk or beef). He was treated for whipworms in February, and is on heartworm prevention and Frontline. He seems to have normal strength and stamina. He is very much loved and cared for. Any ideas as to how to put some weight on him, or why he is so skinny?


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Has he been checked out by a vet? (Besides for the worms.)


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Take him in and have the vet do a cTLI and cobalamine/folate tests. The cTLI is to test for Exocrine Pancreatic Deficiency (EPI) and the cobalamine/folate test the B12 and folate levels which can show SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and a B12 deficiency. 70% of all dogs diagnosed with EPI are GSD's. When was the last time he was at the vet and what is the normal amount of food he eats?


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Also, what did his poo look like? Can you post any pics?


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Also, welcome to the board.


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## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

Yes, the vet just thought he was bred that way. He was treated for whipworms in Feb.


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## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: jaggirl47Also, welcome to the board.


Thanks


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Maybe find a new vet? The only dogs that are "bred that way" are some of the sight hounds. (Greyhounds ect...) And even THEY shouldn't be as skinny as it sounds like your boy may be.

A backbone that "protrudes" a little COULD be the way he is built. But that doesn't explain the ribs showing.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

> Originally Posted By: jaggirl47Take him in and have the vet do a cTLI and cobalamine/folate tests. The cTLI is to test for Exocrine Pancreatic Deficiency (EPI) and the cobalamine/folate test the B12 and folate levels which can show SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and a B12 deficiency. 70% of all dogs diagnosed with EPI are GSD's.


I would second that recommendation. Make sure you fast him for 12 hours prior to the blood draw for an accurate reading.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

http://www.epi4dogs.com/
http://www.wsgenetics.org/epi.htm
http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/cgr/EPI%20Research.htm
http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/gilab/assays/tli.shtml
http://www.epi-research-fund.com/index.htm

These are some good articles to print and take to the vet. Many vets don't recognize the symptoms when they see them. Also, do you have a pic?


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## Foster Mon (May 21, 2009)

Most folks here will recommend better food. If his blood work comes back good and poop samples good, I suggest changing food.
Depending on your budget and availability.... Eukanuba is better than Iams or Royal Canin for gsd. People food every once in a while is ok. Suggest buying a small bag of large breed puppy food and mix with adult food. Also a baked sweet potatoe (without the skin) is good, fat free plain yougurt (a tablespoon) with dry food. If the dog has EPI or SIBO, then you need to change the feeding according to vet recommendations. Read on -line and there was a long article in WholeDogJournal some time ago explaining treatment and feeding. I had a rescue that was EPI.... with the right treatment and feeding supplement, the dog gained 18lbs and looks great. Thanks for adopting and welcome aboard


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Eukanuba is pretty much the same as Iams. It is the same company. If the dog does have EPI, you will need a low fat/low fiber diet. You can look on these boards and find some good recommendations for food.


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## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

Heres a picture (cute, isn't he?)


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

When was the last time he went to the vet? And he is more than cute, he is gorgeous!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Here's a dog in a similar situation: http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1162527&page=1#Post1162527

Breeding can determine how long and narrow a chest is, but skinny is skinny. My Max has a long, deep, narrow, chest. With this type of body build, please be sure to read the bloat sticky in the health section so that you can recognize the signs.


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## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: jaggirl47When was the last time he went to the vet? And he is more than cute, he is gorgeous!


Feb 2009, and thanks!  x100


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

How long has he been skinny? Do you have any pics of him standing so we can see the side view? How does his poo look? Is it firm, runny?


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## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: jaggirl47How long has he been skinny? Do you have any pics of him standing so we can see the side view? How does his poo look? Is it firm, runny?


He was skinny when we first saw him; he didn't change in skinniness, and his poo is the same as any other dogs'.


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## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

He's sleepy


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

I wouldn't say the same as any other dog's. Many dogs have issues with explosions, loose stool, runny stool, cow paddy stool, firm stool. Also, the color and consistensy and how often he uses the bathroom are very important. These are alot of things that you have to factor in with any kind of possible maldigestion issue.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

Take a look at the stool on this site and see if your dog has anything similar.
http://www.epi4dogs.com/


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## windwalker718 (Oct 9, 2008)

Maybe it's just me... but the pictures don't show him to be all that scrawny... 

As he's had an issue with Whips... you should start having fecals done every couple weeks. Whips don't have a set cycle like hookworm where they hatch completely in 3 weeks. They can hang in there for LONG periods without shedding eggs. If he's kenneled at all @ the house you should also treat his potty areas to kill any eggs in that area. If he's on HW + you may not see eggs being shed, but still have an issue there...often with a bad case of whipworm it can supress the hookwork that might be present also. At the very least have fecals run every 3-4 weeks for the next few months to be sure there's not a problem there.

As others have suggested have your vet run a complete pannel on him to see if there's some digestive issues involved. If there's no underlying issue with his health, then changing to a different protein based food would be a suggestion. Iams/ Eucanuba and most of your comercial foods are Grain based, or "Animal byproducts" (which means they include feathers, bones, skin, intestines etc...) You might watch for something that lists MEAT of one kind or another in the top items on the feed list. Meeting with a Canine Nutritionist would be a good direction also.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

If you click on the pic of him laying down it makes the pic bigger and he is pretty skinny. You can see his ribs and hip bones, they stick out pretty good.


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## emzl (Aug 9, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: jaggirl47Take a look at the stool on this site and see if your dog has anything similar.
> http://www.epi4dogs.com/


We have 2 dogs, and their poop always looks the same. Nothing like above.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: jaggirl47If you click on the pic of him laying down it makes the pic bigger and he is pretty skinny. You can see his ribs and hip bones, they stick out pretty good.


I was going to post the pic here, but it's much too large. Here's the link: http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1541/1002025k.jpg

I would definitely get a better food, and also add enzymes, regardless of stool quality. If that didn't work, I would try Tylan.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Please take some more pictures of your lovely dog - standing up would be great, from the side and from above.


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