# Help with weight gain



## Jaeger's Mom (Jun 25, 2013)

Hello.

I still have so many people telling me how skinny my dog is - he is pure bred, very expensive GSD and people fight me and tell me he is a rescue...

I feed him between 2 lbs - 2.5 lbs per day. I include all the fat and skin on the bone in meals. 

We havent been able to weigh him but he is sunken around his hip bones and I can see his ribs when he walks. 

He had a tape worm early in his life which potentially he cannot catch up to because he is so active and growing like a weed. 

I am nervous and considering adding kibble to bulk him up - I dont feel he is unhealthy but the weight I guess for esthetic purposes. 

The doggie class we go to said he is under weight and she should see a difference by the end otherwise something is wrong...?

Feed him more?

Thanks Ashley.


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## jafo220 (Mar 16, 2013)

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Maybe there is more than just one tapeworm? I'd recommend another vet visit. He in my mind should still fill out even as he grows, maybe not quick but he should still fill out some now if the worms are all gone. But thats my thought. If he's not, I'd have him checked again just to be sure. Other than that, maybe talk to a K-9 nutitionist and see what they recommend for his diet now. He may need alittle something extra to catch him up.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Can you post photos from the top and side? Many people look at a puppy of correct weight and think the puppy is too thin. 

How old is your puppy and how much does he weigh?


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

Some lucky dogs are naturally thin. Do follow through to make sure it's not a parasite or other health problem. Healthy coat & clear, bright eyes? Good activity level? Happy & responsive? These mean more than whether a dog is a bit thin. 

Note, an unexpected, inexplicable weight loss is always cause for concern, as is a failure for growing pups to truly fail to put on weight. These dogs often exhibit other signs for concern such as lethargy, unhealthy coat &/or eyes. Note too that rapidly growing pups frequently go through periods of being lanky which isn't automatically cause for concern.

Keep in mind more people should worry more about obesity in their dogs, which is far more common & seriously undermines health, yet it seems to be the skinny ones that push our buttons. My old Sibe from some years back was truly bone thin...Hollow hips, every rib showing starkly when he was wet, yet he could go 24/7, jump 5+ ft from a stand still, leap across a room, run like the wind & was always, Always, ALWAYS filled with exuberance & a joy for life. There was nothing wrong with his weight. He was just very active, not particularly food driven & naturally quite thin.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

Additionally, it's rarely advisable to try to put weight on a dog. Health problems? Effectively treat the problems & the dog will naturally gain weight. Malnourished? Don't rush to stuff the dog. Under the advice of a vet feed appropriate amounts of nutritionally dense food & the dog will naturally gain weight. Fix the primary problem & a healthy weight will follow. As with Cochise, my old Sibe, one dog's healthy weight can be quite lean. 

In my experience, carb heavy kibbles are the most effective at putting on weight, but it's not necessarily lean muscle mass. When I switched to high fat, high protein premium kibbles, Sam, my 1st GSD, actually got leaner despite consuming more calories! She came to me somewhat chunky & very food driven. I succeeded in getting her weight down to 'mildly plump' before I switched to premium kibbles & couldn't bring myself to further restrict her as she spent most of her waking hours snuffling around hoping to find an edible bit of something somewhere! I was pleasantly surprised to find that on premium kibble Sam & Spanky (American Bulldog) were less obsessed with food. I switched to RAW & Sam became even leaner & less food obsessed.

IMO, carb laden canine diets promote fat & water gain more than lean muscle mass. That's simply not beneficial to the dog even if it yields some magic number that's considered 'desirable' on some chart or standard.

Unfortunately, in many breeds, lean, healthy dogs have a tough time competing in conformation. Some breeds seem to prefer hefty & others settle for nothing less than out & out FAT. The double tragedy is many show dogs are also very young. They're most likely going to gain even more weight through the years & suffer the consequences in maturity. Among Wolfhounds, Rotties & Labs I've noticed that the lean dogs simply hold up better in their senior years, much, much better.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Jaeger's Mom said:


> I feed him between 2 lbs - 2.5 lbs per day. I include all the fat and skin on the bone in meals.
> 
> We havent been able to weigh him but he is sunken around his hip bones and I can see his ribs when he walks.


How old is he? To get a weight on him either take him to a vet's office and ask to weigh him (most vets won't charge for that) or go to a Walmart, buy a cheap scale, weigh yourself then pick up the dog and step on the scale. Subtract the two numbers to get the dog's weight.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Don't listen to non German Shepherd people. Everyone always says the same thing the dog is to skinny. For all of us who have owned many we know better.

That is how they look as young dogs just ignore them. I bet you the dog looks fine. i heard that over and over with my boy. Its not cool to have a heavy GSD.


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

Sadly, even some GSD people prefer them too heavy. Darned if I understand why...


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## Nero_89 (May 22, 2013)

If he truly is underweight then I would suggest switching to a high calorie diet, Ziwipeak is Organic & comprised of Real Meat flakes, it has everything a dog needs at all stages of life, I know this because my GSD suffered severe weight loss due to Parvo Virus, After he had recovered I tried almost everything out there but nothing delivered results as good as ziwipeak.


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## David Taggart (Nov 25, 2012)

Please, careful with these high calories... Have you ever heard about Atkins diet? What Is the Atkins Diet? Expert Review of This Diet Plan
Basically, you eat only meat and you start losing weight. It happens because process of digesting meat requires more enegy than eaten meat can provide. So, it happens, that it is easier for the body to store fat if it is easy to digest the meals. Swith onto chicken if you feed him beef, feed him plenty of sea fish, cottage cheese and other sour milk products, let his system to rest a little.
But, don't worry too much if he is happy and agile. Many young GSDs can appear too skinny.


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## Pooma (Jan 15, 2014)

I realize that many "other" people think a GSD is too skinny, but denial isn't always applicable. Under his long hair, my GSD looks emaciated. Are there any answers to this issue other than a very expensive ZiwiPeak food? I feed Atticus a high quality food (Merrick "Texas Beef" kibble mixed with "Beef Stew" canned), which is expensive in its own right. ZiwiPeak is considerably more unaffordable. Any recommendations for helping my GSD gain some weight? The vet says he's healthy overall but agrees that he is underweight by approximately 15 pounds. In comparison, his sire was 95-100 lbs and similar in body type. My GSD averages 75 - 80 lbs.


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