# Won't gain weight!



## oilerfan (Aug 26, 2008)

Hey all, just looking for some advice/info.

I have a 1 1/2 year old GSD. I work at a holistic health food store for pets and have tried close to everything to help my Shepherd gain weight! He is currently 83lbs(and has stayed there for about 3 weeks now). The problem is he was steadily gaining weight til about 6 weeks ago. He was at 90lbs (still underweight for his size) and when I moved him out to my acerage he lost 10lbs in about a week! I was not surprised as his exercise was up-ed about 10 fold! 
Anways, I increased his kibble consumption 1 cup a day, then 2 and he was still losing weight! I added a protein/fat booster and he still lost weight! I switched him to raw, and finally he is maintaning his weight at 83lbs. He is not under fed, trust me! haha
My question is, has anyone come across this and is it normal? I know that the GSD can grow up to 3 years of age, but it seems odd to me that he has lost so much so fast and won't put it back on now. I have dewormed him and that didnt work either. I am sick of the sneers and comments of "wow, dont you feed your dog?!" Of course I do, and as I said, have tried everything!! Any suggestions on what else to try? 
He seems to be healthy(as the vet says...), and is definately happy! He isn't hungry and seems very content. Just skinny! He should weigh about 100-110lbs. 
I am open for any thoughts, opinions, and advice!
Thanks for your time all!


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## rizzodm (Mar 16, 2008)

People are use to seeing overweight dogs. Could you post pics becasue the numbers you are giving seem okay for a large gsd.


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

Dewormed him with/for what?

I would start with deworming for hooks/whips and tapes (panacur and droncit).

If he neutered? How much and what are you feeding him in his raw diet? Don't go by numbers of items - like 2 chicken legs, tell us the weight of everything.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why should you're dog weigh 100lbs to 110lbs ? 83lbs is big.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Your 1 1/2 years old pup hasn't filled out yet. You want to make him fat.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

doggiedad, there are males that tip the scale at over 100 lbs. I own one and if I keep his weight under 105 he has more problems with his immune system and I can feel his hip bones at anything under 100 lbs. So there are dogs out there that are big, my dog is not fat, just big. I would post pictures but being a LC it isn't always easy to see, so I use my hands.


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## oilerfan (Aug 26, 2008)

Hey 
Thanks so much for the speedy replies guys! I am unsure of how to attach the pictures, so if someone could give me some direction that then I would be happy to post them!
He is dewormed for all that stuff...it is a holistic blend, worked for both my Lab and my Shepherd...he is neutered, yes. He is eating 3 cups of kibble in the morning(again, holistic dog food...meat, no by-products) and 3lbs of raw meat (duck for the high fat content) at night. I was feeding him 4.5 lbs of raw, but for cost wise I switched to the kibble/raw. I also suppliment him with salmon oil everyday and 1 can of tripe per week. Plus raw bones and treats throughout the week.
I don't appreciate the comment about trying to make my dog fat. I have a fat Lab thank you and she has lost 10lbs on her new diet. My dog is showing not only his rib bones but also his hip bones, and the comments of "do you feed you dog?" wouldnt be coming if I was trying to make him fat. I'm trying to make him normal weight. If it weren't for the fact that he WAS 90lbs and gaining(which he still looked skinny at 90lbs but it was a normal weight range for his size and age), then suddenly lost 10lbs, I wouldnt be asking for advice. 
I understand Shepherds grow and fill out til they are 2 or 3 but he is seriously underweight! He stands 24" at least(give or take 2") at the hackels, thats a large shepherd! Also, apart from my own research of what he should weigh, the vet said he should be between 110-120lbs!
Thanks for the feedback, and if I can get the info on how to post pics I'd be happy to...I agree, its hard to see in pics and I use my hands as well, but I found some that you can see the skinny-ness a little better. In person, there is no doubt as to his weight issue.


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## oilerfan (Aug 26, 2008)

hey I found the poston how to upload pics...hope it works!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Are you seeing any digestive symptoms -- soft mushy stools?

Has any bloodwork been run?


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

Sorry oilerfan I can't help you out but where do you live in Alberta? We live in Red Deer.


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

It's a little tough to tell with sables from photos, but he might be on the thin side. I keep Dante lean at 85ish pounds, he's 4 years old and 26.75" tall. I can tell you though that I have people accuse me of not feeing my dog enough because people are so used to seeing fat dogs. I no longer listen to them at all! (Pictures of Dante at end of post







)

Have you had him tested for Giardia (with the Antigen test, NOT the regular Giardia test)? Giardia can cause malabsorbtion, been there done that with Dante and it was not fun! 
3 cups of kibble (what kibble are you feeing?) and 3 pounds of raw is a LOT of food, a LOT of food!!!!


Taken w/cell phone not best but is most recent:


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## oilerfan (Aug 26, 2008)

I am feeding him Core Wellness Ocean blend for kibble and Top Hand Duck full meal in raw...I know its alot of food! haha but its what is recommended for his age, weight and size. And even though its alot, he still isnt gaining! What do you feed Dante? He looks much more full than Bosco for their size comparisons(although there is quite an age difference). Beautiful dog by the way...I am going to re-measure him when i get home from work...maybe my measurments were off.
He has been treated for Giardia already....no blood work done as of yet. Not the biggest fan of vets who want to charge me $100 for just the test! His stool is normal, no diarrhea...its actually pretty firm and disinigrates after awhile if I miss it on the poop-pick up.
Thanks though for the suggestion, I am goign to look up other disorders that may cause mal-nutrition.

I am from Red Deer as well (Markerville). I work at the Tail Blazers...I think we may have met...I remember Link...is he friends with Teena's boy? You can understand now why I am so frusterated! haha I see so many dogs do wonderful on the raw and I have tried everything in my store with no results! Sure enough, I am the one with the dog that doesn't respond to the things that work so well for my customers! haha Link is gorgeous! Can't wait to meet him oneday!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

He looks skinny and that is A LOT of food! What about EPI? That's my first thought. 

Ok, just read Barb's post and giardia is a good thought too. How are his poops????? Ok, just saw your poop report. 

Hmmm, well, giardia is a lot cheaper to test for than EPI!


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

Core gave Dante gas







as have all the grain free foods







I'm now feeding Nature's Logic http://www.natureslogic.com/ and am very happy with it. Dante also gets a bit of raw but not 50/50 any more.

When Dante had Giardia it took 2 rounds of 2 different antibiotics to get rid of the Giardia, he did have poop "issues" though. But the weight thing really was a big part of his problem with the Giardia. At that point (Don't remember what I was feeding, went through a lot since 2 Giardia tests came back false negative) but Dante was eating 6+ cups of food a day! 

You said you're feeding 3 cups + 3 pounds of raw - Wellness has between 3-4 cups per DAY. 3 pounds of raw would be 3% of a 100 pound dog per DAY - so your dog is getting twice as much food as what is "usual".

Of course, every dog is different and it sounds like your youngster has recently had a HUGE increase in activity level, but like you said, if I were you, I'd take a look at some things that might cause malabsorbtion, as well as perhaps the Core isn't the right kibble. 



> Quote:He looks much more full than Bosco for their size comparisons(although there is quite an age difference). Beautiful dog by the way










Thank you. By the way, Dante didn't look like a grown up until he was 3-4 (turned 4 in March).


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: BowWowMeowHe looks skinny and that is A LOT of food! What about EPI? That's my first though.


See, I didn't even go there, should have - been there too (kinda)








Though Dante's turned out to be the Giardia I was happy for the EPI testing to rule it out.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Here's a place to start while you're deciding on testing:

A good digestive enzyme and a good probiotic. That did WONDERS for Rafi. He looked like this when I adopted him:










And now he looks like this:


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

There is NO way a 24 inch tall GSD should weigh 120lbs! Sorry, but your vet is on crack! My 29 inch tall dog only weighed 99lbs. (24 inches for a male is on the small side for a male.)

That said, he does look a litle thin in the pictures. Hope you get what ever is going on with him figured out.


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

Oilerfan I think we have met too. Yes Link is friends with Teena's Rico. That is funny. We will be in this weekend to get more Top Hand for Link, sorry that your dog is not doing very well.


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## oilerfan (Aug 26, 2008)

Yeah thats what I was thinking, I think that I definately need to re-measure him (he was measured at 5months old). Rafi looks great, and thats a great suggestion thank you. 
When feeding raw, we should feed for what they should weigh, not what they do weigh...also, he is still in the "puppy" range for his activeness, and so he should be eating 4-5% of his "should-be" weight of 100lbs. so, 4-5lbs of raw a day(so im doing 3 lbs of raw and the 3 cups of kibble-core is the only thing he react well to, he is allergic to chicken and doesnt do well on anything else i have tried him on...i know, i have some issues here with this dog! also, when he was on straight kibble, he was eating 6-8 cups of food so he has always been in the "above average" range for food wise. liek you said, all dogs are different and the feeding guidelines are suggestions only for the average dog...that doesnt take into consideration the breed, activeness, etc.) sorry, just trying to work this all out in my head so it makes sense.
I shoudl also put it out here that this is not a deadly issue here, Im not worried about him keeling over anytime soon, I was just hoping to get the weight issue under control so it doesnt effect him long-term wise. 
I am hearing more and more that people's Shepherds weren't mature til 3 or 4, so I'm hoping this is just an age thing, that he will fill into himself in time. It just seemed odd to me that he lost so much, so fast and wont gain it back. As I said, he still looked skinny at 90lbs though. 
I'm going to try and absorb all this and look some stuff up. Thanks for all the info and suggestions guys, it's greatly appreciated!


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## Barb E (Jun 6, 2004)

24" at 5 months is way different than 24" at 1+!!









Look into the malabsorbtion things (like EPI etc) 'cause even with the 4-5% of adult weight, he's putting away a lot of food!!


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## oilerfan (Aug 26, 2008)

Hey all...I got locked out of my account for awhile there, but wanted to update you guys...
I did re-measure him and he is 30.5" at the hackels...craziness! I have been trying a few different things with him...I have started him on a performance dog food and some raw still plus chicken backs...we'll see how he does. He seems happy and other than the rib-y thing he is healthy so I'm just making sure I do my part to keep him that way!


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## muddypaw (Jan 8, 2012)

I understand your concern. Shadow is 18 months and on the lean side as well, gets 4 cups of Fromm Large Breed a day. But we walk 1.5 miles in the morning, and same at night, so I guess she is exercising it off....Her poo is fine unless she gets table scraps, then they get loose. Still, I hate the "starving dog" comments from neighbors with their overweight Labs!


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## Billn1959 (Aug 11, 2012)

When my Molly turned 2, she lost a lot of weight. You could see her ribcage really well. She was eating like a horse. He poop was real runny and yellowish and she would try to eat it. The vet took lots of tests, tried different diets then sent us to a specialist. They found she had Pancreatic Insufficiency Disorder. Her pancreas wasn't producing enough enzymes to break down her food for digestion. They prescribed medicine called Viokase. We have to feed her 3-4 pills before she eats. After a few months, she ha put a lot of her weight back. She's still a little on the skinny side but is doing well. Blood tests will be able to tell is its something like this.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

did you have the h20 tested from the stream in one of your pics?


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

From what I've read so far, although your dog is eating alot, he's not acting as though he's starving and wants more. He also has firm stool so it doesn't really line up with EPI. Still wouldn't hurt to rule it out if this continues but most EPI dogs cannot get enough food and their stool is far from solid.


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## sirius (Dec 15, 2010)

oilerfan said:


> Hey all...I got locked out of my account for awhile there, but wanted to update you guys...
> I did re-measure him and he is 30.5" at the hackels...craziness! I have been trying a few different things with him...I have started him on a performance dog food and some raw still plus chicken backs...we'll see how he does. He seems happy and other than the rib-y thing he is healthy so I'm just making sure I do my part to keep him that way!


First of all, thank you for making this thread, I'm having the same problem with my GSD mix. The only difference's he's 54 pound, and 24"-25" inches, tall.

Also, your dog's huge. I have a 28" inch tall, GSD and I thought that was big... Btw, your dog's gorgeous, I would love to see more pictures of him! 

*Edit* It just occurred to me that this thread's four years old, and the OP hasn't been active for at least/ over a year. /:


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## Mollie Hallas (May 21, 2020)

oilerfan said:


> Hey all, just looking for some advice/info.
> 
> I have a 1 1/2 year old GSD. I work at a holistic health food store for pets and have tried close to everything to help my Shepherd gain weight! He is currently 83lbs(and has stayed there for about 3 weeks now). The problem is he was steadily gaining weight til about 6 weeks ago. He was at 90lbs (still underweight for his size) and when I moved him out to my acerage he lost 10lbs in about a week! I was not surprised as his exercise was up-ed about 10 fold!
> Anways, I increased his kibble consumption 1 cup a day, then 2 and he was still losing weight! I added a protein/fat booster and he still lost weight! I switched him to raw, and finally he is maintaning his weight at 83lbs. He is not under fed, trust me! haha
> ...


I wonder if he may have giardia or campylobacter - in case you don't know these are parasites not killed by normal worming tablets. The dogs stools are usually runny and yellow. Your vet will need to test his faeces to check this as they cannot be seen by the naked eye.


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## Gwyllgi (Aug 16, 2017)

OP has not been here since 2011.

Sent from my LYA-L09 using Tapatalk


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