# Too skinny?



## Marines02 (Dec 2, 2010)

Hi my name is Chris and I have a 5 & a half month old GSD named Rip. I took him to the vet yesterday to get his last set of shots and he weighed in at 60lbs on the dot. I thought it was and ok weight, maybe even a little big but the vet says he's too skinny. He wants me to feed him more so he can bulk up. I read shepherds don't fill out until about 1yrs, so my question is should I take the vets advice and feed him more or keep doing what im doing.
His sire is 125lbs and his dame is between 85 and 90lbs. I don't want him to grow too fast and strain his hips and joints. Thanks in advance!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Noooo! Let your pup grow slow. It is best for his growing joints. You should be able to see a rib or two and feel them when running your hands down the pups side. 
Muscle tone is important so make sure he is getting good exercise(not running repetitively on hard surfaces, though)
Vets are so use to seeing overweight dogs, they don't know that GSD's should be lean. My vet use to say the same thing about Karlo when he was young. 
As long as you are feeding a quality nutrition, just go by how he feels, and don't worry what the vet says.
Karlo was always ten # heavier every month til he hit about 10 months then he tapered off. So at 5 months he was in the 50's 6-60's.....etc. He gained an average of 3# a week on a raw diet. At 2 he is just shy of 90# and lean.


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## Marines02 (Dec 2, 2010)

Great thanks for the info....I feed him chicken soup for the puppy(large breed).


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

If that has corn in it, I would change to a kibble without fillers.
You also have to watch calcium/phosphorus content...there are only a few that are low enough to ensure proper growth.


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## stolibaby (Mar 6, 2011)

I occassionally worry about Stoli being too skinny as well he is 10.5 months old and at 10 months was just shy of 65 lbs and is lean as well. I was told that they tend to fill out later on so I don't worry and he is on Blue Buffalo Wilderness and eats the whole amount throughout the day and doesn't show any signs of needing more so I go with the recommended amount. He is a very happy boy too so I figure that we're ok and since he has a bad elbow I want to make sure he stays in a healthy weight so as to keep less stress on his joints. OK so my point was I think you're ok in terms of the skinniness


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Without a picture no one can really tell you if your puppy is too thin or not. Yes it is better to be LEAN, but they should not be SKINNY. Some people take the "better to be lean" too far IMHO and underfeed their puppies.


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

I agree, don't want them piling on the weight too fast, can cause all sorts of problems. As long as his stools are normal and he is gaining a couple lbs a week he should be fine. Better lean than fat! As long as you can't see every bone in his body, he is eating and exercising well and waste is normal, I would not be worried. It can take up to two years for a GSD to fully develop physically and mentally as well. Each dog grows at a different rate. Just be sure he is not losing weight, then I would be concerned. Not sure about a vet that wants a 5 1/2 month old puppy to bulk up,, especially with a GSD. Chance was right around 65 lbs at 5 1/2 months and after a rough go for a few months with a serious illness, is now 100 lbs at 18 months and looks fantastic.


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## CaseysGSD (Oct 15, 2010)

If you can see the ribs (which I like to see) the vets will always say they are too skinny especially the active working dogs!


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## lisgje (Sep 3, 2010)

Just a question and not being critical at all, but if you can see a bony rib cage, does that not mean the dog is too thin? Would really like to see more pictures of what people think is skinny, lean or fat. After having my dog nearly emaciated from IBD it is hard for me to understand people wanting to see a rib cage that you can see every rib. When Chance looks like that it means he is getting sick again. Went through the same thing with my previous GSD. I can see Chance's waist and he looks great, however, his rib cage is not bony and I can still feel his skeletal structure very well. His body is well defined without every bone sticking out.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

You should not see bones sticking out(hip bones) but a couple rib shadows is just fine. Muscle is just as important structurally....and if a dog has no muscle tone, then will not look healthy. I've seen a few young dogs that lack tone, aren't fat but sure don't look very good, and others that lack tone, are on the heavier side and don't look very good.....


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## Marines02 (Dec 2, 2010)

Ok here are some pic's


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

that's not too skinny at all!! my pup you can see ribs and his hips are starting to come out with mean i need to up his food a tad.

vets are like (the majority) or human doctors...they don't know anything. vets actually recommend science diet for dogs O.O ew, i would never feed my dog that.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

I may actually have to be unAmerican and go back to read the instructions on how to post pics. (can only remember can't be too big)


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## Marines02 (Dec 2, 2010)

Thanx again to everyone....you guys really put my mind at ease


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