# tall and skinny



## trudy (Aug 25, 2008)

I have been watching and adding to the height chart sand my boy was always in there in the middle but all of a sudden, from Oct 21 when I measured him at 24 inches and 6.5 months, he at 7.5 months is now 26". The bad thing is he has only gained 5 pounds. He is healthy, we went to the vet yesterday and he is eating lots and acting fine but he is soooo thin. In this time I switched his food from Pro Plan puppy to Wellness, (not Core), he is eating 4.5 -5 cups split between 2 meals. That is the amount of Pro Plan I fed and I haven't cut back any but it is way over recommended amounts. Any suggestions or did anyone else's dog so this? Should I cut back his food? Should I switch to something else? Is this sudden height growth normal and he will catch up. He has no body, only legs and is now almost square.


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: trudy He has no body, only legs and is now almost square.












He's an akward gangly teenager. Mandalay is too and I was worried about it, too. I had mentioned it here and then at the vets and was told the same thing from both sources...she'll grow out of it.


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

don't ya just hate that gangly stage. it is funny though how funky some of the stages they go through. my storm is 17 months and sometimes he still looks gangly to me, lol, lol!


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## Rügen (Mar 19, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: trudy In this time I switched his food from Pro Plan puppy to Wellness, (not Core), he is eating 4.5 -5 cups split between 2 meals. That is the amount of Pro Plan I fed and I haven't cut back any but it is way over recommended amounts. Any suggestions or did anyone else's dog so this? Should I cut back his food? Should I switch to something else? Is this sudden height growth normal and he will catch up. He has no body, only legs and is now almost square.


Hi, Let me start by saying I'm no expert, just someone else who's muddled through this too









I think that 2" in one month is a pretty considerable growth spurt, generally it's better for the formation of their joints if you can slow the growth down. I was glad to see that you've switched to an adult formula, that should help quite a bit. I would follow the feeding guidelines on the bag, but remember they are just guidelines. If you're still considering changing foods and aren’t sure where to go next, I'd suggest reading up about nutrition on this website: Dog Food Project, I found it enlightening. Hope it helps!

Oh, and I wouldn't worry about his teenage "squareness"







His muscles will catch up to his bones and in time he will fill out to his genetically predetermined size. Did his vet give him a clean bill of health? 

One last thing, I noticed (as a result of his growth spurt) he is pretty tall for his age. Did you already have him neutered? Early neutering does sometimes result in overall increased height. 

Catu started a height growth chart in this thread It's a great way to see where your boy falls and track his progress. She also put together a chart that allows you to see the general weight range for a GSD of similar height, regardless of age. 

Good Luck! and did we mention we love puppy photos!


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## trudy (Aug 25, 2008)

Thanks for all your answers. I'm glad some others have had the same thing. I never saw a dog so leggy, but there are probably lots we just notice our own. He hasn't been neutered, and won't be. I am hoping to show him. I have decided to switch from Wellness as he has also been scratching lots and got an ear infection, and the vet suggested allergies. I don't know what I'm going to, back to research. His breeder recommended Kirkland then go to a higher one, maybe the sudden jump in quality was too much? Anyway hopefully he stops the upward motion, By the way he was always in the middle of the chart, never near the tallest. His half brother, 2 I know, are 25 inches as adults.


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