# Does my 6 month old seem a little too thin??



## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

Ive noticed lately that Sammie seems to be looking a little on the thin side. I know that puppies seem to go through this when they are growing like they do but do you guys think its time to once again up her food intake? She is eating diamond naturals LBP and getting 4 1/2 cups a day. My mother's dog (sammie's sister) is on the same food and eating the same amount per day and despite being a little shorter and not as long, she weighs the exact same as sammie. Her weight seems perfect. Sammie is 48 lbs and 23" tall. Here are some pics...


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I would say a little thin, bit too much indentation between the ribs. 

I know my pups grow in spurts the first year, and I have to adjust the food with increasing and decreasing with what I see. So I'd just up the food (1/2 more per meal? ) and see how he looks in a few weeks.


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## kimi (Jul 29, 2010)

What does the package say on the dog food? How much should he/she be eating??


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Irrelevant what the package says, you feed the dog what they need to maintain.

I agree that a little more food would benefit Sammie.  I just had to up my malinois food...again. He's gone up a couple times in the last 4 months or so with growth spurts.


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

It says for a puppy 5-7 months old and 40-60lbs to feed between 3 1/2 cups and 4 2/3 cups. Were definitely on the upper end of that now


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

how long do you think a half a cup per day will take to notice a difference?


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

The second photo looks like the pup is not too thin, just 'slim'. She is tall and slender. My dog had the same build. A lot of members in this forum have heavy, stocky types which is a different build than your dog. Your pup is eating enough at 4 cups a day. Filling out doesn't occur until 18 months to 2 years or more.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

I would up her food by a half a cup a day and see how it goes. You can clearly see indents between her ribs at a standstill. Just dont over feed but she still needs enough food to get the right amount of nutrients in order to grow.


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## kmarti32 (Mar 28, 2011)

sportsman1539 said:


> It says for a puppy 5-7 months old and 40-60lbs to feed between 3 1/2 cups and 4 2/3 cups. Were definitely on the upper end of that now


Another thing you might want to double check...when I was feeding BB LBP food the directions gave the recommended amount based on age of the puppy and the adult weight they will grow to be. So, I fed him BB LBP, and at 6 months old and adult weight of 71 to 100 lbs it says to feed 4-5 cups per day. Now that does vary depending on the food you are feeding. And I do agree with Rerun that you should feed the dog what he needs because not all dogs are the same. 

My little guy was looking pretty skinny for a while too and I ended up switching his food because he was just not interested in the food at all (Blue Buffalo). As soon as I switched him he chowed down every time I put the food in his dish. Feeling much better about his weight now. Good luck!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

sportsman1539 said:


> how long do you think a half a cup per day will take to notice a difference?


Think I'd up it 1/2 to even a full 1 cup more a day for at least a few weeks and should start seeing your dog fill out a bit.

I know my dogs go thru growth spurt as well as nutritional needs type spurts. So I just up the amount of food if they are a bit too lean, or cut back a bit if they seem a bit too heavy.


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

kmarti32 said:


> Another thing you might want to double check...when I was feeding BB LBP food the directions gave the recommended amount based on age of the puppy and the adult weight they will grow to be. So, I fed him BB LBP, and at 6 months old and adult weight of 71 to 100 lbs it says to feed 4-5 cups per day. Now that does vary depending on the food you are feeding. And I do agree with Rerun that you should feed the dog what he needs because not all dogs are the same.
> 
> My little guy was looking pretty skinny for a while too and I ended up switching his food because he was just not interested in the food at all (Blue Buffalo). As soon as I switched him he chowed down every time I put the food in his dish. Feeling much better about his weight now. Good luck!


 
I think my dog would try to eat the whole bag of dog food if she could. She has no problem eating. She isnt picky at all. Im going to up her intake and see what happens.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I would up her food a little too....to me, she does look slightly too thin.
Weight on a dog is "suggestive mostly"...you must look at your dog and judge if their body substance & muscle ratio is balanced.
I too have 6 mo old puppies, and although they do go through a "gangly" stage.....they show body substance, while remaining thin.

Feed your dog accordingly...amounts of food will vary from product to product.
IF you find that you are feeding "larger" amounts of a certain product.....it is a good indication that the product is not the best for your particular dog.
JMO


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

she has done really well on the food so im not even think about changing it. i think she just recently hit a growth spurt that made her look thin and her body hasnt caught up yet. thats why her sister who eats the same amount and same food and who is shorter doesnt look lanky and is just right weight wise. sammie is already in the standard height wise of a full grown female at 23 inches


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## Scleropages (Jan 24, 2011)

My boy is about 23-24" and weighs 75lbs at 6-3/4 months and he is definitely not fat. I think Sammie could use another cup a day at the least.


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

Yea she is tall and lanky. Im going to up it to 5 cups per day and see how that does for a few weeks. If you thought she looked thin before, she was spayed today and now looks extremely thin.


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## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

My little guy looked like a freakin snake for a while at that age due to his high energy output and gorwth in height. Could not give him enough. He was up to 6 cups at one point and still staying trim. He now eats 4 cups a day, is healthy with a tuck and waist and about 74 pounds.

I did a finger rib check to ensure he gained the right weight.


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

my guy looks the same right now and both the breeder and the trainer say he's fine


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

I thought I would give an update on what she looks like since I upped her food. We had a little set back since she was spayed 2 days after I started this thread. She definitely lost some weight after the surgery but she quickly regained it back plus some more. She still doesnt look much different though. Still very lanky. I think the pics indead make it look worse than it is. Shes was 48 lbs then and is now between 50 and 51. Her sister Mya is about 49 lbs now. The last pic is what Mya looks like which to me is perfect. Mya eats about 3.5 to 4 cups a day and Sammie eats 5 cups a day.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

She is a very pretty girl, I think she just needs a few pounds more on her.


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

I think she looks perfect. I keep my dog even slightly more leaner than that.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Well I think she looks better. In the earlier shots you could see the dents between each of her ribs all the way to her shoulder. Now I'm just seeing the last ones near her abdomen.

I personally would keep her on the extra food for just a couple more pounds, but you are definitely on the right path!


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

Ok im still having some problems getting the weight on her. Nothing serious but I always get comments on how thin she looks. About a month ago she finally had added some weight. She got up to 57 lbs. I had her weighed a few days ago for her flea pill and she actually lost 1/2 a lb at 24in tall. Keep in mind she will be 9 months in about a week. She does get a lot of exercise. Probably 30 min of intense fetch a day. Im currently feeding her 4 cups per day. Her sister Mya is down to 3 cups per day and is maintaining her figure very well. BTW, Mya is the smaller of the two. Im thinking of switching her to Diamond naturals extreme athlete but I was wondering if a food with that high of protein and fat is good or bad for a growing 9 month old or should I not worry about her weight while she continues to grow?


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I'm curious too. We've got our puppy on Extreme Athlete and he looks really good. He's about 6mos. and is bulking out a bit (he was quite underweight when we got him).


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## Crookedcreekranch (May 27, 2008)

Just want to double check some other issues besides food amounts. Has she had a thorough health check up so you can rule out other reasons for her lack of weight gain?
Are stools normal? digestion issues? You haven't mentioned any other problems in this thread in this regard.  
She is lean ...this also is her age when lankiness is common. However do some basic testing such as one to rule out some things...such as tick diseases which can cause dogs to not gain / loose weight.


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## Thru the Viewfinder (Aug 8, 2011)

I personally think she looks great. I also got a lot of "is she sick?" and "I think she looks hungry, do you forget to feed her?" and of course the most common from well-meaning strangers and friends, "She's too skinny, right?" Most familiar with the breed knows well the gangly, lanky, awkward growing stage they go through. Do what you think is best, and if you are concerned about her health otherwise ask your vet or breeder (if you are in contact with them).


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

My dog was about the same size at that age. Assuming no health issues, that may simply be her build. Some shepherds stay narrow and lean and don't have the well-sprung ribs and heavy bone like the others. That is true of my dog. People keep asking when is she going to fill out. Probably never. I can't see or feel ribs or hips, she is healthy and very fit. Some are built to be models, some are built to be football players. Vive la difference.


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## TrixiesMom (Aug 10, 2011)

My Grandmother had a GSD (Pepsi) that was skinny, and I mean SKINNY! She lived to be 13, and she never gained weight, we could always see her ribs. The vet was at a loss, they kept doing tests on her, putting her on medication, but nothing worked, she just stayed the same weight, even increasing her food intake never helped. She was healthy and happy and she lived to be a grumpy old dog. People would seriously think that my grandma NEVER fed her. Even the humane society came out to see what was going on. My grandma had to show them all the vet bills and prescriptions to prove that she was taking her to the vet and not starving her. Good times!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

That is where digestive enzymes would have helped. Was Pepsi diagnosed with EPI?


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## sportsman1539 (Jan 22, 2011)

I'm not really concerned about her weight health wise because I know she is going through a lanky stage but I think her overall appearance would be better with a few more pounds on. Everything has been normal with her stools and I really dont believe its anything other than just the stage she is going through. I always get the comment about how thin she looks and how much bigger their female shepherd is. She's actually in the upper end on the height for a female. 

Also, does anyone know if it is ok to feed a 9 month old puppy a food that is meant for more athletic/working dogs? A food this is high in protein and fat?


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