# Puppy too skinny?



## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

I'm thinking Kain is on the skinny side. He's 12 weeks old today and weighs 23 lbs. His Dad is 90 lbs and his Mom is German lines 75 lbs. I'm feeing him Wellness LBP. The bag says 2.5 cups a day, but we've been feeding him 2 cups twice a day. I know the bag is just a guideline, but he seems so skinny to me. His hip bones stick out and I can feel his spine so easily. Is this gangly GSD syndrome or his he too skinny?


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## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

Add: he's very energetic and is a happy boy! He goes on walks daily.


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

Can't help without a picture. Preferably from the top and parallel to the side. You can't judge a puppy's weight by numbers alone. The body condition is all that matters. My 6.5 month old bitch is 39 pounds and is a very healthy weight. It depends on each individual dog.


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## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

Best I can do he is squirmy! And it's not the lbs that bother me, it's the way he looks and feels. He feels like a bag of bones on the top but his tummy isn't tucked up too bad on the bottom.


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

He looks thin. Feeding that much food I would be thinking parasites or something. How are his poops? 


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Has he been to the vet and had a fecal? At 12 weeks old, he should have. My pups 2 weeks younger and almost half that weight and he's perfectly fine.

Couple pointers though. It's better to feed 3 times a day at that age if possible. I'm feeding 1 cup in 3 separate meals. 

Also, I'd be careful about those walks too. How many sets of shots has he had so far? I'd wait until a minimum of his second shot before letting him walk around like that. Some will say wait until his third set at around 16 weeks to make sure he's fully vaccinated and protected.


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

Even if his poops are ok I would take him to the vet. Get checked over and probably deworm anyways. Your feeding almost double the recommended daily amount. I went and double checked it too. He shouldn't be so thin at that amount of food. Something is going on. 


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## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

He was dewormed at 8 weeks. His 12 week appt is coming up next week. Feeding him 3 times daily isn't possible with our work schedule. I'm worried he will have to poop too much and we won't be here to let him out. His poops are good. 3x daily at regular times solid.

He's in a key socialization period, so I'm not counting on the rare case of him getting a disease walking on the sidewalk around our block in exchange for him being well socialized. Vets are more concerned with disease than behavioral issues.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Parvo isn't that rare. There are a lot of other ways to socialize than taking your puppy for daily walks, but it's your pup.

If the vet says he's healthy, I'd stop worrying about weight. He's probably fine.


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## thegsdis4me (Jul 7, 2013)

My dog was eating alot also and still not getting any heavier. I took her to the vet who referred me to a Gastro Specialist for dogs and they found that she had Pancreatic Insufficiency, she had to be on a supplement of enzymes and special Science diet food but she live to be 8 and died of something totally different. Just a suggestion.


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## Ceasar (Jul 30, 2012)

He looks thin to me. I'd be concerned that he's not gaining weight with the amount of food he's getting. You're putting good stuff in, and getting what looks like normal stuff coming out... Somewhere in the middle of that process there's a disconnect, metabolics, digestive, parasitic? Something. Describe the texture and condition of his coat. It's hard to tell from the pics.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

My pup looks that thin, however last time at the vet (a couple of weeks ago), he had gained 10 lbs in 3 weeks. He was just growing growing so kept looking thin .. he still does. My husband and mother both think he needs some fleshing out. He's eating over 5 cups a day though. Crazy!


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## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

Thanks for all the great replies! At 8 weeks he was 13 lbs so he has gained 10 lbs in the past month. He is just starting to grow in his adult fur on the top. His coat is very shiny and does not feel brittle at all. He has just shot up in height, so that's why I was debating whether it was him doing the GSD gangly thing or not. Either way I'm gonna take him to the vet and find out. He's getting his vaccines and deworming again this Saturday. Good info on the Pancreatic condition though.

I've had issues with food amounts before. My Yorkie had to eat 1 cup of food for the first 3 years of his life which is double the recommended amount for a dog his size. If I fed him any less he would drop weight within days. The vet said he was just really high energy and needed more! Now that he's almost 4 I'm down to 1/2 cup for him. 

Thanks for the opinions and info, it hasn't put my mind at ease but definitely makes me aware!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you're pup is fine. don't over feed him. you have to do what
works for your pup.



aqueous18 said:


> I'm thinking Kain is on the skinny side. He's 12 weeks old today and weighs 23 lbs. His Dad is 90 lbs and his Mom is German lines 75 lbs. I'm feeing him Wellness LBP. The bag says 2.5 cups a day, but we've been feeding him 2 cups twice a day. I know the bag is just a guideline, but he seems so skinny to me. His hip bones stick out and I can feel his spine so easily. Is this gangly GSD syndrome or his he too skinny?


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

If poops and fur are good, and he seems otherwise healthy, He's probably just going through a growth spurt. When my do was very underweight she also had a chronic diarrhea problem. 


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## mego (Jan 27, 2013)

I took my pup to the vet around that age and a vet tech said that she looked too skinny, but the actual vet said that she looked fine. She looked similar to your pup. My vet said that a lot of times they grow in a spurt, then fill out a bit, then spurt again and look lanky, then fill out, etc. I think he's just going through a spurt too.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

I think he looks fine. Jazz was 13 pounds at 9 weeks, 20 pounds at 12 weeks. He's now an 85 pound dog. The 4.5 cups does seem like a lot of food though for his age.


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## aqueous18 (May 13, 2013)

Thanks for putting my mind at ease a little! He doesn't eat all his food normally. We offer 2 cups in the AM, 2 in the PM. I pick it up after 20 minutes and sometimes he eats it all, but usually half a cup left per feeding. With his age and weight it recommends 2.5 a day so I think we're gonna try that and see to get a better idea. 


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