# 9 weeks old 8.5 pounds?



## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

I got my pup from the breeder last Friday. He is about 9 weeks old right now and when I took him to the vet he only weighed 8.5 pounds...I thought I must had read the scale wrong and he was 18.5...but when I got home I weighed him again and indeed he is only 8.5 pounds. I called the breeder and he said this is perfectly normal....but that just seems way to light for his age. He has been checked for worms, and was clear. He is very spunky when he's not sleeping and seems healthy other than loose stool.


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

ehh, don't know why the pictures didn't work. Anyway, his ribs or hips aren't showing, but can be felt easily. His backbone sticks up pretty good when petting him.


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## jenniep77 (Jul 31, 2008)

I'm no expert, but I'm sure he'll be okay. When we brought our Lucy home from the shelter at 12 weeks, she only weighed in at 10 lbs. Now she has almost tripled that weight. 

BTW: that is one adorable puppy!! I just copied/pasted one of your links and saw him. Very cute!!


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

Thank You! I hope he's okay, everyone I know say if I get this worked up over a puppy that I'll be a crazy man when we have kids lol.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Your pup is very cute. If he's eating good and gaining weight, he should be just fine. 

There's a few threads here with puppy height/weight
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=218891&page=1#Post218891

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=672057&page=1#Post672057

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=756766&page=3#Post756766

Maybe his breeder did what mine did - feed the whole litter from the same bowl. If your boy wasn't one of the dominant pups (that's a good thing), maybe he didn't get as much and he'll even out now that all the food belongs to him.

My pup was in a litter of 7 boys, he was the second largest at 8 weeks - 10lbs. My breeder said Otto would dive into the bowl and inhale all that he could. He still dives in but eats slower now, as long as my older dog doesn't get her eye on his dish!


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

yes, the breeder said he was having to compete for food so feed him all he wants now...the problem is I have a hard time keeping him interested in his food. The breeder was feeding him purina pro plan LBP, I'm going to slowly switch him over to Wellness LBP...maybe he will like it more.


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## Manfred (Sep 15, 2008)

Get some pig starter and mix that in with his puppy food , that'll fatten him up real quick like.....lol


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Wellness is a bit dry - yes I've tasted it - for your money you'll do better with Canidae. My finicky female loves Canidae. She was on wellness for 4 years and rarely finished a meal, on canidae, she's looking for more.


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

I was reading a lot of negative talk about Canidae and recent formula decisions...is it still a high quality food?


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

There are others who would argue it's not as good as it used to be. IMO, if the dog likes to eat it and is healthy, why spend the extra money.

This is my canidae boy - he's been on it his whole life









My 7 y/o female has done very well on it for 4 months - like I said she's very picky and she likes it.


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## Manfred (Sep 15, 2008)

Just keep in mind that changing a puppys food often is good for him either , nothing will give a puppy the squirts faster then changing his puppy food every other week.

we use "Purina One" Large Breed Puppy Formula and we have always ended up with large healthy dogs


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## ShepherdMania (Jun 17, 2008)

I have fed my dogs and all of my fosters Canidae and they do very well on it. The new formula basically changed the carbs so they can digest them easier.

I agree, changing their food a lot isn't good. Whatever one he likes and eats will work. 

He is beautiful!


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Here is my Canidae girl.

SHe has been on Canidae since she ws 10 weeks old. She was fed something else by the breeder, I gradually changed her over to Canidae after I got her at 8 weeks. She turned 6 months old last weekend.


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

He will only eat the food he's on now "Purina Pro Plan LB" once a day, and not even finish it. I thought Wellness LBP would had done it but I guess he will ignore it too.

Cost aside which is the better food... Innova LBP or Canidae ALS, and which do you guys think he would enjoy more?


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Sure ask about Innova, one of the few food we _haven't_ fed!


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

I already had the pet store special order Wellness LBP, and it wasn't in today like it was suppose to be so a manager hand delivered it from a town 60 miles a way...they are going to be ticked now lol.


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## Spiritsmam (Nov 10, 2007)

Hi

My Aoibhe is 12 weeks old and weighs 11lbs. She is growing only very slowly (1lb in the past 2 weeks) and has no guard hairs, so the vets thought she may be a dwarf. The test results came back today and she's not - her growth hormone level is right in the middle of normal. I'm now hoping that she is just a slow grower?


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

I went by the pet store to get canidae today0 and the pet boy said he wouldn't feed it because a guy who worked there had several pups die off of it. He said it needs to be kept at 60 degrees to keep the bacteria alive...and their trucks aren't refrigiated.....wth?


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: AxxelI went by the pet store to get canidae today0 and the pet boy said he wouldn't feed it because a guy who worked there had several pups die off of it. He said it needs to be kept at 60 degrees to keep the bacteria alive...and their trucks aren't refrigiated.....wth?


WTH is RIGHT!
That is one of the STRANGEST things I have EVER heard. I live in the desert with summer temps in the 90s and higher. Hasn't hurt the Canidae I feed!


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## Doug P. (Aug 7, 2008)

I'm sure not an expert on dog growth, but they all grow at there own pace. Our little Yeager was 6 weeks when we brought him home , he was 9.8 pounds and boy did he pack on the pounds fast...he is now 17 weeks,,,,37.4 pounds,,,not at all fat. We cook his meals, chicken breasts, carrots, beans, peas and long grain brown rice, also add in cooked liver and sirloin steak. It takes time but he has a wonderful shiney coat. I also add a raw egg once each week to one of his meals. Yeager eats twice each day, and I'm sure my wife spoils him as she takes him to her work each day. Best of luck with your new family member,,,there alot of fun,,,


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## mommyof1 (Sep 22, 2008)

Well Axel now weighs 9.8 pounds. We took him back to the vet yesterday. Atleast he is gaining weight instead of losing wieght.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Glad to hear it. They all grow at their own pace. Having a smaller male GSD is not a bad thing! If he grows up to be less than a giant, just be prepared to get strange people asking strange questions about his size. He sounds like he will grow up to be on the smaller side of perfectly normal with in the standard for the breed but all the wackos wants to see a supersized dog. Who wants to control a 120lb monster, not me, I prefer a male in the 70- 80 lb range!


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## mommyof1 (Sep 22, 2008)

Well his mom weighed about 65 and his dad weighed about 85.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Sounds like Axel will be a good manageable size! Otto's parents are 65 and 75 lbs, drives me nuts when people tell me he's going to be huge becuase he has big feet.


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## mommyof1 (Sep 22, 2008)

OMG...Axel's front feet are huge also. It is so cute to watch him run....he runs sideways. lol


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

Actually his mom was 75, and his dad 95. The breeder claimed he should be about 26" tall and 95 pounds in weight.


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## hethir (Sep 25, 2008)

Has anyone heard of Royal Canin? My breeder feeds his dogs that and that's what Clutch (now 12 weeks, 25lbs) has been fed. It has a lot of different formulas made for specific types of dogs. When Clutch gets older he gets to eat dog food made especially for GSDs! Also, my 1.5 yr old Posi has been on Blue Buffalo for a few months now. It kind of worries me that none of these foods has been mentioned. I'm always hearing good stuff about the Canidae. But I wonder.... Should puppies and full grown adults, even senior dogs eat the exact same food? Last I checked Canidae only had one type of food. What are your thoughts??


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## KCandMace (Apr 8, 2008)

Royal Canin and Blue buffalo have been mentioned in other threads for sure. 
There are different brands that have different forumlas for age and others like the Canidae ALS is for the entire life of the dog, no need to switch. Canidae does have several varieties.
I don't think the formula for Royal Canin GSD or even the Pedigree GSD are at what they should be for the breed. Plus GSD's are not a one size fits all type of dog. So what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. KWIM?


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## hethir (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks! Ok, maybe I'm not quite with the lingo but what does KWIM mean?? What would you say is the issue with the Royal Canin? Would you recommend switching both of my dogs to Canidae? Thanks for your input! Oh, how lovely it would be if both of my dogs ate the same food! I have to go to two different pet stores for both foods and that is sooo annoying!!


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

I have both mine on Canidae ALS - one is 7 y/o, the other is 4 months. I'm very pleased with it. My older dog has eaten half the food on the market, she's a picky eater and she actually likes Canidae.

Yes it is nice to have them both on the same food. When my older dog was a pup, we had a male who couldn't stop himself from stealing her food becuase it was different.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Posi&clutchThanks! Ok, maybe I'm not quite with the lingo but what does KWIM mean??


know what i mean


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## VectorSketcher (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree with SunCzarina above, I have both my 3 yr old GSD and my 13 wk pup on Canidae, they both love it, and it really works well with them. Canidae also just came out with several different flavored non-grain formulas.


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## Grims (Jul 3, 2008)

I switched him to Wellness LBP. He like sit okay but I mix in a little chicken broth and he goes nuts over it. 

His stool is huge on this food though, I mean I've seen horses crap less lol.


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