# Help! puppy 25% underweight?



## 1sttimepupowner

Hi my female puppy is stepping into 13 weeks but only weigh about 20lbs instead of 26.7lbs in the growth chart. She is still on the same smallest hole on the smallest collar since I got her at 8 weeks. 

I have been feeding her Canidae All Life Stage beef lamb chicken fish for a couple weeks. I used to feed her Bil Jac puppy food and Purina One puppy food before Canidae. She also used to have roundworms but have been dewormed twice in the last month. My question is should I switch to something with high crude protein (42-44%) to stimulate growth?









Bigger Version


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## MaggieRoseLee

Don't get too crazed by the growth charts, they just GENERALLY give a rough idea. Some of our pups grow slower, some faster. Genetics takes over at some point if you are feeding your pup well, so you get what you get.

As long as your vet has cleared for other issues, any your pup is acting full of energy and healthy, AND you are using a good diet and enough of it, then I would try to relax. (though we all obsess....). Talk to the breeder to see how the other pups in the litter are doing, and how past litters grew.

The photo of you pup seems fine, but be better with a side shot, a shot looking down, and a bit closer. Even then though, all the people I know a pup on the lean side is WAY better than a fat puppy, cause the fat ones are the ones that can end up with the health issues later on.


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## BowWowMeow

If you can take some pictures of her standing with you standing directly above and then some of her standing from the side then we can tell you more but in that picture she looks absolutely fine. Are her hipbones sticking out? If not then she's probably fine. The growth charts are guidelines but every puppy is different. She may just be small or she may just get a growth spurt a little later.


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## BlackGSD

The growth chart is basically worthless. All puppies are individuals.
My pup weighed 12.3 lbs at 8 weeks which the according to the "chart" is small. But at 4 months she is 45 lbs. (And NOT fat.) And the chart says 44LBS at *5* months. So now all of a sudden she is "bigger" than "average". (Mine has been eating Canidae since 9 weeks.)


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## xwildman138x

I don't know much but she looks good to me. She looks happy and healthy! I'm sure the others could give you a more specific answer though. Hope you make out ok


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## shadow mum

As the others have said, I wouldn't worry too much as long as he's healthy. My boy Shadow weighed 23lbs at 4 months, but was and is healthy. At 7months, he's 47 lbs. still underweight according to the charts, but well proportioned. And next week, who knows!!! We are going through a growth spurt.

By the way, gorgeous puppy!


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## roxy84

the worst thing you could do is try to feed your dog into fitting the weight chart. better that she's lean and healthy and dont worry about the numbers.


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## Kayos and Havoc

My male pup Havoc has always been under weight according to the charts. At 12 months he finally weighed what a female 12 month old *should* weigh per the chart. So don't let the chart fool you. 

She should have a nice, defined waist with a layer of fat over her ribs. Her hips bones should be felt but not jutting out. If she is thay way she is fine.


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## xwildman138x

Because of this thread we weighed Baron last night and he's 86 lbs he's 8 months he looks trim I figured he was high 70's or maybe even 80 nope. So I guess you really have to just go by what looks right huh. As long as they are healthy looking acting ok, and happy I guess thats what counts the most


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## Kayos and Havoc

Yikes!!! Havoc is 73 pounds at 14 months!!! Goes to show the chart is not the holy grail!


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## xwildman138x

I think he is going to take after his dad because he is HUGE


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## xwildman138x

Sorry I was off on his weight he is 89 not 86 my DW just corrected me


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## 1sttimepupowner

Here are the side shots and the top shots. Please tell me what you think!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qQsJVmSUVU4/SKX5GZEJPFI/AAAAAAAAAJM/3VlqqdQ7keM/s1600-h/DSC05063.JPG
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qQsJVmSUVU4/SKX5Gk69xZI/AAAAAAAAAJU/QQGiRg0lrbg/s1600-h/DSC05064.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qQsJVmSUVU4/SKX5G7LprNI/AAAAAAAAAJc/AYFlvzYr_Yc/s1600-h/DSC05065.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qQsJVmSUVU4/SKX5F6UVNiI/AAAAAAAAAJE/KEyVbqeX1mw/s1600-h/DSC05062.JPG


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## xwildman138x

Looks ok to me Baron was skinny then took off. I made sure I just kept following the chart on his food for what he should get and made sure I didn't overfeed him. Also asked questions on here ALOT. I didn't want a fat puppy, but let somebody that knows what their talking about answer.


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## 1sttimepupowner

> Originally Posted By: BaronthegreatLooks ok to me Baron was skinny then took off. I made sure I just kept following the chart on his food for what he should get and made sure I didn't overfeed him. Also asked questions on here ALOT. I didn't want a fat puppy, but let somebody that knows what their talking about answer.


So overfeeding is actually bad for skinny puppies? I thought since they are underweight they would need more food than regular puppies?


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## 1sttimepupowner

Plus should i still follow the chart on my food if it doesn't say "for large breed puppy"? I thought the chart would be for regular size dogs? Thanks!!


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## JKlatsky

He looks fine to me. Puppies go through weird phases. Fat and round day, skinny the next. I was pretty sure our girl had some greyhound in her, she was so thin and leggy for awhile. Now it's starting to even out and she's putting on weight. At 7 months. 

You want to see a weird skinny puppy...This is Anka at 12 weeks just after he legs sprouted out of her body. Have no fear we do feed her! She was eating about 4 cups a day of Candidae. 










Here she is at 6 months...









And now she's really starting to fill out, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures of her now!

Yes. Overfeeding is not good. You don't want a fat puppy. As long as she's healthy, (have your vet check her out if your concerned) I wouldn't be concerned about her weight. Everyone grows their own way in their own time.


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## doggiedad

don't try to make your pup a size she shouldn't be. she's young and growing so quickly. feed her what's normal and watch out for the high protein levels. maybe she's a smaller Shep. are her parents big ?


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## jharmon

I was worried about my puppy Sima being too skinny but after reading the posts and the pictures of Anka I am not so worried now. I am just a worried dad I guess.

JKlatsky how did you post the pictures without a link? 

http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u347/jharmon3/DSC_0156-1.jpg


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## Timber1

The dog looks fine to me, in fact just plain normal. Each animal is so different, in terms of matabolism, energy, how much they play and are ran, or go swimming. 

Forget the charts, and go with your instincts. If the dog is happy, playful and energetic, I would not be concerned.


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## hockeytown

Your pup looks very similar to mine, not only in coloring but size. Tripp @ 17 weeks is 31.6 lbs, which is lower than the growth chart weight. I'm trying not to think too much of it, I usually start to wonder though when people give me weird looks when I say how old he is and they tell me he's small. I fire back and say he hasn't hit his growth spurt yet, hoping that's exactly what it is.


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## Liesje

> Originally Posted By: KathyWYikes!!! Havoc is 73 pounds at 14 months!!! Goes to show the chart is not the holy grail!


And Kenya is 58 at 5 years! lol

I see some nice puppies in this thread. Personally I think there is a range of what I would consider healthy, acceptable weights. Even two pups the same height and age could differ slightly and still be healthy. To me, health is determined more by diet, exercise, and energy level. Weight is only super important if there are known health conditions, or the pup is grossly under or overweight (in which case I think it would be obvious).


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## JKlatsky

2 things-

To post from photobucket without the link, you just copy the IMG code into your post.

Also, I wanted to comment that the majority of Joe-Public seems to have a very bizarre idea of how big a dog should be. I find I keep running into 2 kinds of people. Small-dog or no dog people who are pretty convinced that Argos is big enough to swallow a child whole, and ignorant big dog people who tell me how pretty my girl is, and when I say he's a male they want to tell me he looks small for a male and that they (or their parents, or their cousin, or their best friend from college) had a male shepherd and he was 120 lbs and apparently either rescued Timmy from the well and couldn't step a foot wrong, or was the meanest fear-biter *oops!* I mean "protective" dog on the planet and wouldn't let anyone within 10 feet of them. 

So I've stopped being concerned about size. Smart dog people who know shepherds know immediately that my dog is a young male and that he is German lines and very appropriately sized.


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## GSDluver4lyfe

Your pup looks fine!!!

Like JKlatsky stated, do not let the public influence you. Mace is always called little or "tiny" (i have no idea how a 70lbs puppy can be "tiny"). To me he's the perfect size and dont want him to grow much more. With my luck he'll end up being 100#, lol j/k.


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## Keegan62

yes about the size

my last sheherd Ernie was 110 lbs and way too tall
the breed standards for females is 60-70
and the males 70-90 I think thats it LOL
I hope Jack will not be that big( 110) but in the standards
I am concerned that all you guys have pups his age and weigh so much more.. Jack looks thin but not bones showing lanky is healthy


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## Manfred

Now I'm not recommending this at all , and I've never done it myself , now I live here in Iowa , farm country , and a friend of mine about 5 years ago when he got his puppy , now this puppy was never undersized .

But from the day he got him , he mixed in Purina Pig Starter , you know , pig food designed for fattening up pigs real quick like to get them ready for market sooner.

Now there's no way of knowing how big this dog would have gotten without the pig starter , but I'm guessing it sure had something to do with this dog , because this dog is huge ,!!!!


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## GSDluver4lyfe

> Originally Posted By: ManfredNow I'm not recommending this at all , and I've never done it myself , now I live here in Iowa , farm country , and a friend of mine about 5 years ago when he got his puppy , now this puppy was never undersized .
> 
> But from the day he got him , he mixed in Purina Pig Starter , you know , pig food designed for fattening up pigs real quick like to get them ready for market sooner.
> 
> Now there's no way of knowing how big this dog would have gotten without the pig starter , but I'm guessing it sure had something to do with this dog , because this dog is huge ,!!!!


It is ideal for a large breed puppy to grow slowly. Food does not determine size, genetics do.


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## AnaleighK12k14

My pup was only 11 pounds at 13 weeks. She got pneumonia at 11 weeks and we almost lost her. Long story short she came to out home sick unknown to us. The girl just never grew whether it was because of that or maybe she would've been small anyway. That said she is almost 2 years now and between 40 and 45 pounds. So she is very underweight for breed but good for her height and frame and finally after a long road, a very happy and healthy girl. 

It's easy to let yourself worry about size, but Kona is healthy and she's a great dog with a wonderful temperament. That's what matters most.


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