Under developing puppy??

[thebigchev]

Hi guys, I recently started a thread about a extremely underweight GSD. I got some good feed back, and have managed to use some of the advice.
My concern is that my puppy is coming up to 4 months old and weighs 7.5kg, around 16 pounds. I know that he is underweight, as that is how I got him when I purchased him. I believe the breeder neglected him and as the runt of the litter he found it hard to gain the weight he needed from 8-12 weeks.
He is eating fine now and in the space of a month has basically doubled his weight.
That's the story, and this is my question and I would love some feedback.
Does my dog look like a 4 month old and if not could he be a month behind in his development due to his poor start? Will it affect his health, and physical growth??
I shall post a couple of pics so you can make some comments. His legs are very short but do seem to ge getting longer.
Maybe I'm just over concerned, but I really love this dog and I hope he will be ok.
Thanks guys.
-Matt

[thebigchev]

Here are a couple of pics. I`ll try to get some side on photos tomorrow.

[martemchik]

He looks just fine, and he'll be just fine. My pup got parvo at 8 weeks and didn't eat for a week. Lost a lot of weight, and was super skinny. He was at least 10 lbs behind his litter mates and at 11 weeks weighed less than what he weighed at 8 weeks when we took him home. The vet told us it wouldn't be an issue...and it wasn't. I now have a fully grown 85 lb male that is one of the larger dogs by weight at my GSD club.

Genetics are funny...your dog might grow up to be the biggest one in his litter. My breeder told me that they've had that happen but usually the runt ends up just like the brothers and sisters. GSDs go through growth spurts at different times.

Also...if the breeder did neglect him, it doesn't sound like the best breeder. So I might not even trust the age he sold him to you at. Some people will sell puppies off extra early and just tell people that don't know that the pup is just small for his age when he's really 2-4 weeks younger than that.

[blackshep]

I agree with martemchik

I'd keep an eye on him and be sure to consult your vet if anything looks off. As long as he's steadily gaining, that's a good sign.

And oh my gosh, his eyes in the second pic! *melt*

[msvette2u]

How old was the puppy in those photos? They appear younger than a 4mo. old...

[thebigchev]

He is just under 3 and a half months in those pics. Yeah he may have been sold earlier but I did contact the vet that did his first vaccination and it all adds up to him being the right age, having said that, she may have been a part of the conspiracy also hahaha. He does seem to look a month younger than his age suggests.

[msvette2u]

I think I fixed them for you, so they are upright

[blackshep]

Do you have any pictures of him at about 8 weeks when you first got him?

I'm curious to see the difference. He does look much younger than what they would normally look like at that age, I'm just wondering if we can compare to when he first came home?

[martemchik]

With a breeder like that...who knows. Interesting that you have vet records though if this was a "neglected" puppy. Your dog looks like a 2-3 month old GSD. No development issues so far. Give it until 7-8 months to see what the size is like and you might have a better idea of age.

[Twyla]

If it helps any to use for comparison .....

When we rescued Woolf, he was 19 wks old and weighed 16 lbs. To me he looked much younger because of the size. Now at a little over 2yrs, he is tall 27 in. weight at 70 lb.

pics to compare:
Happy Birthday Woolf!!

His physical issues from the undernourishment during that time may be some eyesight problems, other then that he is aka Mr Tall and Skinny and healthy.

We kept him exercised, good food and started supplements early because of all he missed those first weeks.