Please HELP! Imput needed

Moddex · 01-29-2012, 02:11 PM

Hi all, I'm a new member to the boards while I've been using them for information for some time. My question/problem is that I have a 1.5 year old pure bred GSD that is very much under weight/muscled. I feed her twice a day 3 cups of dry Blue Buffalo puppy good mixed with various kinds of wet food (to keep her interested in eating it), and she sees minimum of 45 mins-1.5 hours a day of off leash running (playing ball, walks through the woods and yes, she ADORES chasing after those "Big Puppers" (deer).) While the amount of food put out seems "normal" according to various things I've read she rarely finishes eating it.

My problem is that she is still VERY skinny for her age and activity level. She's currently hovering around 65 lbs wet. From her bloodline I would have guessed that she would be around 80 pounds at this point, at the minimum. Her "parents" were HUGE. I'm currently pulling my hair out because I cant seem to do anything to bluk her up. As you can see from photos I'll attach her paws point away from her body on her front end, while you cant see ribs you surely can feel them easily and the worst part is that she has no urge to eat. It's literally a chore to get to to down what food she will take. Amongst the dry and wet I've tried adding chicken, beef, and lamb into her food and she just picks it out or doesn't even eat it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated on how to get her into the shape she should rightfully be in.

Her vet doesn't mention her weight, just says that she's a lean dog, which could be true but unlikely. I've had her to a few different vet's and none seen overly concerned about Roxxi's weight. They leave it to say shes a healthy dog and not to focus on the number on the scale. I'm more worried about what she looks like. My Girlfriend and I want a healthy, happy dog that will be around for years and years. Please, any insight would be great!

Moddex · 01-29-2012, 02:14 PM

I also forgot to mention that I have tried different dry dog foods. Amongst them would be Royal Canine and Nutro. Her breeder had her on pedigree when she was first taking to solids but i quickly moved her off it as I was informed it was a pretty terrible food.

I'm not looking to win a medal or agility championship with her. I just want a healthy dog. I cant says shes not in good health currently but her food intake scares me. Maybe you guys can lend some advise.

Jax08 · 01-29-2012, 02:16 PM

Can you post a pic showing her from the side and another looking straight down on to her back?

How tall is she? Mine is 24.5" at the shoulder and is perfect at about 62#.

BTW..do whatever you need to do to stop her from chasing deer. Hunters will shoot a dog doing that.

**JakodaCD OA** · 01-29-2012, 02:18 PM

she's young, young dogs don't fill out until they are around 2-3 years of age, especially alot of the working lines which yours seems to resemble.

I think she looks good. My 3 year old female is long legged and 26" at the shoulders, she weighs in at 75lbs, she isn't fat , and she's double the age of yours.

Let her grow out, she looks to be long legged and at that teenage lanky stage, I wouldn't worry about it..she's very pretty by the way

**Cassidy's Mom** · 01-29-2012, 02:21 PM

Hard to tell from that angle (side view would be better), but she doesn't look underweight to me, and certainly not "very skinny". Lean is fine, it's way better than being overweight, so if your vets aren't concerned I'd stop worrying about it.

At her age she's probably not going to grow much bigger but she's not done maturing either, so she should fill out a bit more and put on a couple more pounds. My 3 year old pure bred working line girl is a perfect weight at 60 pounds. She didn't gain a lot of weight after a year and a half old, maybe a pound and a half or two pounds. Your girl may end up around 67 or 68 pounds, which is just fine. The top end of the standard for a female GSD is about 70-1/2 pounds (converted from kgs), so even if she stays exactly where she is now, that's a perfectly acceptable weight.

doggiedad · 01-29-2012, 02:22 PM

maybe your dog doesn't like what your feeding.
maybe your dog is at her natural weight. you think
your dog should be larger for some reason. nature maybe
saying this is the size your dog should be.

Emoore · 01-29-2012, 02:39 PM

Your dog is very tyical for a 1.5 year old female GSD. Both genders tend to be kind of skinny and lanky around that age. They've reached their adult height, but are still a long way off from having their adult shape. Think of a 16-year old and a 35-year old person and you'll see what I mean. She looks good!

Freestep · 01-29-2012, 02:40 PM

You may be used to looking at fat dogs, if you think she is too skinny--a GSD is supposed to look like that, lean, not just "big". Your girl is very pretty and her weight looks fine! She may still be at the lanky stage of late adolescence, so she may fill out and put on a few pounds as she matures, but don't worry about her weight or her appetite. She won't let herself starve.

Be sure that wanting her to gain weight (80 lb is actually oversize for a female) is for her benefit, and not yours. Some people like to bulk up their dogs so that they can brag about how "big" they are, when they are actually overweight (or obese). Some people tend to think that bigger is better. I don't know if it's an ego thing, or a "tough guy" thing, or what--not saying this is what you're doing, but I see it a lot.

My girl is about 63 pounds in this photo, which is ideal. Does this look too skinny to you? If so, your view of what ideal weight looks like may need some fine-tuning.

Freestep · 01-29-2012, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moddex

I feed her twice a day 3 cups of dry Blue Buffalo puppy good mixed with various kinds of wet food (to keep her interested in eating it)

So 6 cups a day of kibble, plus canned food? That is actually a LOT of food--no wonder she doesn't finish. My GSDs eat half that.

She's not picky, she just doesn't need that much food.

GrammaD · 01-29-2012, 03:39 PM

She looks good. A lean dog is a healthy dog, and especially during the growth years you do not want to push her weight up and stress her joints.

In your place I would cut back on the amount of food but feed a higher quality kibble. I would, for now, quit adding things to her ration as you are likely creating a picky eater who will rule you with her stomach if you're not careful.

And keep her off the deer! That is a tragedy waiting to happen.

01-29-2012, 02:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
Moddex New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 7	Please HELP! Imput needed Hi all, I'm a new member to the boards while I've been using them for information for some time. My question/problem is that I have a 1.5 year old pure bred GSD that is very much under weight/muscled. I feed her twice a day 3 cups of dry Blue Buffalo puppy good mixed with various kinds of wet food (to keep her interested in eating it), and she sees minimum of 45 mins-1.5 hours a day of off leash running (playing ball, walks through the woods and yes, she ADORES chasing after those "Big Puppers" (deer).) While the amount of food put out seems "normal" according to various things I've read she rarely finishes eating it. My problem is that she is still VERY skinny for her age and activity level. She's currently hovering around 65 lbs wet. From her bloodline I would have guessed that she would be around 80 pounds at this point, at the minimum. Her "parents" were HUGE. I'm currently pulling my hair out because I cant seem to do anything to bluk her up. As you can see from photos I'll attach her paws point away from her body on her front end, while you cant see ribs you surely can feel them easily and the worst part is that she has no urge to eat. It's literally a chore to get to to down what food she will take. Amongst the dry and wet I've tried adding chicken, beef, and lamb into her food and she just picks it out or doesn't even eat it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated on how to get her into the shape she should rightfully be in. Her vet doesn't mention her weight, just says that she's a lean dog, which could be true but unlikely. I've had her to a few different vet's and none seen overly concerned about Roxxi's weight. They leave it to say shes a healthy dog and not to focus on the number on the scale. I'm more worried about what she looks like. My Girlfriend and I want a healthy, happy dog that will be around for years and years. Please, any insight would be great! Attached Thumbnails

01-29-2012, 02:18 PM	#4 (permalink)
JakodaCD OA Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Location: Old Lyme, CT USA Posts: 14,237	she's young, young dogs don't fill out until they are around 2-3 years of age, especially alot of the working lines which yours seems to resemble. I think she looks good. My 3 year old female is long legged and 26" at the shoulders, she weighs in at 75lbs, she isn't fat , and she's double the age of yours. Let her grow out, she looks to be long legged and at that teenage lanky stage, I wouldn't worry about it..she's very pretty by the way __________________ Diane Danger Danger vom Kleinen Hain aka Masi "Angel" Jakoda's Bewitchen Sami CD OA OAJ OAC NGC OJC RS-O GS-N JS-O TT HIC CGC "Angel" Steinwald's Four x Four CGC HIC TT Harmonyhill's Hy Jynx NA NAJ NAC NJC RS-N JS-N HIC Jakoda's Jagged Edge

01-29-2012, 02:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
Cassidy's Mom No Stinkin' Leashes Moderator Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 24,948	Hard to tell from that angle (side view would be better), but she doesn't look underweight to me, and certainly not "very skinny". Lean is fine, it's way better than being overweight, so if your vets aren't concerned I'd stop worrying about it. At her age she's probably not going to grow much bigger but she's not done maturing either, so she should fill out a bit more and put on a couple more pounds. My 3 year old pure bred working line girl is a perfect weight at 60 pounds. She didn't gain a lot of weight after a year and a half old, maybe a pound and a half or two pounds. Your girl may end up around 67 or 68 pounds, which is just fine. The top end of the standard for a female GSD is about 70-1/2 pounds (converted from kgs), so even if she stays exactly where she is now, that's a perfectly acceptable weight. __________________ -Debbie- Dena 9/12/04-10/4/08 Forever would have been too short Keefer 8/25/05 Halo 11/9/08 Cassidy 6/8/00-10/4/04

01-29-2012, 02:22 PM	#6 (permalink)
doggiedad Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Jenkintown,Pa. Posts: 9,846	maybe your dog doesn't like what your feeding. maybe your dog is at her natural weight. you think your dog should be larger for some reason. nature maybe saying this is the size your dog should be. __________________ "Life Without A Dog Is A Life Unfulfilled"

01-29-2012, 02:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
Emoore Crowned Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: North DFW, TX Posts: 9,214	Your dog is very tyical for a 1.5 year old female GSD. Both genders tend to be kind of skinny and lanky around that age. They've reached their adult height, but are still a long way off from having their adult shape. Think of a 16-year old and a 35-year old person and you'll see what I mean. She looks good! __________________ Rocky vom Backyard- 10 years young Kopper vom Felssclucht Bach - 17 months At the Bridge: Cash van der Animal Shelter 2006-2010

01-29-2012, 02:14 PM	#2 (permalink)
Moddex New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 7	I also forgot to mention that I have tried different dry dog foods. Amongst them would be Royal Canine and Nutro. Her breeder had her on pedigree when she was first taking to solids but i quickly moved her off it as I was informed it was a pretty terrible food. I'm not looking to win a medal or agility championship with her. I just want a healthy dog. I cant says shes not in good health currently but her food intake scares me. Maybe you guys can lend some advise.

01-29-2012, 02:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,327	Can you post a pic showing her from the side and another looking straight down on to her back? How tall is she? Mine is 24.5" at the shoulder and is perfect at about 62#. BTW..do whatever you need to do to stop her from chasing deer. Hunters will shoot a dog doing that.

01-29-2012, 02:40 PM	#8 (permalink)
Freestep Knighted Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Northern California Posts: 3,087	You may be used to looking at fat dogs, if you think she is too skinny--a GSD is supposed to look like that, lean, not just "big". Your girl is very pretty and her weight looks fine! She may still be at the lanky stage of late adolescence, so she may fill out and put on a few pounds as she matures, but don't worry about her weight or her appetite. She won't let herself starve. Be sure that wanting her to gain weight (80 lb is actually oversize for a female) is for her benefit, and not yours. Some people like to bulk up their dogs so that they can brag about how "big" they are, when they are actually overweight (or obese). Some people tend to think that bigger is better. I don't know if it's an ego thing, or a "tough guy" thing, or what--not saying this is what you're doing, but I see it a lot. My girl is about 63 pounds in this photo, which is ideal. Does this look too skinny to you? If so, your view of what ideal weight looks like may need some fine-tuning. __________________ Luka von Sontausen, CD Vinca von Sontausen, CGC Freestep's Beluga Whale, BWD

01-29-2012, 03:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
GrammaD Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 276	She looks good. A lean dog is a healthy dog, and especially during the growth years you do not want to push her weight up and stress her joints. In your place I would cut back on the amount of food but feed a higher quality kibble. I would, for now, quit adding things to her ration as you are likely creating a picky eater who will rule you with her stomach if you're not careful. And keep her off the deer! That is a tragedy waiting to happen.

Remove Advertisements Sponsored Links
German Shepherd Advertisement