New Member from UK 15 week old GSD - vet advised slightly underweight at checkup

[NicandNala]

Hi Nicky here proud mum to Nala our 15 week old GSD - She had a check up last night and the vet seemed to think she was a little underweight. She is on Royal Canine jnr food for large dogs and seems well adjusted. Is this normal as we are worried now. The vet said to feed her about 6 times a day little meals and to let her have as much as she wants for the next 3 month. She is black and Gold and weighs in at 15.2kilo.

[Walperstyle]

well if you've done the de-worming routine I don't have any more ideas unless an Xray to see if there is something inside that shouldn't be.

[NicandNala]

does 15.2 kilo at 15 weeks seem underweight to you ? ive checked come weight charts and to me she seems bang on target if a little largeish - but this vet seemed to think she was a little under weight

[Walperstyle]

Originally Posted by NicandNala

does 15.2 kilo at 15 weeks seem underweight to you ? ive checked come weight charts and to me she seems bang on target if a little largeish - but this vet seemed to think she was a little under weight

Personally, I'm on my first dog ever, but at 31 years old I've had many friends that had them, some were huge, some never fully grew into the huge paws they had. I am going to weigh mine tomorrow for his next set of shots at the Vet. I wouldn't worry until she stops eating all together, or you notice some odd droppings. ...but that is me, and my limited first hand experience. From looking at the pictures, mine is smaller and he was born at the end of July.

[onyx'girl]

My vet thought Karlo was thin....he was a gangly puppy with a couple of ribs showing. Many vets see so many overweight roly poly pups, seeing one that is not may have them commenting.
15k is 33# right? My pup was 39# at that age, but he was on the larger end of the spectrum. And male vs female is sometimes a big difference where weight is concerned.

I wouldn't worry as long as your pup is growing and healthy....don't worry about the scale. If she is bony, lacking muscle tone then look at the nutrition she is taking in.

[Cassidy's Mom]

I agree with Jane, don't worry about what the scale says. Underweight, overweight, or just right should be judged by looking at the condition of the puppy. If she's lean but not overly skinny then she's the right weight for her. Height and weight charts are just averages.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by NicandNala

The vet said to feed her about 6 times a day little meals and to let her have as much as she wants for the next 3 month.

That's a very strange way to feed, I've never heard of feeding a puppy that age 6 meals a day, of any size! I also wouldn't free feed, it's hard to make quantity adjustments when you're not sure exactly how much she's eating a day. She should be fine on 3 meals a day, and personally, I'd measure them out.

[NicandNala]

Thanks for the opinions guys. Shes eating fine and seems active enough .
yea its about 33pounds. Today she has been getting lots of little meals as well as some treats for training so lets hope that builds her up a bit. I want a healthy strong dog thou not a wee fat pudding just for the sake of getting her weight up . read a few posts on here and they say boiled eggs are good for protien to help build muscle and not fat.

[NicandNala]

its hard to get a picture of her as shes always running about but do you think she looks underweight much ? ive had dogs but never this kind so dont have anything to measure against. I have added another picture. I was thinking that feeding on demand might encourage behavioural problems later but he seems to think that little and more often is the way forward - she was on 4 times a day and hes said feed all day - ive increased it to 6 but reduced the amounts meaning shes prob getting about an extra half cup over the course of the day s i dont want her tummy getting sore

oh please dont think that ive got her in a dirty kitchen - she comes to work with me and shes sitting in the back shop in this picture lol

[Cassidy's Mom]

Here weight is perfectly appropriate for her age, but it's impossible to tell from that picture if it's a good weight for her size. Can you get a standing shot, taken from the side?