[ShelbyM.]

Hi everyone! We have a male (neutered) 1 year and 8 month old GSD. He weighed 72 lbs at his last vet appointment and the Doctor said he expects him to gain another 20-25 lbs. We are just curious to get others opinions because he feels very thin and boney, especially down his back. We feed him 5 cups of food throughout the day and our vet is comfortable with his diet so no worries there 😊 When does everyone think he will start to fill out and look more mature? He almost seems to be at a goofy, lanky, teenage boy type of stage... Look wise and personality 🤣 Does he look about right for this age? Thanks in advance! Pictures! 👇

 

[Jax08]

If your fully grown dog gains 20-25 more pounds he will be obese with rolls. I would have to seriously question your vet on his competence with this statement.


If he were an intact dog, I would expect him to top out at about 80#, maybe even 85#, as he matures. But he's neutered so the hormones that cause a dog to beef up just aren't there. My intact male weighs 78-80#. He weighed about 72# most of his young life and filled out between 3-4 years.


You should be able to feel ribs, maybe see the shadow of them as he turns. You should not be able to feel prominent spine or hips. If you can, then he may need to gain 2-3#. Remember that just a couple of pounds will make a huge difference in a dog.

 

[GandalfTheShepherd]

Just going based off the photos your dog is a good weight, any more he would be way overweight. I would not expect him to grow much more and you want to keep him lean so it will be less stress on his hips.

 

[Pytheis]

I agree with Jax. Your vet thinks your dog will gain 20-25 more pounds?? Maybe if he was 6 months old... Are you completely happy with this vet? Because that statement concerns me. If you are otherwise happy, I wouldn't worry about it, but take everything said with a grain of salt. Your dog should not gain that much more weight.

His spine looks pretty prominent. I would feed him more food. He is a handsome boy though!

 

[Sunsilver]

Yes, very handsome boy!

He maybe could stand to gain a couple more pounds, but definitely NOT 20 or 25!! Your vet is WAY out to lunch on that one!

He looks SO much like my late male GSD that it's putting a lump in my throat! (And he was always around 75 lbs.)

 

[ShelbyM.]

Thank you everyone for your opinions! My Husband and I both agree and thought our vet was way wrong as far as him gaining THAT much more weight- That’s why we wanted to ask on here as well 😊 Our vet has a great reputation and is a personal friend of my Dad so I don’t know what he was thinking that day he told us that, hahah.

 

[ShelbyM.]

Yes, very handsome boy!

He maybe could stand to gain a couple more pounds, but definitely NOT 20 or 25!! Your vet is WAY out to lunch on that one!

He looks SO much like my late male GSD that it's putting a lump in my throat! (And he was always around 75 lbs.)

Aw, your boy was such a handsome dog! 😍

 

[Kairo's Dad]

I think he looks great, and very handsome too! An additional 20-25 pounds seems extreme. I assume he gets a ton of exercise if he's eating 5 cups per day and maintaining that weight. Mine is 72 lbs now at 7 1/2 months, and size-wise looks very similar to yours.

 

[wolfy dog]

Our vet has a great reputation and is a personal friend of my Dad so I don’t know what he was thinking that day he told us that, hahah.

Maybe they were telling each other fish stories and drinking beer.

 

[Sunsilver]

LOL, wolfy!

Thank you, Shelby! He was a rescue, and one of the best things that ever happened to me! Miss him dearly...

 

[Courtney]

I think it comes from Joe Public thinking GSD's weigh 125 pounds. A little odd the vet was way off as well, who knows, maybe he's use to seeing overweight dogs all day and it's become the norm.


I can't imagine not one member on the board not being able to recall when "someone" told them about their 140 pound GSD growing up. A real man eating beast. lol

 

[CometDog]

I did have a male GSD that was like 79 when he was 2, and as he neared his 3rd year his chest finally dropped/spread and he topped out at a healthy 88 lbs. Could feel his ribs, nice tuck. He was just a later in the maturity department dog. He was intact though.

Good looking boy you have there. Hard to tell from casual pics if they are a good weight or not. Video with him moving around, some shots from the top are always a bit more helpful.

I think your vet is off on his weight guestimation as well.

 

[Jax08]

I can't imagine not one member on the board not being able to recall when "someone" told them about their 140 pound GSD growing up. A real man eating beast. lol

Ha! I meet that "someone" every time I take Seger out in public! Usually it's a big man with his belly hanging over his belt and his chest all puffed out. But that may just be indicative of my geographical area.

 

[ShelbyM.]

Here is another picture where both my Husband and I feel like he looks very skinny... Maybe it’s just us??

 

[dogfaeries]

Looks great to me. They are supposed to have a waist.

 

[Sabis mom]

Ha! I meet that "someone" every time I take Seger out in public! Usually it's a big man with his belly hanging over his belt and his chest all puffed out. But that may just be indicative of my geographical area.

I didn't know you lived in Calgary!

 

[McGloomy]

Looks completely normal to me. GSDs are meant to be lean and not bulky. And 72lb is well within the standard weight of a male GSD. Mine even looks skinnier than yours and he's 80lb at the moment.