[chewy0414]

Hi All,

I recently adopted a shepherd from a friend of a friend. He was allegedly tied up in a yard with little socialization or food. My acquaintance then adopted him and had him for a week before being forced to give him up as gsd's are not allowed in her apartment complex.

He is allegedly 16 months old according to the original owner (whom I haven't spoken to directly.) When my acquaintance got him, he was 36lbs, and now a month later and three weeks with me he is up to 48lbs and doing great energy and personality wise. After his first visit with my vet we both agreed that he looks a lot younger than 16months, maybe closer to 8-10...though he may just look young as the runt of the litter and being underfed.

The question I have for the community is how much to feed him? I was feeding him 5-6 cups of Hills puppy food per day and the vet said thats a lot but fine if he's eating it for now. He has had foul smelling semi soft stools and sometimes runny since I got him, so I'm watchful for signs of EPI, however the occurence of runny stools has gone to zero over the past couple of weeks and he's been putting on weight so I'm optimistic he doesn't have it.

I'm considering switching him to True Wild Grain free adult food now, as I've read terrible things about most dry kibble. The question I have is how much should I feed him? He's still severely underweight for a 16month shepherd, but has filled out nicely and no longer looks underweight like when I first got him (very bony then.) Little guy could pass for a 6 month old puppy though.

He's such a sweet and well behaved dog, any general advice would be helpful and greatly appreciated!

 

[Mary Beth]

Since he is looking good at 48 lbs but is still growing and since he was the runt, he may be smaller, I would suggest you go by the directions on the package for a 50 lbs.16 months old dog. It may help if you could talk to the original owner to verify the birthdate for the vet records. Your post also mentioned that he has filled out, so I would be careful to not overfeed as that puts stress on the joints. My vet advised that one should be able to see a waist on the dog and be able to feel but not see the ribs.

 

[Sabis mom]

If your vet is guessing 8-10 months go with that. Feed him the recommended amount for his age and weight. Gaining to fast will put stress on his joints and his guts.
I like to be able to see the last rib or two and a defined waist. Since your guy is a bit behind you want him just a bit heavier while his body catches up but don't make him fat!

Oh and pictures are mandatory! Lol. We like pictures.

 

[Castlemaid]

The runny stool may be from being overfed. As others have mentioned, try feeding the recommended amount on the package and see if that helps.

 

[McGloomy]

Take a look at his body mass index to. Hill's is not the best food, anyway. If I were you I'd switch to something better. That current weight, 4-5 cups GENERALLY should be enough. 1500-2000cal. Still a puppy so still growing.

 

[Malibu]

How was he acclimated to his new food. runny stools

How much to feed is a loaded question.... With a dog that size you can hold him and weigh him anytime you want. With that being said you just shoot for 3-4 cups 2-3 away and let your eyes tell you. Just respect his size as he will grow into it. Don't feed him more because you want or expect him to be bigger.... Less and thinner is better.

 

[Clgkag]

The runny stool may be from being overfed. As others have mentioned, try feeding the recommended amount on the package and see if that helps.

I agree with this, my boy has this issue.