[emjworks05]

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to put some weight on my female GSD, i feed her Diamond brand food the vet said thats a good brand and he said to put some oil in her food when we feed her, but does anyone else have and ideas they think might work better? thanks in advance

 

[Sherush]

Just wondering how old your female GSD is?

 

[Sherush]

Re: weight gain for my dog

Ok I viewed your previous posts your female GSD is a puppy, you should keep a pup skinny, also in growth spurts height and length they get a bit skinner but eventually get it back on, Jesse is very skinny too but that is fine he is not underweight and his ribs are not exposed, you can feel them clearly but you can't see them. This is all good for reducing stress on his growing bones. If you are still concerned take a photo of her from above and on the side and post them here so all of us can comment if we think she is too skinny or just right for a puppy.

 

[emjworks05]

Re: weight gain for my dog

No sherush, sorry i have 2 GSD my female is 2 yo already and my puppy is 11 weeks, thats why im kind of concerned about her because she is 2 and that skinny.

 

[Sherush]

Re: weight gain for my dog

GSD's at least certain lines don't fill in completely until they hit 3 years of age. I know my friend who has had GSDs all her life her current male was skinny as a bean pole and is now starting to fill out and he is 2.5 years old.

Do you know her height and current weight?

 

[luanne]

Re: weight gain for my dog

If you can get a picture we would be better able to help you out. One thing I will say is that when my vet (whom I respect) would tell me that Gracie could stand to gain a few pounds, I knew she was the right weight. I like to keep her on the lighter side. Can feel the ribs but can't see them like Lauralie described.

My vet finally figured out that I wasn't going to put more weight on Gracie since she really wasn't too thin and doesn't bug me about it now.

When you can, post a picture ok???

Lu

 

[emjworks05]

Re: weight gain for my dog

i would say shes about maybe 55-60 lbs at the most, i would guess shes 2- 2 1/2 ft tall, but it really doesnt look like shes not filled out yet its just thats shes skinny, you can see her ribs ill try to post a picture so you can see and tell me what you think.

 

[ldpeterson]

Can you see ribs and hip bones? Is the spine visible?

You should be able to lightly press down to feel the ribs when running the hands along the sides, but you should not see them.

Some like to keep the last rib or two visible and there is nothing wrong with that.

I think the first thing to do would be to determine why she isn't gaining any weight if she is that thin. Is it a dietary issue or something physical.

The recipe for Satin Balls can put a great deal of weight on a dog very quickly. She can't have a sensitivity to raw meat though like one of my GSD's do.

 

[Sherush]

Re: weight gain for my dog

I can also add something else too about vet's and their advices.... another member here - "Shadowmom" - who I know in person too.... her vet said that Shadow was underweight - because vet went by guidelines, and he was wrong, Shadow was small for his age and definitely not underweight, I went and checked him out myself in person. He was a runt in his litter and just a little behind.

A picture would be great help from top and side

 

[emjworks05]

Re: weight gain for my dog

 

[emjworks05]

Re: weight gain for my dog

sorry the pic isnt very good, im the one that thinks shes under wieght, but form the top you can see her ribs, that picture doesnt show her ribs that much but yeah i can see her spine and all of her ribs, everytime she goes to the vet they say shes healthy, but she broke her leg pretty bad its been almost a year and now that i think about it thats when she started to look thin do you think that might have something to do with it?

 

[Sherush]

Re: weight gain for my dog

From the pictures she doesn't look that bad, looks about what Jesse looks like in weight size, I see you said you see her ribs. Which Diamond food is she on so I can see the ingredients as there are a number of different ones ie. basic, hi-energy, maintenance, performance, premium etc.

Side note Jesse is on Orijen food and doing amazing on it.

 

[emjworks05]

Re: weight gain for my dog

she is on the lamb and rice formula for adult dogs. i know it doesnt look that bad in the photo but it looks a lot worst in life. im sure when we take her out in public some thing we neglect her.


I just noticed i spelt weight wrong too.

 

[Sherush]

Re: weight gain for my dog

Well at least that one isn't as bad as some of their other foods, are you feeding her in the guidelines for her weight and allowing some more if she is active? ie. when Jesse has a very active day like at daycare he actually gets extra food that day or a lot of swimming or hike. Also maybe add some meat to her meals, seems protein helps them gain weight have you tried adding some hamburger or chicken to her meals for a little while to see if that helps her gain weight? Helped Jesse after being sick at one point and lost some weight and to help him get back up where he was.

I am assuming since your vet said she was healthy she was checked for any conditions that would cause her not to gain weight or lose weight.

 

[emjworks05]

Re: weight gain for my dog

I give her as much as she wants to eat, Ive added eggs to her food and the vet said to add oil too which ive done, we do give some raw meat like steak. But like i said before she started losing the weight after she broke her leg. She is active but we dont let her do a whole lot of things because of her leg for me there is fear when it comes to that, im afraid she will break it again or back the plate off or back the screws out.

 

[emjworks05]

Re: weight gain for my dog

Also i forgot to add that she is very picky about the food she eats for a while all she would eat was the pedigree, we have tried other foods too that she fefused to eat, but she loves the diamond brand.

 

[StGeorgeK9]

Re: weight gain for my dog

I dont think she looks that bad either, if the vet feels she is the proper weight, perhaps she is okay? I have had people tell me that my girl looks skinny, well, compared to a lab, she probably does, but she is supposed to look lean, not shaped like a lab or another dog. If you can post another picture it may help. I also use a Diamond product, but it is Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, not the main line. My dogs love it. I mix plain yogurt with some added nutrients a couple times a week for my underweight fosters, I will also add salmon oil.