Ive got a puppy who is 16wks old and ive just weighed him on the wii fit and hes only 6kgs, i knew he was really tiny for his age but 6kgs sounds worrying. Hes booked in to the vets tomorrow but just wanted to hear your opinions. Hes very active and seems healthy in every way just small. His breeder says her dogs start off small but grow for longer and that he will end up being a very large dog. We saw mum and dad and they were pretty big, strong looking dogs. He was one of a litter or 10 and ive seen one of his brothers and two sisters and they were all the same size. He has a pretty good pedigree from what i can tell. Is this something to worry about? The breeder really doesnt seem worried and just says hes will shoot up soon enough. What do you think?
Worried about puppys weight
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Really? Ive been so worried he looks so small but his breeder has been great and everything seems to have been done right as in- breeding restrictions only to be lifted if proof of good results from health testing (not that i am considering breeding), his parents have excellent hip scores and she said she wants to hear any worries i have etc etc so i really have no reason to believe her....just that ive never seen a 4 month old gsd pup sooooo small!!
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What is your vet saying? What are you feeding your pup? Slow steady growth is best, but a 16 week old male pup that is only 13# does sound very odd.
Are the leg/joints normal looking? I wonder if your pup was pushed out of the way and the breeder didn't give him any alone time to nurse.
Are the leg/joints normal looking? I wonder if your pup was pushed out of the way and the breeder didn't give him any alone time to nurse.
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That does sound a bit light. I would ask the vet for a full check out and then if everything is fine try changing food or adding supplements. He may not have had the full benefit of mom's milk if there were that many pups and if the breeder did not supplement or make sure he had alone time with the mother then he could have missed out on important nutrition.
He looks healthy to me, his legs are ok and hes playing with my labrador lots and is toiletting well. He eats like a pig and i have already changed him onto the food i use for my lab which is Arden Grange. You can see a couple of ribs but only just but i wouldnt say he looks real skinny if you see what i mean, he looks in proportion because hes short too. He just doesnt look his age- he doesnt look like a really skinny 16 week old if you get what i mean. As i said he hasnt been to the vets yet as i only picked him up Tues- hes booked in tomorrow. Im feeding him 4 times a day at the moment.
Oh and the other 3 pups i saw from the same litter were all the same size- in fact they were all long haired and when i put my hands on them they felt a bit boneyer than him and i dont think my boy wouldve been the one to have been puched out as he is very outgoing and pushy, the others were quieter when i saw them. Its puzzling!!
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Make sure they check for worms and not sure what you have to vaccinate for where you live, but vaccinations are very hard on a puppy's system, watch for any symptoms afterwards(they can show up even after a couple of weeks)
Did you just get him from the breeder? And were there any vet records?
Did you just get him from the breeder? And were there any vet records?
Yes we got him from a breeder and she wormed him that morning. I wouldnt really say hes that skinny just small overall. I havent seen any records of him being to a vet but i have 7 days to take him to the vet and if the vet says something wrong i can take him back and get my money back. This is what i mean though she seems to be genuine and has given me a contract that we have both signed to say that she will take him back within 7 days if we are worried about anything. She doesnt seem worried at all, just says her lines start off very small and grow very slowly but will reach a good size.
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A 16 week old should have had a couple rounds of vaccinations(though not sure what is recommended where you live) and been wormed a few times. If you notice your pup throwing up undigested kibble, there may be a genetic problem PRAA or MegaE, many pups that have this grow slower than their littermates.
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I had a small one once that was the runt of the litter. He grew to 32" and well over 100 pounds of solid muscle.
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I was going to say, are you sure he is 16 weeks?
Yea he does look much younger doesnt he? When i first enquired about him i was told they were coming up to 12 wks old so when i went to pick him i thought he was 12wks but when i got home and saw his papers his dob makes him 16wks so i asked her if it was a misprint but she said no and that hes about 14wks. But i worked it out as 16wks on my calandar and then she said oh yes you are right i worked it out off the top of my head he is 16wks. I said hes very small for that age and she said hes just slight and that he will grow to be a big dog eventually. I dont know, theres no reason to lie that hes older is there especially as hes looking smaller. Like i said everything else is good. I dont care about anything other than him being ok and healthy. Hes a lovely personality and very loving. Could it just be that she wasnt feeding them enough food? They all were like him.
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