Feeding Puppies & Weight Gain - Page 1

 Newbie handler here, looking for some insight and advice.

 I have a GSD puppy, currently 9 weeks old. He got weighed at the vet yesterday and tops off at 11.6 pounds, but was 10.4 three weeks ago. He's quite lean, you can't see his ribs (but he's also full of puppy fluff), but his tuck-up is very noticeable. I'm just a little concerned he might not be gaining weight as he should be. He got his second deworming yesterday, but I've seen no signs of worms in his stools, and the majority of his stools have also been quite well formed and fairly firm. He is NOT going to be a "large" or oversized dog. His sire is just under 85lbs, and the dam was around 70-75lbs pre-pregnancy.

 Right now he gets 2 cups of Orijen large breed puppy formula, 1/2 cup of boiled chicken (thigh and/or breast), and 1/2 of cooked, pureed vegetables (green beans, peas, carrots, and/or spinach).

 I'm also interested in hearing about raw food, and transitioning from kibble/home-cooked to a primarily raw-based diet. My older bitch gets 50% kibble (orijen) and 50% homecooked (2 cups protein, 1 cup vegetables) - I always cook chicken and ground beef, but I've given her raw muscle meat from beef and venison. But she is a little underweight (currently 64.5 lbs, the vet said she could do with another 5lbs on her) and is not always interested in her food. She very rarely cleans out her bowl...but she plays HARD. She's incredibly active and has great stamina. Would raw help her put on weight and gloss up her coat? She also has an incredibly sensitive tummy. The occassional bout of diarehea is not uncommon. She's been to the vet several times, and she appears healthy (she's always active and playful, with no real change in appetite), but it's just one more thing that keeps her from gaining weight or filling out.

Both dogs get raw meaty bones and smoked tendons as chew-treats. No rawhide, pig ears, cooked/smoked bones, or petstore "long lasting chews."

So...any advice or opinions to help a newbie out?

If I'm overreacting, don't feel shy in telling me. I've got 'new baby' syndrome, so every sneeze and hiccup is  a potential cause for concern. :P I've caught myself a few times.


 

 

 

This is my belief:

A GSD pup's ribs should be very easily felt, not just can be felt. Just a light touch and you should feel the ribs.

They should not be seen if the pup is looking straight.

They should just be seen if the pups turns its head to the opposite side.

your pup is fine...........stop worrying.

IMO - raw sucks.

Your older girl sounds similar to my male...he just wouldn't put weight on and keep it on. Recurrent diarrhea....very sensitive stomach. Multiple rounds of different drugs. When they have recurring diarrhea it's really hard to keep weight on them, as by the time you've got their stomach calmed down something else irritates it. I've been feeding him raw for a year and the difference is remarkable. Try it out and decide for yourself, see if it makes a difference :) It did for my GSD.  My collie had a less dramatic improvement, as she has a cast iron stomach, but it did improve her teeth dramatically (among other things).

edit: I feel like I should point out that in the following picture, this is not the leanness you see in a working dog...this is the leanness you see in a dog fighting for every bit of nutrition he can get between bouts of diarrhea.

Here he is close to his worst on high quality kibble (59 lbs - I couldn't bear to take pics of him at 55 lbs):



Fed raw (75 lbs):

It sounds like puppy is getting plenty to eat. Constant growth and activtiy will make puppy look thin but thats ok its better than a fat puppy.
I cringe when vets say that dogs need to gain weight. It used to be that vets always wanted a thinner dog now vets see dogs that i think are obese and say they look fine (more money for them I guess in vet bills) Some shepherds just have a hard time maintaining weight. Ive had good success with Barking at the Moon for weight gain. Although I too feed raw, it has not been successful for all dogs that Ive had.