how to gain weight for puppy - Page 2

Kool

Yes, she is not actually small.  She is on track to be between small (50-55 lbs) and medium (60-65 pounds).  She will be between 55 and 60 when she is fully grown - medium-small.

So there is no problem with her size -- that is fine.

The problem is that she is eating as much as a large male pup of her age, not a medium-small female!  And not growing more, and not getting fat.  If she is also not exercising a lot, and she is healthy, then she must have a very high metabolism (she burns a lot of calories!).

I think you should feed her chicken.  Cooked chicken, don't fool around with raw because until you are very experienced you can make yourself and the puppy sick with things like salmonella.  Of course, cooked chicken must be boneless -- no cooked chicken bones!  Or you can use CANS of chicken.  They cost almost $2 a can, but if I were you, I would add half a can or a whole can every day to her kibble, but cut back her kibble to 3-4 cups.  This may be much better for her.  You should only do it for a few months, and then go back to kibble.  But also add a tablespoon of plain yogurt if she can digest it well without loose stool.

It is also possible that she cannot absorb the food you are feeding her.  I think she might also SLOWLY switch her to another food.

Good luck!

I had to put weight on my 6month old when I got him at 4mo old. The breeder had him on Proplan but I switched to Solid Gold puppy.  I increased his food to 6 cups a day twice day.  I didn't notice a weight gain right away.  It took about 3 weeks for me to see a difference but now he's at a nice weight.  I didn't wanna bother with raw and didn't know much about feeding that tpe of diet so I stayed away from it.  You could also try adding suppliments to the food and see if that helps.

Kool,
Did you post on here awhile back about this?  If you did then it sounds like you are not making any progress with her. 
I think the first thing I would do is take her back to the breeder and ask them what they think. What do parents look like. Some lines are slim and that's what you have, no matter what you do. If her dad is a slender 73 lbs as an adult and mom is 58 Lbs then you can see what you are looking at. If dad and mom are large bone, heavy frame, masculine etc. then there is something out of sink. The breeder should hopefully be able to look at her and give you some idea as well.

If she is eating 6 cups a day then it is doubtfull she has parasites or other illness, but don't rule this out. It sounds like she is not a finicky eater at this point so you might want to substitute some of the kibble for raw hamberger ( personally I dont like to give meat or goodies until I know they are going to eat what's in front of them first ).  I like a fairly high fat content hamberger. About 1 ounce at feedings, mixed in with warm water to delute. This is just me though and is not a formula for everything, just what I have found to work well and it's simple. What do her stools look like?

The last thought is for you to get some other opinions from knowlegable people on puppies. Maybe you are expecting her to look heavier then she should be. I don't know, just a thought. I would also make sure that my  Vet was a good dog vet with lots of knowlege on our breed.  First thing is to always rule out all medical issues. I agree with you on the excersize, I don't like to work them harder then they want to work playing. They will get good excersize just playing and short walks.
Good luck with her and stay Kool.  P.S. could you post some pictures of her on this site ?

Whip worms can be tricky to find since worms do not lay in a cycle and vets do not test all of the turds.  There is a great chance that they might of missed it. We have had then do 4 test before finding it on a couple strays/rescues. Also if you are always using the same wormer it might have a resisted to them or you might want to go to a different/stronger wormer and redose between 11 -12 days not 14.

The satin ball recipe has worked very nice for me. I keep mine lean and when it comes show time I use the satin balls to add some wieght  (2-5 lbs) since the judges like full figured  dogs.

Olskoolgsk I did that and it works great they lick the bowl clean!!!!

hi all,

  thanks for great suggestions.

i couldn't see the father of my pup and the breeder told me he is large bone and gave me a picture with title. but i did saw her mom i think she is medium type but not large and big type. maybe she just had babies. don't know.

i think i'll try chicken for few weeks she how it goes.

but she is in innova for the last month already. when she was like 11weeks she was 13lbs then last time 16weeks she was 28lbs. she has gained some but at the begining my vet told me she is below the weight. she has gained more than before. as on the chart i see that she is suppose to be 36lbs by now.

question, is large type gsd looks pretty large than medium. this mightnot be appropriate question but just want to know.

thanks for all your help.

thanks

Kool

You should have told us of the history earlier.  She has gained 15 pounds in 5 weeks?  That is actually very strong growth.  And not surprising that she is eating so much. 

The problem was that she was very, very small at 11 weeks.  You got her at 13 lbs, and she was clearly underfed or had a problem when you got her.  If the breeder was completely honest with you, she should have discussed this with you then.  But it seems possible that the puppy was just underfed from 5 or 6 to 11 weeks, when she should have gained much more weight and come to you around 20 lbs, not 13 lbs.

But that is all in the past.  She is doing well now and nothing you are doing sounds inconsistent with her GROWTH. 

MVF, i'm sorry that i didn't tell you the history earlier.

yes you are right it might have started from the beginning from the breeder place. after you told me i just realize that after i brought her home she might have doing better every week.

i never had gsd in my life and i really want to make sure i'm doing right with her feeding and the rest.

Kool,

Your pup is lucky to have you looking out for her with so much love and attention.

Good luck.