at wits end on wieght issues - Page 2

OK the food I use is Nutro Max they were on puppy but had too softrunnie stools from all the proteins so they are on chicken and rice adult. I also add lean meats, and fresh veggies, They get more play time then any pet owners dogs I personally have seen. They are very active/drivey, always on the go. (I think there is gray hound or mali in there somewhere LOL). My vet says they are fine. the smallest is 68 lbs and the male is 73 pounds at 6 months old . From what I read that is about right wieght for thier age. They seem to be more leggy then normal, medium bone. They get wormed with heart wormer everymonth AND in the summer time we tape worm/hookworm/round everyone twice. My older female is thin alway and if I don't crate her she will run off her wieght, again very active.

I have two (2) females that never seem to gain any weight, regardless of the amount or type served. They are both fast movers and active. But past that, their metabolic system must operate at the maximum. Both produce good stools, and are healthy. A thin dog is a correct dog, and one who will have a longer life and usually a higher level of drive and performance. Americans do like chunky dogs, as many like being chunky themselves. Before anyone attacks me for that remark, I will say that I have not been a really skinny guy for a long time now. Bob-O

BOB-O it is not that we like being chucky we have a genetic gene that is passed for generation to the next I don't know if most of you know about it? it is call the taste bud gene. Some are more active then others . take skinny people they have lower taste buds. that is why they are skinny ROTF. I find that if you have a high taste bud gene you are more prone to enjoy rich , tasteful, juicey foods. Some have develope it over time with trail and error. but never truely get it. It kinda like food drive in dogs some have it some don't ( my side hurts LOL)

Barbara, 6 cups is really not a great deal of food if, like you say, your dogs are running and training. The amount of food that our dogs get should be directly proportionate to the amount of work and exercise they get. Also, feeding smaller portions three times a day will do wonders to help add weight. If you your dog is very active, Eagle Pack has a food that is called "Power Formula. This is for dogs in training or dogs that are very active. It is very high is protein so that the dog is not burning fat reserve. Not for puppies or young dogs, obviously.

There is "working weight" and there is "show weight" for all breeds. You wouldn't want to enter a thin dog at the Sieger and you probably wouldn't want to enter an overweight dog in a major performance event. It's all relative.

Barbara; so it's really genetic? Good. That's what I'll tell my wife the next time that she says "You know, there is just too much of you around the house." Thanks for the laugh, Bob-O

My 11.5 year old American lines male is 26" at the shoulder and has weighed between 78-82 lbs. since age 3. He's always been a total bonerack with visible ribs and is very narrow through the waist. But there's no problem with his appetite; I free-feed and he eats around 4 cups per day on average. He can still trot 10 miles during our weekly walk in the woods and fields, so he's getting enough nutrition to maintain good stamina. As a pup I was always a little concerned with his being so skinny, and the vet kept telling me that he'd fill out by the age of 4. When age 4 came and went and he was still a bonerack, all the vet said was "better skinny than fat!" so I stopped worrying. My late German lines dog was 25" at the shoulder and weighed between 88 and 92 lbs. depending on the season - so there was always quite a contrast between the two, even though the burly guy ate about as much as the scrawny one. The German lines dog was in excellent shape and not at all fat, he just had a lot more muscle. As for stamina and performance, in their "prime" between the ages of 3 and 7 the big guy was a much faster and more athletic dog. But he would totally blow himself out chasing the ball within 20 minutes because he floored it every single time, while the skinny guy would pace himself and still be at it an hour later. The only noticeable diference between the two in terms of "performance" was that the skinny one doesn't want to stay outside for more than an hour or two when the temp falls below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, while the other guy would snooze on the concrete walkway by the gate all day long and be perfectly happy. The skinny one has a "wire" coat with a fairly light undercoat while the other one was stock-coated with a very dense undercoat, so the difference in tolerance to cold might be equally attributable to that as to any difference in sheer bulk. So I wouldn't be too worried about your dogs if I were you. As for the comments by others, just ignore them: If I had a dime for every time some blowhard told me about his 125 lb. GSD that he had when he was growing up, I'd be retired.

Bliten I have to agree with you on the "work" and the"show" and the reason I say that is I posted it here and this is mostly show dogs and I posted it on a working forum and got completely different views. they were not worried if they were healthy but here they were under wieght. I tend to keep then light normally due to the hip problems in the GSD. I hate seeing a over wieght dog. I had one come back to me and they say he has mild HD while DUH! he is over wieght and you have him jumping in and out of your SV since he could jump in. (around 4 months of age). Around 3 I start putting on the wieght specially if I am going to shows. I had one Judge understand why my male was thin at 12 months (she has working line and put him up while another judge said he was not filled out. Not knowning. Again I would be worried if they were lazy but they are very active and always on the go. Right now it is 9pm and raining out side and the two pup are playing typical of them.

You know what I tell people.Dogs are athletes.They are suppose to be lean machines. People feel that a happy dog is a fat dog. My Vet had a tear in his eye because my dogs and the pups that I whelp are not fat. So never mind what other people say. As long as you know that your dogs are getting the correct nutrition then tell them thats how a dogs is suppose to look like.

While excess weight is no doubt bad for the GSD long term health, there is another issue at play in many dogs who have trouble gaining weight. These dogs are UNthrifty regarding food (they eat a lot but don't digest it properly, have a great deal of prey drive (often too much due to unsatiated hunger). These dogs usually have mild EPI indicated by a low normal TLI lab score (diagnoses: mild exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). Since this is genetic all sires and dams should be tested for EPI with the TLI lab test before using them for breeding. This disorder is quite frequent in the GSD (especially many working lines) and is not well recognized by many GSD breeders and puppy purchasers. I would not now buy, acquire or breed any dog that has not been tested with the TLI.