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by LadyFrost on 29 October 2010 - 14:10

some of you may know i had a drop off in my front yard, a 3 month old GSD at 19 pounds.
This week she turned 7 months, great drive, very energetic, completed obedience class last week...however, at 7 months she is only 44 pounds, accoring to most charts that is underweight...Could she just be on a smaller side? here are photos.

by micheleambernick on 29 October 2010 - 14:10

I think she looks too slim. Does she have trouble putting on weight?

by LadyFrost on 29 October 2010 - 14:10

I think she does...she is fed 2x a day...morning she gets 3 eggs and some cottage cheese if no cottage cheese then regular lamb/rice dog food. In the evening dog food with either canned food or cooked grounded beef...lately she has been inhailing her food w/o chewing..i stopped making it soft and just giving her dry food, she still just swallows. She does gets raw 2-3 times a week, turkey necks mostly, some chicken.

I can see most of her ribs and her belly is about 1 inch higher then her side skin between her hind leg and side...i am starting to get concerned, but her energy is not lacking...

by Sock Puppet on 29 October 2010 - 14:10

She needs more in the morning. 3 eggs and cottage cheese is not enough. IMHO

by Keith Grossman on 29 October 2010 - 14:10

She's a little thin but assuming absence of parasites or diarrhea, I wouldn't worry about it. It isn't unusual for the dogs to go through gangly/lanky periods around this age and I'd rather see her a bit under weight than fat.

by Q Man on 29 October 2010 - 14:10

If she can't keep weight on...or won't put weight on...There are many reasons for it...The best thing is to take her to your Vet and keep track of her weight and see if the problem gets better...There are many reasons for this problem and many are very hard to diagnose...Be persistant and keep good records on her to chart her progress or her regression...
It's easy to keep track of her...Weigh her every week or month and keep a chart on her...

~Bob~

by LadyFrost on 29 October 2010 - 14:10

I have been doing that..she was 37 punds last month and 32 a month before...its a slow porgression, but she is also getting longer and slightly taller and looking skinnier...

She also holds from going to the bathroom till she is out of the kennel even though its 40 x 40 (in 2 sections with huge 2 doored house) she will go only after i come home and let her out...i am sure it's not good for her, its great for me i dont have to clean it, but i went as far as placing her poop in a corner to encourage usage but w/o a change...

I guess vet is the next step.....would having her fixed at this age help?

by beetree on 29 October 2010 - 15:10

LF, You might want to do a search on the messageboard for "Satin Balls". These have been recommended for helping with dogs who seem disinclined to gain weight.

by LadyFrost on 29 October 2010 - 15:10

Thanks beetree...I'll do that.

by BlackthornGSD on 29 October 2010 - 15:10

I don't think her breakfast is enough calories--that's about 400-500 calories, which is only about 1.5 cups of dog food. You don't say how much you feed her at night. Take a look at this calorie calculator for dogs, estimate how many calories she's getting per day, and make sure you're feeding her enough calories to grow and build muscle:

Canine Metabolic Calculator

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