# Is my puppy too thin?



## presta24

I can easily feel my puppys ribs. He's 10 wks today. Should he be eating more? He had hook worms when I first got him. The vet gave him meds for them. I am currently feeding him 2x a day, 3/4 cup of nutrisource large breed puppy and 1/4 cup purina puppy chow(bought on the way home when we got him, he will be on nutisource only once it's gone)


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## DanaRuns

Nope. You should be able to easily feel his ribs. And it's much better for their development if they are thin. Most puppies are too fat. The image of the roly-poly puppy as being healthy is wrong; they should look quite thin and you should definitely be able to feel their ribs. Think about a young wolf cub. They are not round, they are lean. And that's what your puppy should look like, too.


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## Rainheart

You might want to include a 3rd feeding at lunchtime if you can. I was feeding Beamer about 3/4 a cup 3x a day at that age.


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## Megora

I agree.... 3 feedings a day is best when they are really young and they are pooping ten million times a day.  

As far as too thin.... that's not something people can answer without pictures and/or without seeing your puppy. There will be points as they go through growth spurts that they will look and feel quite skinny. 

Bertie was a fattest puppy of his litter. By the time he was 12-15 weeks, he was quite lean looking - partly by comparison.


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## drofen

Megora said:


> As far as too thin.... that's not something people can answer without pictures and/or without seeing your puppy. There will be points as they go through growth spurts that they will look and feel quite skinny.


Yes, this! And I'll even go so far as to say most people probably aren't able to accurately gauge without putting hands on your dog.


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## Dallas Gold

I think your breeder can give you a good idea what he/she thinks your puppy should weigh during these first weeks, since he/she owns one or both parents. The second best resource is your veterinarian. In my personal opinion, I wouldn't rely on forum advice- I'm not sure how to phrase this without seeming condescending and offensive, but I've seen some puppy photos on this forum over the years where the puppies are too pleasantly plump.


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## Megora

Dallas Gold said:


> In my personal opinion, I wouldn't rely on forum advice- I'm not sure how to phrase this without seeming condescending and offensive, but I've seen some puppy photos on this forum over the years where the puppies are too pleasantly plump.


Aside from young puppies who come to people looking huge (sometimes because there were in small litters)... I think this is so true.... as is puppies on the other side of the equation. There have been pics of too thin puppies/young dogs over the last couple years that I've seen.....


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## presta24

Here are pics i just took while he was eating


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## drofen

Looking at the pictures you can tell he has a waist from above--but that helps confirm he's not too fat, doesn't help much in telling if he's too skinny.

I will say that his coat looks a little sparse to me--it may be possible he's not getting enough calories. 

You really should follow up with your breeder to get a baseline expected weight and compare.


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## Lilliam

A lean puppy is a good thing. But I wouldn't want a thin puppy, they need enough calories.

I would up a quarter of a cup to one of his three feedings.

Edit....I just saw you feed him basically one cup split to two feedings. I don't think that's enough. 

By comparison, Max ate half a cup three times a day, if I remember correctly. 
Then I dropped lunch and added that half to the evening.
Then dropped the morning and added another half to the evening, which became his one meal. 
Now he eats two cups, at night. He gets one Old Mother Hubbard Bacon and Cheese bone every morning.
Both boys got a little "fluffy" after their neutering, but they've gotten back to lean muscle.


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## OutWest

It's hard to tell from pictures because GRs have thick coats. If he were wet it would easier to tell. With that said, I think he does look a bit thin. IMO puppies grow so fast and grow into their weight, so I would be inclined more to be generous with the food. I do the opposite (tend to err on the less generous side) with my three because have all finished growing. The amount of food you are feeding does sound low to me, but I honestly don't recall how much I fed mine at that age. Although dogs that live lean do live longer I think puppies need calories to cover their growth spurts. It can be hard for the owners to keep track and adjust upward and downward. 

I've found this chart to be the best tool for judging an individual dogs weight and condition. The best thing is to handle your dog a lot and you'll learn what is best for your pup. Here you go: http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/resources/Files/dog_chart.pdf

I also agree with checking with your vet and breeder. Good luck!


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## presta24

He goes back to vet in three weeks. He gets one cup 2x a day. Each feeding he gets 2/3 cup nutrisource and 1/3 cup puppy chow. The second feeding today he only ate about half.....i will try giving him the rest later. I will get my wife to take pics of him wet next time i bath him


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## Lilliam

presta24 said:


> He goes back to vet in three weeks. He gets one cup 2x a day. Each feeding he gets 2/3 cup nutrisource and 1/3 cup puppy chow. The second feeding today he only ate about half.....i will try giving him the rest later. I will get my wife to take pics of him wet next time i bath him



ah, OK, apologies. I misread what you wrote.

There is a lot here about slow growth and I tried to follow it with Max but he was a big puppy from day 1. 

I'd still change the feedings to three per day and up one by a quarter cup.


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## presta24

He must have just hit a growth spurt, I cant feel his ribs as easily now


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## tippykayak

Dallas Gold said:


> I think your breeder can give you a good idea what he/she thinks your puppy should weigh during these first weeks, since he/she owns one or both parents. The second best resource is your veterinarian. In my personal opinion, I wouldn't rely on forum advice- I'm not sure how to phrase this without seeming condescending and offensive, but I've seen some puppy photos on this forum over the years where the puppies are too pleasantly plump.


Oh, I'll do you one better. I've seen some photos of puppies and adults over the years on this forum in which a clear majority of posters say the dog looks "fine" but by the standard of things like that Purina weight chart, the dog is clearly overweight. 

I get so frustrated watching people go back and forth in dog food threads, nitpicking ingredients and GA numbers, and under many of the posts is a signature with a dog that is clearly overweight. The best food in the world will shorten a dog's life if you give him too much of it. The right amount of _any_ AAFCO kibble, no matter how few stars it gets on rating sites, is better than too much of a premium kibble made of bison, kangaroo, seaweed, and the dreams of ancestral wolves.


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## texasx96

tippykayak said:


> , and the dreams of ancestral wolves.


That sounds really healthy. Where can I get me some food with the dreams of ancestral wolves?




Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## tippykayak

texasx96 said:


> That sounds really healthy. Where can I get me some food with the dreams of ancestral wolves?


LOL, I was thinking of TOTW when I wrote that. The art on the bag really makes it look like it has ancestral wolf dreams in there:


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## drofen

tippykayak said:


> LOL, I was thinking of TOTW when I wrote that. The art on the bag really makes it look like it has ancestral wolf dreams in there:


Haha! If that's what's in it, Maxwell's thriving on it, LOL!!

This one makes me laugh too:

http://www.bluebuffalo.com/images/prod-wilderness-jerky-chicken.jpg

CLearly pictured is the rare, but beautiful wolf chicken.


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