Gun Dog Forum

I have a 13 month GSP. He weighs about 43lbs. He is on Nutri source Performance with is 30/20. I feed him about a 1 1/2 cups 3 times a day. Sometimes he eats it all and sometimes he won't touch it. I don't want to switch food. Just looking for ideas. Any thoughts?

Why do you think you puppy is underweight?

Has he been wormed recently? How much excercise does he get? Many people overestimate how much padding a dog should have. A hunting dog in good condition should look like an Olympic athlete, a dog in great condition should look like a competitor in the decathlon.

A photo would help a lot to see if folks agree that your dog looks under weight.

My male GSP didn't start eating well until he was around 3 years old. Even still, on days he doesn't get enough exercise, or it's too warm, etc, he won't eat that much. The food you are feeding is 491 kcals/cup. For comparison, I feed my 63# dog about 2.5c/day of a similar food. Some days he eats 1 cup and some days he eats 2.5.

Post a pic. If you dog is truly too skinny on that amount of such a calorie dense food, there is probably something else going on. That's a lot to feed a 43# dog.

Sounds like a bit more food than NutriSource recommends. I think about 3 cups a day. More food don't make the dog gain. Just more clean up.
I have the same problem with a male that is the same age. If the dog has a loose stool cut back on the food til it gets solid, then raise the amount slowly. Maybe a little less excersize if this is a dog who likes to run, as mine is. To much running at that age can be a problem. I just learned there is a reason for the feeding amounts on the bag.
When everything else fails read the directions. CJ

Satin Balls (Google Search) or Bil-Jac Frozen. Use as treats or add to the regular food.

Post a pic. If you dog is truly too skinny on that amount of such a calorie dense food, there is probably something else going on. That's a lot to feed a 43# dog.

+1

brad27 wrote:

Post a pic. If you dog is truly too skinny on that amount of such a calorie dense food, there is probably something else going on. That's a lot to feed a 43# dog.

+1

++1, Smallie only eats 1 -2.5 cups per day?

++1, Smallie only eats 1 -2.5 cups per day?

Oh my- you actually agreed with me. And yes, you know how much (or little) my dog eats.

jlp8cornell wrote:

++1, Smallie only eats 1 -2.5 cups per day?

Oh my- you actually agreed with me. And yes, you know how much (or little) my dog eats.

You must give him a lot of treats.

The male I that we had, had a similar issue. We would feed and feed him and couldnt keep weight on him. Switched to Annamet performance and he did good. That became to difficult to get in my area at a resonable cost so we went to Diamond EA.... he did good on that as well.

paulmeyer21 wrote:I have a 13 month GSP. He weighs about 43lbs. He is on Nutri source Performance with is 30/20. I feed him about a 1 1/2 cups 3 times a day. Sometimes he eats it all and sometimes he won't touch it. I don't want to switch food. Just looking for ideas. Any thoughts?

When my puppies start losing interest in their food it's usually a signal for me to reduce their feeding from 3 times a day to 2 times a day but I see this around 5-6 months of age. I would try feeding 2 cups, 2 times a day for a few days and see how it goes. Then try increasing his meals by 1/4 cup if his appetite gets better and you feel he needs it. Eliminating that middle meal really helps even though they are getting the same amount of food.

How much does the mom and dad weigh? That does seem a little slim but I've seen full grown gsp's that weigh around 35-40 pounds. Mine is almost 18 months and he weighs around 63 pounds but he's weighed that much since 14 months.

Here is the most recent picture that I have of him. He is about 11 months old in this picture.

it would be easier to judge him if you could come up with a closer picture. nice looking point though!

Dutch my GSP was as skinny as a rail up to the end of his second year of hunting. I mean you could see 4 ribs and he was eating 6 heaping cups a day!

He is now three years plus and weights 65 pounds and looks great. I know he will slim down when running the chukar, but I now know not to worry.

BTW he is now eating 2 cups in the morning and 4 at night. I have found that he just can not eat all that he requires at once, so I contine to feed him twice a day.

Dogs are all differnt when it come to "how much food" they need. I have had the same breed and same size dogs required 2 - 5 cups difference. What it says on the bag will only get you close.

Do measure what you feed and don't free feed. If he doesn't eat it save it for the next feeding.

Every GSP needs a Lab to show them how it's done;-)=

I took some more pictures. We are working on the whoa command.

Looks fine. My setter pup is thinner than your dog. Keep doing what you're doing, and stop worrying.

Some may say he actually looks a bit heavy.

Looks good to me. If it makes you feel better my Vizsla is 44lbs, 1yr this month. They dont all grow to be 60#

looks fine to me too.....

It is refreshing to see a dog in good condition and not too heavy to work it's best in the field.

Ezzy

It looks like your pup is fine. Just like people, they're not all built the same.

The GSP i had growing up was always thin my grandma swore we were starving him but we could never keep any fat on him cause he would just run it off no matter how much we fed him. I think if you can feel the ribs and maybe see them just a tiny tiny bit the dog is healthy but if the ribs are sticking out just feed him more and exercise him less until you find a happy medium

I think he looks very good! Too many people are just used to seeing overweight dogs.

smoothbean wrote:I think he looks very good! Too many people are just used to seeing overweight dogs.

Yep.

Charlie