Gun Dog Forum

I'm new to owning a gsp I know there a lean breed but I think my puppy is just to skinny, his stool samples from the vet came back good. He eats 4 cups of food a day I followed what the bag said to feed him, I'm feeding him purina pro plan sport. He doesn't act sick or anything at all he has plenty of energy.I just want to know if anyone has any advice on how to put some weight on him, so people don't think I don't feed my dog. I attached some pictures and took the best ones I could get.

Hard to tell from the pictures but he sure looks OK to me. Regardless, you pretty much told us your assessment may be wrong when you said he is healthy and full of energy. That in it self says he isn't too thin. However, to solve the problem I am going to suggest you keep doing exactly what you are doing now and then lets access the problem in a few months and I will almost guarantee your problem will be solved. Right now your pup is at the gangly teenage phase of life and it is us that try to make the dog look like we think it should instead of letting the dog eat enough to be healthy.

Ezzy

Feed by condition, not by what's printed on a bag. If you feel the dog is too thin, feed more.

Not sure the age on this one, but he doesn't look overly skinny to me either. By and large keeping a GSP lean while it is developing is far better for the pup's joints. People have gotten used to truly obese dogs as "the new normal," try to avoid getting sucked into believing a pup should be roily-polly to be "healthy." If the dog seem vital, relax. If you feel a little more weight would help, feed a little more. Just don't fatten up the dog out of peer pressure. Lean is good!

Bill

Some dogs just have faster metabolism. My cocker is now 3 years old and I have never been able to put fat on him. He's just naturally skinny no matter how much he eats.

How old is the Pup? Looks to be a twin of my 2 year old.

I get that all the time (Don't you feed your dog) I tell them yes every Tuesday...........


Grant

Why are you taking stool samples to a vet? Has a vet seen your dog? If so did the vet say your dog was too thin?

I can't tell from the photos, but most vets would say they like to be able to see a few ribs when they are assessing a dog's condition.

Stool samples would be checking for worms

About 3 lbs more might be nice in body weight. Not exactly but just a touch more but not much. Does not look skinny but maybe thin. Very common to have trouble keeping weight on young active GSPs. If the dog is healthy, I wouldn't worry.

That was what I was thinking. My old rot eats 1 3/4 cups and is still full figured. My avitar is 7 1/2 months. He gets 2 cups in the morning and 2 3/4 cups in the evening. The chart is just a starting point then adjust as needed. My pup has to be fed 2 times a day to get that much food down. On a gsp pup I'd say seeing 2 to 3 ribs is about right. Some you just see more ribs and they just won't put on more weight.

I always have weight issues with young dogs. Personally, I do not want my dogs overweight but I would like a little more weight than yours appears to be carrying. Coat looks very good though.
Do you feed performance 30/20? I feed about twice the recommended amount and have never had feeding more work very well. Mostly soft and bigger stools. Right now I am trying adding a tablespoon of cooking oil to their food twice a day, which gives the about 260 more calories a day. Not sure if it is working yet, but it appears to be.........Cj

cjhills wrote:I always have weight issues with young dogs. Personally, I do not want my dogs overweight but I would like a little more weight than yours appears to be carrying. Coat looks very good though.
Do you feed performance 30/20? I feed about twice the recommended amount and have never had feeding more work very well. Mostly soft and bigger stools. Right now I am trying adding a tablespoon of cooking oil to their food twice a day, which gives the about 260 more calories a day. Not sure if it is working yet, but it appears to be.........Cj

CJ, you might consider using a saturated fat (like raw beef fat or coconut oil) instead of a vegetable oil. There has been a lot of evidence pointing against adding polyunsaturated oils to dog's rations, vs the addition of healthful saturated fats.

Best,

Bill

I have two GSP's.

Your dog looks fine to me. These dogs should show some rib. Young GPS's seem to be thin. They are not fat little puppies.

I have a friend that has made his GSP's neurotic forcing them to eat more. Wait! Maybe it's him.

Never had a dog starve himself to death.

The instructions on the bag are only a guideline. I have had dogs of the same breed and size require different amounts of food.

If your dog is young you might want to feed him in the morning and evening. I would start with more of a good quality dog food.

My 4 year and 8 year old GSP's consume 6 1/2 cups of kibble a day when not hunting! They do however have the run of the property.

NO FAT DOGS!

Fat puppies are not healthy Rather to thin then to fat as to much weight can seriously interfere with their growth and put to much stress on growing joints and growth plates.

AS long as they are not emaciated as in major indentations between each ribs and hips and back bones protruding out.

We just started to add coconut oil to our dogs food ..One it helps on trips to keeping stools from getting to thin and helps with the digestive system plus it does a great job on the coats ...We are doing about 1/4th teaspoon to start then increasing slowly to feeding about 1 1/2 teaspoon per dog unrefined coconut it the best and you can get a big jar at sams club for about 16 bucks great for your hands and face and as a cooking oil also plus has benefits for humans also

But from the pictures I see he looks pretty good could also be going through a growth spurt but I wouldn't put more then an extra pound on him if you are not comfortable where he is at

I'm a skeptical person when it comes to supplements. I always do a lot of research before purchasing a supplement. My final and best surprise came a few months after I started my dog on the Fish Oil. I was already on the second bottle and wasn't convinced it was working on her joints (both because I'm a skeptic and because I thought I might be seeing what I wanted to see instead of reality). One day a family member visited who hadn't seen my dog in a few months. A couple of hours after he arrived he mentioned that my dog was moving around a lot better than she usually did and asked what I was giving her. The only change in her diet was the addition of this fish oil.

I have a 3yo GSP and a 4mo old GSP. Both are on the same food you're on and both eat 3 cups per day. Yes, the pup eats same of the 3yo. To me, your dog could use a little more meat on the bones, but a very good looking dog. The last heat my 3yo went through she lost some weight and it was hard to keep her at her ideal weight. Once it was over, she was good.

Showing just a little too much hip for my tastes.

Toss some sardines on top of his kibble and check for worms.