Thin Setter

[Taylor_B]

Our English setter is on the verge of turning a year old. He's a Llewellin-type setter, and as such, is on the smaller side of the English Setter size range.
My concern is as follows: When we found him at a shelter at 8 months old, he was super skinny - about 33 pounds. We took him to our vet a few days after bringing him home, and they agreed that he was a little bit thin, but that we should also keep in mind that for a field setter, he's going to be on the smaller side. The vet agreed that it wouldn't hurt him to gain a few pounds, so we started feeding him 2 cups, twice a day, of Earthborn primitive natural. A month or so after, we had to switch to Earthborn Meadow Feast as our other dog seemed to be having some stomach issues dealing with all of the protein in the Primitive Natural kibble. Needless to say, we've had him since January, and I'd venture to guess he's still under 40 pounds. What concerns me is that we very visibly see his hip bones, and his ribcage. He eats like a champ, and in addition to his 2 cups of kibble at breakfast and dinner, gets two XL kongs a day with half a cup of kibble and 2tbsp of pumpkin in each (occasionally topped off peanut butter). He was tested for worms and heartworm back when we got him - both came back negative (though I've considered having him retested for intestinal worms since we've obviously had him in out in our yard and the field since).

His energy is sky high - he's always running in the yard with our other dog, goes running with me several times a week for 3 miles at a time, and also regularly gets out on our acreage to practice off leash training using his ecollar. With all of his exercise, he could still go for days. He's a typical gun dog - lots and lots of energy.

I curious as to whether or not this is something typical of the breed - that they're generally just thin? Or could it be because he's a younger dog, and will "fill in" a bit as he gets older?
Is this likely a result of all of his energy - he just runs off the calories, and i should be giving him more?
Our other dog is very lean, too, but she looks very muscular - not as skinny as he is.

Just want to see if other folks have shared the same experience with a thin setter. I'm considering a vet consult about his weight, but not sure if it's worthwhile or not?
Thoughts?

[setterpoint]

got a english pointer the same way i think its just in some dogs d n a my pointer weighs about 35 pounds but hunts hard all day so i would not get to upset over this as lone as the dogs energy level stays up

[Taylor_B]

got a english pointer the same way i think its just in some dogs d n a my pointer weighs about 35 pounds but hunts hard all day so i would not get to upset over this as lone as the dogs energy level stays up

Glad to hear mine isn't the only one. Ours also seems to be very happy with extremely high energy levels and no digestive issues. So I assume he's fine. But when we have family over to visit or friends, they always seemed very concerned about his thin frame. I try to explain that he eats quite a bit of food (considerably more than is recommended for his weight) and gets extra treats and kongs - he just never stops running around! always on the move whether he's outside or in the house. the only time he's sitting still is when he crashes on the couch around 8pm or is crated when we leave for work!

[shags]

Your current dogfood is only a 26/15 formula, so it might help to step up to something like Diamond Extreme Athlete at 32/25.
I switched one of my dogs to a Purina product that has the dreaded corn gluten in it, and the dog porked up noticably. He was previously eating the EA.
Some dogs are just hard keepers. We had one that was a little thin all his life. It was very difficult to keep those bones covered but giving him things every day like a slice of bread, or some cheese or whatever, helped a lot.

But to keep it in perspective, most people these days have no idea what a fit dog looks like, because too chunky is the norm. When we took our thin dog to the university vet school for some orthopedics, the prof in charge called the students over to have a look at him...he said the kids rarely get to see a fit dog.

[Taylor_B]

Your current dogfood is only a 26/15 formula, so it might help to step up to something like Diamond Extreme Athlete at 32/25.
I switched one of my dogs to a Purina product that has the dreaded corn gluten in it, and the dog porked up noticably. He was previously eating the EA.
Some dogs are just hard keepers. We had one that was a little thin all his life. It was very difficult to keep those bones covered but giving him things every day like a slice of bread, or some cheese or whatever, helped a lot.

But to keep it in perspective, most people these days have no idea what a fit dog looks like, because too chunky is the norm. When we took our thin dog to the university vet school for some orthopedics, the prof in charge called the students over to have a look at him...he said the kids rarely get to see a fit dog.

Thank you! My only concern about switching back to higher protein foods is that our other dog had considerable sensitivity to it (whether she was sensitive to one of the protein sources in it, or just the overall amount of protein, we don't know), and then Finn (our Setter) regularly had really loose poops from it. I suppose though that the 32% versus our 26% in protein wouldn't be that considerable of a change...so it might be worthwhile to look into it.
Thanks again!

[shags]

When you switch to a higher octane food, feed less for a few days and slowly add more. You'll find the tipping point for loose poops while upping calories.
Good luck with your pup...those little ones can be awesome.

[Gordon Guy]

Earthborn Primitive Natural is 38/20 38% Protein, 20% Fat. It's what I feed. It's a good food, My dogs look the best ever while on this food. You didn't say how tall she is at the shoulder. Two of mine are 21.5" and 23" and they both weight in at 42 lbs, as one is more stocky than the other. 40lbs may be a good weight.

When the 23" girl was a year old she was 22" and weighted in at 38lbs, they do put on more bulk.

I also add a squirt or two of vegetable oil to each feeding to up the fat and alternate with a spoon full of pumpkin a couple times a week.

[Taylor_B]

When you switch to a higher octane food, feed less for a few days and slowly add more. You'll find the tipping point for loose poops while upping calories.
Good luck with your pup...those little ones can be awesome.

Thank you! We will try that if we change the food!!!

[huntindog1]

We have been shocked at the difference in Dog Foods. I have had hunting odgs all my life but this one was the first house pet/hunter.
I havent tested them all but we have a dog really sensitive to foods.
She had a musty body odor flakey skin and hair shedding really bad , all on a high dollar well known food that was like $48 for a 33lb bag.

We went to petco pet store and was directed to Solid Gold which is even more expensive. The Bison Oatmeal Puppy Food.
In a week no more smell, hair and skin was much better after a couple weeks. Then we tried some other cheaper but still expensive brands.
Had to go back to Solid Gold Bison Oatmeal puppy. We even tried another Solid Gold version but she didnt like the flavor.

Just my 2 cents of advice..........

[reba]

A healthy small and or skinny dog will work as good as or better than any fat dog.

Pointing/hunting dogs should always be showing rib. Look at classic paintings/pictures of pointing dogs; they are all showing lots of rib.

These dogs are not fat little puppies for good reason. They are field dogs.

Your Vet told you he was healthy

Feed a quality dry dog food. Do not free feed. Measure all portions. Lots of fresh water.

I know a person that is obsess with having the biggest GSP and is always trying to get his dog to eat more. What he has is a fat GSP.

In my experience neurotic dog owners make neurotic dogs.

Thank you for giving a shelter dog a good home.

Best wishes.

[Taylor_B]

[quote="reba"]A healthy small and or skinny dog will work as good as or better than any fat dog.

Pointing/hunting dogs should always be showing rib. Look at classic paintings/pictures of pointing dogs; they are all showing lots of rib.

Thanks for the support!
Even if we wanted to free feed, it wouldn't be an option for us! Our other dog would swoop in and make a meal of any leftovers!
We've decided to go with the input we've gotten on here and from the vet: He's happy, healthy, and can absolutely run for DAYS!
As long as he continues that way, we won't alter his diet all that much! He gets an extra treat here and there, but no big dietary changes!
Thanks!