7 month old english pointer skinny

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jjunkies
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7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by jjunkies » Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:51 pm

I have a 7 month old English pointer. She is very active and is your typical pup. I am feeding her a good size dog bowl of food in the morning. but she is still very skinny. Is that the breed type or should I be feeding her more like 2 times a day. I had britts before and a big bowl was just fine for them all day.
Any suggestions on getting more weight on her. She just looks very skinny.

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greg jacobs
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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by greg jacobs » Fri Sep 09, 2016 5:44 am

I would feed twice a day.
Is a big bowl 2 cups or 10 cups?

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dog dr
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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by dog dr » Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:01 am

define skinny. most dogs i see are overweight. in my opinion, all 7 month old dogs should look skinny. especially pointers.

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ezzy333
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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:10 am

dog dr wrote:define skinny. most dogs i see are overweight. in my opinion, all 7 month old dogs should look skinny. especially pointers.

Amen
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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by mnaj_springer » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:31 am

What's your vet say? Pointers can be skinny and can eat a lot. Plus, their short smooth coat hides nothing, unlike the coat of a Brittany.

Reference point: my 2 yo EP is 45lbs, eats 4 cups a day of PPP 30/20, and I can see nearly all her ribs, there's a definite tuck up after her ribs, and she has a nice hour glass shape.
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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by reba » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:42 am

Feed twice a day.

Do not free feed.

Measure the feed every time.

Lots of water.

Feed more. Some dogs of the same breed will required different amounts of food.

Weigh the dog often; such as every couple of weeks.

A good looking Pointer looks skinny to most people.

jjunkies
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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by jjunkies » Fri Sep 09, 2016 2:51 pm

To answer your questions. I give her 4 to 5 cups a day to eat.

Skinny is I have average hands and can touch both thumbs and index fingers around her waist. I see every rib she has.
Thanks for the advice. After all your inputs I think she isn't under weight now. With her short hair and type of breed it is normal at 7 month to be this skinny. Just was concerned. We will be going for her yearly Vet to have her checked again. I think I will be feeding her a smaller amount in the afternoon.

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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by setterpoint » Sat Sep 10, 2016 10:46 am

my pointer is 5 years old she has been skinny all her life if the dog has a lot of energe then i would not worry much if the vet says theres no worms then try feeding twice a day a skinny dog is healther than an over weight dog

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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by birddogdoc » Tue Sep 13, 2016 2:59 pm

You left out some details, as in how are her stools? Has she been dewormed?

As others have alluded, you'll find far fewer problems with a healthy underweight dog than an overweight one.

When I ask dog owners "how much are you feeding him/her now?" I usually get the answer in number of cups/day. That really provides very little information. A cup of lettuce and cup of bacon are both cups, each with very different calorie density.

First, I work with owners to calculate an ideal weight based on current body condition. I take that number and convert to kilograms (divide weight in pounds by 2.2); then raise it to the 3/4ths power and multiply by 70. (There are many online calculators) That's the basic energy requirement (in kcal or calories) of dog for a day. A working bird dog could easily burn 2-4 times that amount, no problem. A couch potato neutered lab may only need the basic amount.

Second, I look at how many calories are in a cup of the food they're feeding the dog. Divide the calories needed per day by the number of calories in a cup, and then you've got how many cups you need in a day.

Most commercial foods have a feeding guide right on the bag as a place to start.

You should work with a vet to ensure that she is indeed underweight, and if her body condition is because of too few calories or an underlying condition. Sounds like you've already got that on your calendar.

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Re: 7 month old english pointer skinny

Post by ghideon » Wed Sep 14, 2016 1:21 am

I have a 8.5 month GSP who is almost 50lbs. He's eating 5-6 cups daily and sees ~2.5hrs-3hrs off leash exercise a day. Most consider him 'skinny.'

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