Is my 4 month old too skinny?

[eve16v]

Charlie is 4 months and just about 40lbs. Which I've read that 10lbs/month is normal, but his ribs are just very pronounced. He might be too tall/long for his weight. He's active and acts like a normal puppy, he just looks scrawny. And if the the light catches him just right, he looks like a skeleton. We feed him 3 cups of Diamond Premium Adult food (per the breeder). 

Just wondering what size your pups were at that age.   Thanks!

[TDprange]

Its kinda hard to gauge with puppies because of their growth spurts.  Lucy had times when she was a puppy and was about a skinny as your puppy.  Lucy was on a raw diet and eating a little over 3 lbs a day. Now that she is 80 lbs she gets about 1/2 that and is doing great.

[Skeet]

I'd put some more weight on the pup. Growing pups need the calories. I agree, he looks underweight.

Btw, feeding recommendations on the food bags are just guidelines and not exact. It really depends on the pup's growth rate, breed, energy level, etc. Some breeders like to stick with adult formula throughout growth period and life of dog. Personally I believe in feeding puppy formula first 6 to 9 months (depending on pup) and then switching to adult formula for life of dog.

Rule of thumb is you feed 3 meals daily up to 6 months of age. And then twice per day for life of dog.

Btw, Charlie is a cutie and looks like he got a great home.

Regards,
Sandy B.

[rrbylexus]

This pup is a little too thin, growth spurts with pups this age just kinda sneak up on you.  Instead of going by the feeding tables on the bag of dog food, it's better to look at the pup/dog to gauge feeding amounts.  With adult dogs you want to be able to see a faint outline of the last rib.  On puppies I like to see a little more weight than on adults to help them through the growth spurts they go through.  I would think that 4 or 5 cups of food spread out over 3 or 4 meals a day would work well for this little guy.  He is a cute little thing! :-)

Pam

[caro]

I agree this puppy is too thin.  At that age I was feeding four cups of kibble a day plus training treats.  At six months I have cut him back to three cups because he is a little chubby for the showring, but personally I would rather have the puppy carry a little weight and have something to fall back on if he got sick than to be thin and get even thinner if he got something like giardia.  It could be that your breeder knows her lines and her puppies do tend to be long and lean, but I think this puppy is just a wee bit too lean.
Caroline

[melissap]

  I agree Pam, while you do not want a fat pup, just a wee extra weight to support them as they grow is perfect.
 
My pup at 4 1/2 months is eating roughly 1.5 - 2 cups at each meal 3 times a day.

My Adult 73 lb Girl gets 3 cups a day.

Good luck with him, he is a cute boy!

Melissa

[eve16v]

Thanks all

We're going to add a couple more cups a day. He also gets about 2tbs of all natural PB in his kong a few times a week. He LOVES his PB.  We do currently mix his meals with water. How long do you recommend doing this for?

His parents were fairly lean, but show dogs. So she may have just kept them lean because of that. His dad was about 100lbs at show weight she said, but would be about 110-115lbs. The mom was petite though. So we don't know how big he'll get!

[rrbylexus]

The faint outline of the last rib for an adult IS the correct weight for a show dog.  I am fairly experienced at showing and recommend that ALL dogs, show quality or not, be kept as "show weight".  As for your pup, he's very cute and please don't panic because we think he's too thin, he isn't horribly thin, just a little and adding a little extra food will help him plump up a little so the next growth spurt won't put him back to being too thin.

As for water on the food, you will find that there are many different schools of thought on to water kibble down or not.  Pick what works best for your dog and go with that. :-)

You might want to gradually increase his food intake over a few days, otherwise you could wind up dealing with soft stools.

Pam

[eve16v]

The faint outline of the last rib for an adult IS the correct weight for a show dog.  I am fairly experienced at showing and recommend that ALL dogs, show quality or not, be kept as "show weight".  As for your pup, he's very cute and please don't panic because we think he's too thin, he isn't horribly thin, just a little and adding a little extra food will help him plump up a little so the next growth spurt won't put him back to being too thin.

As for water on the food, you will find that there are many different schools of thought on to water kibble down or not.  Pick what works best for your dog and go with that. :-)

You might want to gradually increase his food intake over a few days, otherwise you could wind up dealing with soft stools.

Pam

Thank you for the good info Pam. He seems to not mind the water. He sucks it down pretty fast either way. So about 1/2 cup a day to start the increase?

[rrbylexus]

Your very welcome for the help.  That's what we are all here for. :-)

A 1/2 cup extra a day would be a good starting point.  Remember, you are feeding the dog, NOT the bowl.  Watch your pup's weight and adjust accordingly.

Pam

[eve16v]

After a week of increasing his intake, he already looks 'plumper.' Still a lean, muscular pup, but not as scrawny and ribby.

He is also eating the food dry with no problem. The breeder never told us when to stop the water in the food. So thanks again for that. And no soft stools!

[rrbylexus]

Glad it's going well and that pup is filling out. 

Just watch his growth rate and adjust his food amount as he grows.

Pam

[Chris Ronson, Jr]

For the first few weeks I had Leonidas, he was very similarly skinny but I was also struggling to get him to eat. Right at about 3.5 months he decided to start eating and put a few pounds on and at 4 months he was a 50lbs very healthy puppy. Right after that for close to 2 weeks he lost all his teeth and stopped eating again and got skinny. That's when I started adding some more water to his food (currently feeding him 1/2 cup embark mixed with about 2 cups orijen puppy) and he's been eating great ever since! Don't know if it was mentioned or not, but my breeder told me you don't want to bs able to see the ribs, but if you pet him, you should be able to feel the ribs under a little meat. This is how I've kept him. Now at 5.5 months without scaling him, I think he's close to 65lbs and still very healthy!

You have a great looking pup, don't fret over this as we all learn, and truth be told Leo was skinny like that for a bit until I talked to the breeder again and she schooled me on the weight thing!

[Keeper]

good post Chris...and Leo is a very nice looking puppy.

[Skeet]

For the first few weeks I had Leonidas, he was very similarly skinny but I was also struggling to get him to eat. Right at about 3.5 months he decided to start eating and put a few pounds on and at 4 months he was a 50lbs very healthy puppy. Right after that for close to 2 weeks he lost all his teeth and stopped eating again and got skinny. That's when I started adding some more water to his food (currently feeding him 1/2 cup embark mixed with about 2 cups orijen puppy) and he's been eating great ever since! Don't know if it was mentioned or not, but my breeder told me you don't want to bs able to see the ribs, but if you pet him, you should be able to feel the ribs under a little meat. This is how I've kept him. Now at 5.5 months without scaling him, I think he's close to 65lbs and still very healthy!

You have a great looking pup, don't fret over this as we all learn, and truth be told Leo was skinny like that for a bit until I talked to the breeder again and she schooled me on the weight thing!

I agree with Keeper. Great post and reply, Chris!