underweight German shepherd?

Question

i have a 8weeks old GSD and it weighs only 2.75lbs . it is active but doesnt really eat much and also sleeps a lot . can any one please advise me of the right kind of diet and any other suggestions to help him gain weight.

Answer 1

Are you sure you don't mean 12. 75 lbs? Just checking because normal weight at 8 weeks is 16-20 lbs. Maybe it's not a pure bred gsd. If it is and it weighs less than 3 lbs, I can't imagine it's healthy in any way. You really need to take him to the vet. Has he had his vaccines yet? Did they vet say anything about his weight then?



Les, the king! That's what I was thinking, but I know you know. Something completely horribly wrong with this poor pup. Another question has been posted, so the weight is apparently not a typo, Poor thing.

Answer 2

This puppy is very small. I would try feeding it a top quality dry food mixed with canned or simply canned food. Canned is higher in calories, but you may end up with a dog that will not eat dry food later on. Puppies do sleep a lot. Are you certain that he is 8 weeks old? I've had clients tell me they just got an 8 week old puppy and when we looked at the pup there was no way it was that old. If mom wasn't feeding it, they may have been tired of caring for it and just gotten rid of it. Take it to the vet and have it checked.

Good luck.

Answer 3

No way do you have an 8 weeks old GSD that weighs 2¾ lbs.

Even if he is a pituitary dwarf, that is far too light. (And pituitary dwarfs do NOT have a rosy outlook, although I do know of one who was put on medication from about 8 weeks old and achieved both CDX and UDX before the coat-&-kidneys consequences of that pituitary defect caught up with him.)



Although averages are only averages, they don't define "normal", 8 weeks old GSD males average just under 20 lbs.



If you have typed the weight correctly, your pup is about the size of a 2-3 weeks old GSD. At that age a pup can wobble-walk but not play, and is unteachable (their brain doesn't switch-on until some time during day 21). Weigh him on accurate scales (such as at your vets, or at a grain store or dairy factory) and, unless he is actually at least 12 lbs return him to the breeder and claim a refund.

If you didn't get him from his breeder, shame on you for encouraging the puppy-millers who supply pet shops.



8 weeks old puppies are 100%ers - they're either giving life 100% of their energy (lots of chewing & tugging) or they are 100% asleep.



Because you should not attempt to keep a GSD as small as you state, I'm not going to attempt to give diet details.



If the weight you stated is a typo that you carelessly didn't check before posting the question, give someone a Best Answer then 20± minutes later delete the question so that it doesn't mislead other people.



Be aware that YahooAnswers is full of kids pretending to know what they're talking about. If your question is about GSDs then you should ask it in one of the 300+ YahooGroups dedicated to GSDs. To look up information about GSDs for yourself, the Links in http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source/ are probably your best starting point. And yes, it has a section on Size & Weight.



"Ray E":

Please give no further examples of your ignorance about "my" breed. People come here expecting that answerers will know what they're talking about. You definitely do NOT, about GSDs.

Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly

"In GSDs" as of 1967

Answer 4

It's completely normal for an adolescent GSD to be on the skinny side - he'll bulk up as he matures. Trying to make him put on weight quickly is usually counter productive as he'll either stop eating or get the runs. It's actually healthier for a growing dog to be on the lean side - less strain on growing bones and joints and although your dog may have reached his full height, he's still got a lot of developing to do. Dogs often lose condition along with their coat. If your vet hasn't found anything wrong and his poos are normal, I wouldn't think there is anything to worry about - you've just got a gangly teenager. He's well within the accepted weight for a young GSD.

Answer 5

here is my question ... is he over all small for his age? because i have seen that ... an 8 week old runt puppy from my moms dogs litter was half the size as the other pups or is he normal in height but severely thin here is a link that will show you the difference in an underweight, ideal weight and over weight dogs ... under the picture that best shows your dogs body type is a button for tips on how to improve ... i hope this helps until you can get your pup to the vet!



also ... dont force too much on him too fast ... over feeding is just as bad as under feeding especially in a pup that is used to not eating much ... i would increase the food givin maybe every 3 days by small amounts until he is eating the correct amount of food at each feeding

Answer 6

This pup for one shouldn't be away from mom. Who did you get it from?



You need to take this pup to a vet asap. There could be many many thing wrong with it and all of them need to be seen and treated by a vet.



An 8 week old German Shepherd should weigh around 6-10 lbs. if not more. Depending on the lines.

Answer 7

that's very small.please let a vet examine him,before you start giving him vaccines.He may have a LOT of worms and you don't have to see them!Any high quality dog food will do fine,but there must be a reason,why he is so thin.

Also:German shepherds have a deficiency(not all of them)

its inherited, but easy to treat:exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.Ask the vet, there is a blood test for this, you will know right away if your pup has this illness.The test is called:TLI .

Answer 8

I would see a vet for sure. My puppies both weighed about 12 pounds when I took them home at 8 weeks.

Answer 9

Visit ur vet, and also start addingolive or fish oil to his food (1 TBS) It'll get a lil more fat in his diet as well as make his coat shinier. But ur GSD may have a muscle disorder or something along those lines where he may need to start on suppliments. I give my pupies an Ensure (vanilla) to make sure they get enough nutrients

Answer 10

you should of taken him/her to the vet within the first 3 days and you wouldn't need to be asking this question. not trying to condesend you or anything the breeder should of told you to do this

Answer 11

see a vet

Answer 12

try these different foods,

try tempting him into eating!

http://www.toddsrotties.com/jpg/puppy_food.jpg

https://rewards.shaws.com/pets/offer_images/small/S02MSF04.gif

http://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/images/k9_C_Puppy_Chkn_150_en.jpg

if he still doesnt eat , try hand feeding him or give him a treat for every bowl of food he eats

http://www.cherrybrook.com/images/catalog/live/imageLibrary/D743F55DC326F482CC225F9E46F34520M.jpg

or try not exersising him for 2months but leave tons of food out.

Answer 13

this is normal, but feed good food mixture of dry and fresh