My 4 Months Gsd Weighs Only 16 Lbs.

[AMIT]

hi everyone,
My purebred german sheperd puppy weighs only 16 lbs.He had terrible diarrhea when he was 9 weeks.can it slow down its growth to that level whereas i ve seen gsd puppies of 4 months who look quite large as compared to mine.Do i have a runt of a litter?can it keep up with normal growth.
he's vegas line pup & im expecting good dog out of him.

 

[mewzard]

16lbs? or 16kgs. If he is 16lbs then i think he needs a trip to the vets to check him over. Some dogs are just smaller than others. 16Kg isn't that far off the average and will work it's self out in time. There is a handy chart here: http://www.nwk9.com/weight_height.htm
But puppies come in all shapes and sizes. Oka was between the male and female average on that chart until she hit about 9 months. Now just short of 13months she weighs 33Kg which is just less than the average male. She isn't a full GSD though and i think that has influence on it. She is also taller than most GSDs, Oka is 25inches at the withers (shoulder) the same as the average GSD male.
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With a good breeder there should be no runt. The breeder would step in and put the smaller pups to the front teats so they get better milk, also put them on more often so they get more milk. though this wouldn't stop a genetically smaller pup being small it does stop teh smaller wones having less nutrients.

 

[AMIT]

yes he's 16 lbs....vry picky eater.now im feeding him veggies,potato,chicken & brown rice cooked together along with dry dog food 3 times a day.he skips his meals quite occassionally.otherwise he's fully active n playful.doesnt feel too skinny on his ribs either.
wht ahd i do.i know he's 50% of his usual average weight.when i picked him.he was smaller than his sisters but only male left in litter .(the 2nd died).

 

[mewzard]

You can't do anything, continue to feed him well and he'll be what he'll be . have you looked at raw feeding? It won't make him grow quicker - which is a good thing - but (i think) it is a better food source for dogs. He will go through growth spurts like human kids and may catch up to the average at some point.

 

[AMIT]

thanks for advice.do you feed raw food to ure gsd???pls suggest how to feed raw & balanced diet as feeding raw diet is quite troublesome & personally i feel unhygienic as i cant trace the source of meat in india.but for the health of my pet,i m ready to try anything good thts good for him.i ve felt him to be more scratchy for which i ve already decided to remove brown rice from his food & use potatoes only as source of carbs.

 

[mewzard]

Ah hadn't realised you were in India. In the UK we have a few companies that make food for dogs:
http://www.naturalinstinct.com/
http://www.prizechoice.co.uk/
Basically Oka would have just raw food at each meal, and the occasional vegetable or fruit. It depends on what you believe about dogs as to whether you feel they need vegetables/fruit/carbs. some people feel they are carnivores and therefore ONLY need meat, others feel that they would eat the stomache or prey and therefore they would eat some carbs/veg matter as part of the meal.
Good information can be found here: http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html
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Oka had just meat with the odd veg and it didn't do her any harm. She doesn't have raw food at the moment because i'm working with a trainer to get her attention on me to increase around other dogs...after many methods the only one that is working for us is to feed her dry food and use tasty food (like boiled chicken breast) when around those distractions.
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At 4 months Oka had 1 chicken wing per meal...Not chicken legs as the bone will splinter and that is dangerous. Chicken breast is good. you can scold them with a little boiling water if your worried about salmonella.
She is about 4 1/2 months here. The bone was about 40cm long....she didn't eat it she 'cleaned' it, this is more a fun bone than a meal;