New Puppy in the house

JPuckett1989

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#1
We just rescued a puppy from a local animal shelter a few days ago. It would have been his last day.

He's 16 weeks old and from what we can gather, he's a German Shepherd/Yellow Lab mix. He's very smart,energetic,great on a leash and rather dominant towards our 3 year old black lab, Sadie. He also has a strong prey drive as he chases after our cat, and notices every bird flying,every squirrel running. We've also learned he quite vocal, and expresses himself.

The biggest problem right now is his weight. He's only 24 pounds which from what we were told by his former foster parents, he's gained quite a bit of weight since then. From research it seems he should be about 10-15 pounds heavier. We've got him on Diamond Naturals puppy formula, and we give him a raw egg yolk at every meal. Does anybody else have some suggestions on how to get some meat back on him? Seems a lot of people recommend satin balls for gaining weight.

 

Maxy24

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#2
He's adorable! Looks like a fun dog. What makes you think he should be heavier? Always go by body condition, even dogs of the same breed can vary greatly in weight depending on sex and breeder. Does he LOOK underweight? Are bones sticking out? Spine, ribs, hips? A little bit of rib is fine, especially with his coat type, but there shouldn't be pointy hips or noticeable vertebrae. If his bones are all covered then chances are he's not underweight at all!

But wasn't Diamond Naturals recalled? Or are they stocking it again?
 

JPuckett1989

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#3
I haven't been on here in a while so not sure about the diamond naturals recall. His ribs are showing, his hip bones aren't showing visually but you can feel every point vertebrae. His coat and skin are also in bad shape.
 

Teal

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#4
Can you post a picture of him from the side at his level, and from the top? That will let us see his condition and if he's actually thin or not. Many, many people think a dog is at an ideal weight when it is actually too heavy :)

Also, there is no need to separate the yolk and give him only that.. plunk in the entire egg, shell included! You can break it up, or you can out it in whole and watch him figure out how to eat it.. my dogs LOVE whole eggs!
 

JPuckett1989

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#5
I will try and get some pictures tomorrow. very difficult to get a picture of a constantly moving puppy!

And you may be right, I'm just thinking in my head what lab puppies, and what german shepherd puppies look like, and then I look at him and he's so much skinnier. Also, comparing to how sadie(lab/pit mix) looked at his age.
 

Maxy24

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#6
And if he is underweight I'd just give him some time. He's new, so give him some time for him to gain weight just by eating a regular diet.
 

Dizzy

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#10
Doesnt look to bad at all to me!!! Trim, but not thin. For a puppy maybe a little more, but if he was adult I'd be saying how good he looks.
 

JPuckett1989

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#11
That's what we were thinking, too. He's no where near as tiny as when the Humane Society first got him (I think the Vet said he was around 15 lbs.) He is constantly gaining weight now that he's with us.

If he was an adult, I wouldn't be saying he was underweight. However, as a puppy, I think he can still use to gain just a *little* bit of weight.
 

Bailey08

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#12
Ask you vet when you take him in, but I think he's likely fine.

It's actually great for puppies (especially larger dogs) to stay lean through puppyhood.

Fwiw, my golden pup who is about that age looks slimmer (based just on your pics). Which isn't super relevant to your specific dog, but I thought it might make you feel a bit better. :)

Also, puppies really aren't dominant, but they can be pretty rude, because they're still figuring out how to interact with other dogs. Hopefully your older dog will correct the pup appropriately so he learns how to behave. Make sure your older dog gets some time away from the puppy, too -- my 4 yo still needs breaks from puppy craziness.
 

JPuckett1989

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#13
Yea, he's definitely rude sometimes. We're working on correcting it, he's learning fast. We also let sadie and our cat teach him when enough is enough.
 

Dekka

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#14
Not at all thin! I wouldn't want any more weight on him if he is a growing boy. Heck I wouldn't want more weight on him (other than muscle) if he was an adult and puppies should be a little leaner than adults.

You must be used to some fat puppies. ;)

My adult dogs aren't any fatter than your dog. With that body type and coat I would want to see a ripple of rib at spots.
 

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