Too Skinny APBT!!!

My friend has a white very hyper APBT. He has been to the vet many time (once every two weeks) and nothing is ever found wrong with him except a slightly higher temp which happens when he gets nervous. But he is extremely skinny. Looking at him would make most people cringe, he looks as if he is starved. He is very active and drinks water almost uncontrollably and eats a little more than the recomended amount for their other APBT's weight. She is a big girl about 50-55 pounds. Any Ideas why her brother is so skinny and she is so fat? He is 5 so he should be thick but can't seem to gain any weight.

have they done bloodwork?

Do you have a pic of the dog? APBTs are not supposed to be big barrel chested dogs. I am just wondering if this dog is a typical rangier looking APBT. I get the "god your dog is thin" crap all the time about my one girl but she actually is in great shape and at the weight she should be.

The symptoms described make it sound like diabetes. Especially the excessive water intake.

Ideal weight for an APBT is this. You should easily be able to see the last two ribs. The other ribs should be noticeable when the dog curves its back.

They have done blood work and have found no abnormalities. Sugar level are normal so not diabetes. I think hyper thyroid or hypo. the one that makes you lose weight.

Don't have a picture, but this dog isn't just skinny. He is Gaunt. You can not just feel but clearly see more than his ribs. His hips portrude and his vertebrae is very visible. He does have muscle which you can see around his legs and face and he is no means frail but he looks like one of those dogs you see on extreme abuse cases. They even had a new nieghbor report them once just because she saw B walking the dog and thought they were starving him so he would be meaner in a fighting ring or something. *sigh* She is one of those ladies that thinks anyone expessially younger adult who one a pit type dog must belong to a fighting ring. She runs inside and slams the door everytime The dogs go on a walk and they are in harnesses, walking alongside B not even noticing. Plus they are but cuddle bears who love all the attention. I promise you his owners treat him very good.
BUt back to the subject. Does the dog just have a super high metabolism and if so is there any type of food to recomend? Something that will put some weight on him. Last time they checked he was I think 10-15 pounds overweight and he is the larger leaner looking type. His sister is the shorter thicker type.

What kind of food is he eating right now?

Yes food is a biggie. Zo can't seem to keep weight on, on many types of (very good) kibble.

I am going to slaughter the spelling but Eukanuba.....Plus they used to get some vet gravy powder stuff. It is like the stuff they give body builders when they want to gain weight but for dogs. Don't know if they are still using that anymore though. I'll have to ask them tonight.

Yeah Eukanuba is that crappiest of the crappy. It is not a good quality of dog food at all.

I would consider switching to Eagle Pack or something along those lines. Others will be able to give you advice on better choices of dog food for her.

Like Verberen said, APBTs have a very specific body type and what the average dog is considered too skinny at, is actually what an APBT is SUPPOSED to look like.
It's not uncommon to see almost all of the APBTs ribs while working.
Like this, this is Ella running:


You can see her ribs. Before I got her, I had NEVER seen a pair of ribs on a dog that wasn't extremely malnourished.

The only thing that would set off red flags for me (because you don't have a pic) is the protruding hip bones.

Ella should have more muscle on her, or...I WANT more muscle tone on her. I want her shoulders and arms to be more muscular than they are. But the only thing that will bulk that area up is weight pull and I cannot do that with her right now.


I wish you had a pic of the dog.

Eukanuba is probably not a food that is working for this dog. Being grain heavy (ier) which can often translate to sugar, it would stand to reason why the dog would be drinking more water.
If I feed Ella raw, she will barely drink any water. When I feed her kibble, she drinks TONS of water. And that's with high quality kibble.

I'll have to get a picture of him but it is funny cause he looks really good in his pictures. Before I met him in person his owners would come over and they showed us pictures of him Saying how skinny he is and everything. He is all white, but not albino. And I thought he was so pretty (not too skinny but perfect) but in person you are taken aback. I'll have to get a good side profile picture of him. Cause he looks good from the front where you mostly see his head but level to him and from the side you can see what I am talking about.

I agree with upgrading the food. If the dog is really that hyper, he will need a higher quality kibble to keep up with his energy output. For a quick fix, he could do the satin balls recipe (its probably been mentioned on this forum, so try searching for it), but a long-term solution is also required.

Yep.. higher quality kibbled including California Natural, Innova, Orijen, Eagle Pack, Canidae, etc etc. Spinal bones protruding is a BIG red flag as well as hip bones. I can feel Middie's hip bones, but not see then, and even that worries me. This pup's owners ought to be at least feeding him as much as he wants, if not switching to a better food, which he should gain weight on and eat less of.

Well my mom makes us buy the cheapest dog food she can find, because she cares more about herself than the dogs, but they look great. The food is like... 'Disney's Old Yeller Kibble' or something like that But yeah, I've never heard of specific foods making a dog skinny... of course, our dogs also get an array of leftovers as a treat on weekends, so that may have something to do with it.