My Dog Qq

[tiffanygz]

hello,guys!

my german shepherd is twelve weeks old, however, it's only 8.5 kg, it's a girl. is that normal? I am so worried.

and will that be helpful if i feed my puppy with yolk? Somebody say that it's good for puppy's health.

Thanks!

[holly]

Tiffany

different breeding produces different weights, depending on how big her bone is, this is quite normal weight.

What and how much does her diet consist of?

[tiffanygz]

Tiffany

different breeding produces different weights, depending on how big her bone is, this is quite normal weight.

What and how much does her diet consist of?

I give her one and a half cups of Pedigree Puppy dry food,mixed with half can of Pedigree Puppy food.

[KitKat]

per day? or each meal?

[holly]

the puppy dry is fine, but the can has about 9% protein, not enough for a growing puppy, also has a lot of water in it. We use to use 3/4 Puppy dry adn 1/4 meat.

but for the age 1.5 c of dry is what I would be feeding, plus the 1/4 meat. did her breeder give you a diet sheet? Does she look skinny to you or just right? I don't weigh my pups/dogs, only when being wormed, I go on feel and look adn adjust if they are loosing or gaining too much weight.

[tiffanygz]

per day? or each meal?

each meal

and three meals per day

[tiffanygz]

the puppy dry is fine, but the can has about 9% protein, not enough for a growing puppy, also has a lot of water in it. We use to use 3/4 Puppy dry adn 1/4 meat.

but for the age 1.5 c of dry is what I would be feeding, plus the 1/4 meat. did her breeder give you a diet sheet? Does she look skinny to you or just right? I don't weigh my pups/dogs, only when being wormed, I go on feel and look adn adjust if they are loosing or gaining too much weight.

what kind of meat are you giving your puppy?

and generally speaking, how would you cook the meat?

Thanks a lot!

[holly]

hI Tiffany

Kitkat asked a good question, I thought you were feeding 1.5c per day.

we give ours no more than 2 cups per day of dry with no more than 1/c meat at that age.

we use chicken mince, red meat, sardines etc, we dont cook the meat, but warm regularly, every 4 weeks at 12 weeks of age

[tiffanygz]

hI Tiffany

Kitkat asked a good question, I thought you were feeding 1.5c per day.

we give ours no more than 2 cups per day of dry with no more than 1/c meat at that age.

we use chicken mince, red meat, sardines etc, we dont cook the meat, but warm regularly, every 4 weeks at 12 weeks of age

Is that i give her too much to eat?

[holly]

If you are feeding 1.5 c of biscuit and 1/2 can of puppy food a meal x 3 meals per day, that equates to 6 c of food per day, I haven't bought Pal Puppy biscuit for ages, but I think even if you looked at the bag of the bag, it would not advise feeding that much.

If you overfeed fast growing puppies, like GSD's, you run the risk of getting them fat, growing them too fast and it can lead to bone and joint problems.

Feeding that much in one day, the puppy is probably doing a lot of poos too?

Even a 10 month old pup would not be fed any more than 3 c of Pal Puppy and 1/4 c of meat per day, unless they are very active, than it would be raised by no more than 1 c. My 40kg male is on 3-4 c of Advance and that is his lot.

I would get a correct measuring cup and measure the puppies food accurately, would drop the food by at least half, if you feel guilty, you can buy 4 x 4 biscuits at most produce stores, they are great teethers and will keep your puppy occupied, or even large brisket and thigh bones to gnaw on.

[Guest Dianne]

I would be very concerned with the weight your puppy is at the age she is.

But of cause that is by my standards and my opinion only.

I would if I were you take the puppy to a Vet., and get her checked carefully for any underlying conditions, if none then you have a healthy if lightly framed puppy.

You will get as many answers here as you have questions from as many people.

Good luck

Dianne

**spelling edit

Edited March 20, 2005 by Dianne

[tiffanygz]

I would be very concerned with the weight your puppy is at the age she is.

But of cause that is by my standards and my opinion only.

I would if I were you take the puppy to a Vet., and get her checked carefully for any underlying conditions, if none then you have a healthy if lightly framed puppy.

You will get as many answers here as you have questions from as many people.

Good luck

Dianne

**spelling edit

Last Saturday I took her to the vet, the doctor said that she's very healthy.

However, I really don't know why she's so light.

:rolleyes:

[Cordelia]

Sorry, but just to clarify something......

Is she a purebred GSD?? (and from a Registered breeder?)

[holly]

Does this help Tiffany:

MAXI Breeds

The term ‘Maxi’ breeds includes dogs weighing from 26 to 44 kg when adult.

"During the first stage of intensive growth, the Maxi puppy builds his skeleton. He gains 130 g per day on average, reaching 50% of his adult weight in only 5 months."

NB; THE GSD bitch usually weighs 24 -32 kg, averages about 29kg at maturity, if you were to use this guide, a 29kg animal, at 6 months would be 14.5kg.

When looking at the weight of pups adn dogs, you need to look at their constitution, big boned animals will weigh more than a lighter boned pup, I have had 6 week old pups weigh 7kg and others from teh same litter weigh 5kg, doesn't mean they are ill, just that they are growing slower and for large breeds, like GSD's you want them to grow slow, runts that we have bought and even raised, turned out to be above medium to large sized, with strong bone.

If you can do the rib test and feel the rib and a light coverage of fat over the ribs, the pup is just right, if you can see the pins of the hip pointing out under the skin, too skinny and if you have to dig to find a rib, too fat.

If your vet has given your pup a clean bill of health, how about posting a side view and a view above the pup, so we can see the waist of the puppy. You could also, if you do not live far, join a GSDCAust club, I found them invaluable when I started out and saved me some very sleepless nights.

Holly

[Guest wiser]

we use chicken mince, red meat, sardines etc, we dont cook the meat, but warm regularly, every 4 weeks at 12 weeks of age

dont cook the meat but warm it? You warm the meat before you give it to the dog and you give the dog warm meat every 4 weeks. That doesnt sound right to me

[holly]

thou this is for adult dogs, it can help you to work out the rib test, it has a discription of what to do and how a dog of correct weight should look:

http://www.purina.ca/dogs/nutrition.asp?article=286

[tiffanygz]

I would be very concerned with the weight your puppy is at the age she is.

But of cause that is by my standards and my opinion only.

I would if I were you take the puppy to a Vet., and get her checked carefully for any underlying conditions, if none then you have a healthy if lightly framed puppy.

You will get as many answers here as you have questions from as many people.

Good luck

Dianne

**spelling edit

Last Saturday I took her to the vet, the doctor said that she's very healthy.

However, I really don't know why she's so light.

:rolleyes:

Dear all, QQ is a purebred German Shepherd (I think), However, I got her in the private sale, not from a breeder. I will post some pictures for all of you to have a look. Thanks!

[holly]

HI Tiffany

if you are truely concerned about your puppy not being heavy enough, what I would suggest is changing the puppy food you are feeding.

Pal Puppy biscuits number 1 ingredient is wheat, which is a filler product and does not have much nutritional value.

We use Advance large breed growth and my 6.5 month old puppy is on 2 c of biscuit and 1/4 c of mince a day and is excellent condition. Advance's number 1 ingredient is poultry, with a protein level of 28.0% compared to 21% for Pal puppy, the fat content, the nutrient that gives the puppy energy and fat stores is not less than 16% in Advance and 12% in Pal puppy.

Thou Advance, 15kg bag can set you back $75, you will feed less to get better results. I have my large dog on just 3 c of this biscuit a day and nothing else, the others have some meat added, my choice and all are doing great, with the mature ones having the same food amount as the puppy and some less, as they put on too much weight.

I would switch to a premium dog biscuit, you may find you will save yourself a lot in long the run, not too mention less stress and worry.

HOlly

[KitKat]

we use chicken mince, red meat, sardines etc, we dont cook the meat, but warm regularly, every 4 weeks at 12 weeks of age 

dont cook the meat but warm it? You warm the meat before you give it to the dog and you give the dog warm meat every 4 weeks. That doesnt sound right to me

I think it was meant to be "but worm regularly, every 4 weeks at 12 weeks of age"

Holly...correct me if i'm wrong?

[holly]

Yes, Kitkat, you are right, that is my literacy skills (or lack of) coming to the fore once again :rolleyes: We WORM regularly.... :rolleyes: