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German Shepherd Pup Under Weight


maf101
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My uncle and I each bought a German Shepherd pup last week. We viewed both parents and their litter of 9 pups. The pup I choose was a bit smaller than the other pups but I liked her temperament. We were told they were 6 weeks old.

We took them to the vet today. They are both underweight. The male pup weighs 2.9kg and my female pup weighs only 1.96kg. He checked them for worms. The test came back clear. They were wormed and given their first needle.

The vet said they are barely 6 weeks old and believes they were 5 weeks old when we bought them.

I've been feeding my pup Bonnie puppy (kibble), Optimum puppy (tin), and fresh pet roll. I feed her 3 times a day. She has a healthy appetite. Before I bought her she was fed Pal puppy and Weet Bix. She weighed 0.9kg the day I brought her home.

The vet said she needs premium foods and suggested Advanced. Advance is available in Advance Puppy Growth and Advance Puppy Rehydratable. Which is best?

What do you recommend I feed her to help her gain weight and grow?

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My uncle and I each bought a German Shepherd pup last week. We viewed both parents and their litter of 9 pups. The pup I choose was a bit smaller than the other pups but I liked her temperament. We were told they were 6 weeks old.

We took them to the vet today. They are both underweight. The male pup weighs 2.9kg and my female pup weighs only 1.96kg. He checked them for worms. The test came back clear. They were wormed and given their first needle.

The vet said they are barely 6 weeks old and believes they were 5 weeks old when we bought them.

I've been feeding my pup Bonnie puppy (kibble), Optimum puppy (tin), and fresh pet roll. I feed her 3 times a day. She has a healthy appetite. Before I bought her she was fed Pal puppy and Weet Bix. She weighed 0.9kg the day I brought her home.

The vet said she needs premium foods and suggested Advanced. Advance is available in Advance Puppy Growth and Advance Puppy Rehydratable. Which is best?

What do you recommend I feed her to help her gain weight and grow?

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The puppies do sound light and I would suggest a variety .......

Firstly feed what you are already,unless of course you feel the puppy is not gaining weight it's not good to change diet often.Can I ask if this vet is a stockist of Advance? Many vet's will recommend what they sell at their clinic.

I would add the following:

Yoghurt, cheese,Goats milk. Lamb off cuts, really fleshy fatty type. Feed three meals per day.

Good luck

:)

If I was buying the Advance I would use the rehydratable.

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Which is best?

Leigh was underweight when she went for her cheak-up and also her 2nd needle,yet to "us" she was eating well (i also feed my dogs table food)

The vet recommended "supercoat" by purina,at $50 FOR 18 kG'S i find it great,we do add dog food "chum" on occasion.

The vet also said that the "supercoat puppy " was OK for all 3 of my dogs .(and i TRUST my vet !!!)

Leigh is now very healthy and yes,has the silkest coat going :).

I would take the O2 of the breeder's here,they have "been there done that",Iv had good advice from people here :)

Good luck on fatting her

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Personally I'd scrap the tin stuff and the pet roll and just feed dry food with raw chicken mince for now and once they are abit older start giving them raw chicken wing, chicken frames, brisket and other meaty bones!!!

As for dry I'd stick with what you have them on unless you feel its not putting weight on them or if their coat looks dry and dull then maybe I'd consider changing.

I'd also suggest adding either sardines, yoghurt or an egg every second or third day either one would be good for them!

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We didn't get papers. They are purebred.

The vet doesn't sell dog food. I asked what is best food to give her and he recommended Advance. He said it's better quality food and there's less waste.

Is Supercoat puppy much better than Bonnie? I have 40kg of Boonie.

Is there a specific type of yogurt or cheese I should buy? Do I feed it as a snack or a meal? Probably a silly question but what is goats milk?

I'll try giving her some raw chicken mince. She is still getting her teeth through so the softer foods are easier for her to chew. She loves the dog roll so she'll probably love fresh meat. Should I serve it raw? Do I mix anything into it?

Her coat is very soft and feels good. She's very energetic. She loves playing with her brother when my uncle visits with his pup.

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a silly question but what is goats milk?

Milk which comes from goats :)

it is MUCH easier digested than other milk... and great for babies/convalescents.

Your poor little pup should still be with its mother :)

At present....I would be feeding 4 small meals a day... of good quality chicken mince, some bonnie puppy, some goats milk, or plain yogurt... amd some chicken wings to chew :)

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yep defiantely 4 smalls meals.

We use to feed Bonnie through the kennels but found it just wasnt the product it use to be.too many poops & hard to maintain weight.

We use puppy tins & have no issues,its good for breaking up meals.We use either eagle pack puppy tins or the pedigree naturals.

The one thing is though dont rush to feed up,do it slowly & steadily otherwise you will end up with a pup that has the runs.

Getting the weight on will take time.

Like others some chicken mince,mutton mince,chicken necks,lamb flaps all in moderation .

The dry is up to you but i would be more inclined to feed a better quality given the age & lack of nutrition.

Supercoat would be below the bonnie due to its ingredients

I personally would buy the floramax or similiar tabs from the chemist to help realign the good gut bacteria(better than yoghurt)

I am presuming the pup has been wormed as well??

We also use goats milk.some will say theres no need but our pups love it & they get there goats milk & farex as a filler especially before bed.

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You can add some sliced cheese and a table spoon of yoghurt to your puppies dryfood mixed with some goats milk,these products are all available from your local coles or woolworths.

If you do change dry food be careful to mix the new pieces in with the old ones and gently phase the old out.Honestly I would keep feeding the Bonnie because that is what this bub is used to.

:thumbsup:

Don't forget, grab a bag of nice fatty meaty lamb bones for puppy.

Edited by Delkerabo
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The breeder I got my 10 week old GSD (8 weeks when i picked him up) from suggested natural yogurt, (premium food and some added meat with a little rice )all soaked together overnight so that it is moist and then mix the yogurt through as you are about to feed your puppy. This seemed to work for my boy and he is thriving. The breeder also suggest sardines in oil once per week.

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She is still getting her teeth through

We had Min home for about 1 hr before i noticed she had no teeth :)

Poor gummy bear, i would have taken her back to the owner's but she managed to eat OK,it was canned dog food (for puppy's-MY DOG i think ).

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maf are the puppies skinny or just small for their age? There is a big difference.

Your dogs have obviously come from a BYB or PF so it is very very likely that they have been badly bred. It is quite possible that the mother was bred on her first heat at to young of an age and apart from not being finished growing herself she was not fed the appropriate food whilst pregnant so her pups were malnourished whilst in the womb and then whilst feeding from her. It is also more thne likely that the person who bred the pups fed them totally inappropriate food once there were weaned. All of this resulting in puppies small for their age.

I would get rid of the tinned food and pet roll and feed minced chicken carcuss. If your puppies continue to eat and gain weight every week then I wouldn't worry about them being small.

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A malnourished pup (if that's what you're dealing with) needs an optimum diet to give it the best possiblity of becoming a healthy adult.

Go and buy a premium puppy kibble (a lot of vets and breeders like Advance) and give the Bonnie away. You get one chance to grow this pup right and a 40kg bag of cheap kibble shouldn't stand between the pup and that goal.

I'd be feeding lots of raw meaty bones (chicken wings are good for bubs) and the premium kibble or a carefully researched completely raw diet.

No dog roll, no canned food and no cheap kibble. It's poor economy IMO to feed cheap stuff and have problems down the track.

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when I put my Molly onto advance she really thrived!

Its worth every dollar. I was just thinking though because she doesn't have teeth or too many of them if it would be an good idea to make her dry food moist by adding milk/water to it??

I really wish you all the best with your new friend and I am sure she will bulk up in no time :)

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I bought various types of mince, some lamb steaks and lean diced lamb. I avoided the cutlets. She's not ready for bones. I'll give her chicken wings and cutlets when she's a little older.

She has her own yogurt, cheese and goats milk. She loves the goats milk. She couldn't drink it fast enough. She ate meat for lunch. She gobbled it down. My uncles pup is here today and he really enjoyed the new foods.

I've stopped feeding her tin food and the roll. I've made up meals into snap lock bags and I'm using our spare fridge/freezer to keep them fresh.

My pup is small for her age. She's not bony. Our vet said the male pup (my uncles) is a little skinny.

She does have some teeth. They are mostly the back ones and she has tiny teeth coming through on her gum's.

She doesn't eat much kibble. I'll buy some Advance and add water or goats milk to it. Do I heat up the milk/water?

I'm keen to help her grow up healthy.

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I bought various types of mince, some lamb steaks and lean diced lamb. I avoided the cutlets. She's not ready for bones. I'll give her chicken wings and cutlets when she's a little older.

She has her own yogurt, cheese and goats milk. She loves the goats milk. She couldn't drink it fast enough. She ate meat for lunch. She gobbled it down. My uncles pup is here today and he really enjoyed the new foods.

I've stopped feeding her tin food and the roll. I've made up meals into snap lock bags and I'm using our spare fridge/freezer to keep them fresh.

My pup is small for her age. She's not bony. Our vet said the male pup (my uncles) is a little skinny.

She does have some teeth. They are mostly the back ones and she has tiny teeth coming through on her gum's.

She doesn't eat much kibble. I'll buy some Advance and add water or goats milk to it. Do I heat up the milk/water?

I'm keen to help her grow up healthy.

Good for you!

If you're not going to feed much kibble or chicken wings I suggest you add chicken pet mince to her diet now. It's made from minced carcasses and will contain lots of bone - an important source of calcium for a growing baby. :thumbsup:

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