Underweight puppy?

Just a QQ - I've not got a camera at the moment so I can't provide photos, but I can see Tyson's rearmost five ribs through his skin - they don't quite stick out like piano keys, but I am a little concerned - is this normal for a three-month old puppy, or should we start feeding him more?

At the moment he gets two short walks around the block - plan to extend these once he's had his jabs - and three bowls of Pedigree Puppy a day. We have only had him for a week, but I felt it was worth asking.

Thanks,

James

they all grow/weigh/differ in size in sooo many different ways, if he's eating and drinking, and keeping it down/in then i wouldnt be too concerned, and you can ask the vet to weigh him when you take him for the jabs, that will probably give you the best idea.

To start with, he shouldn't be going out before his jabs. If I were you, I'd take him to the vets, as the weight issue may be due to a virus or infection he's picked up. As a young pup especially, it's better to be safe than sorry!

Also, Pedigree isn't the best food to be giving, though any change in diet should be made gradually.

Has he been wormed lately? And as Eleanor said, he shouldn't really be out and about yet. Best being extra careful.

Good point ^

For 3 months old, feeding schedules are unlikely to be the cause of malnourishment if he's getting three meals per day. There is likely to be an underlying problem. I do think a vet trip is the best thing to do.

if hes happy and hes eating well then dont worry.
on the walks your dog is very young and not had his jabs yet so at the most keep him in the garden untill hes ready, when you take him for the vets then they weigh him in and if you ask nice they will clip his nails too.

your puppy will have a lot of excess skin to grow in and will fill out over time, watch how he eats, try adding some buiscuits to his food suitible for puppy teeth. we used wagg for gary which he enjoyed.
as stated above make sure he is de wormed.

Stokester wrote:if hes happy and hes eating well then dont worry.
on the walks your dog is very young and not had his jabs yet so at the most keep him in the garden untill hes ready, when you take him for the vets then they weigh him in and if you ask nice they will clip his nails too.

your puppy will have a lot of excess skin to grow in and will fill out over time, watch how he eats, try adding some buiscuits to his food suitible for puppy teeth. we used wagg for gary which he enjoyed.
as stated above make sure he is de wormed.

Not quite as simple as that & excess skin won't be the cause of ribs showing. Without a photo, though, it's impossible for anybody to say whether he's underweight or not.

Also, Pedigree isn't a very good food (neither is Wagg) and you could do a lot better for him with a food like Wainwrights (from Pets at Home) or another good quality, mid price range food.

Walking a pup, even round the block, is fraught with danger of catching diseases until after he's had his second lot of vaccinatons. Even then, he should only be getting about 5 minutes on lead walking per month of age, two or three times a day, plus some off lead running & playing on soft ground (grass or sand).

I would get him to a vet as soon as possible for his first vaccinations and a quick health check up.

Definitely agree. At such a young age, it is best not to take risks. If you feel in any way that your dog is underweight or not entirely healthy, a vet trip is in order. It's all very well saying that there is no worry, as long as the pup is happy, but it's very difficult to pick up on distress signs with a dog you've had for a week. You haven't had the chance to get to know his little signals yet.

I hope you keep us updated on how he is. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about, but better safe than sorry!

Our pup is 11 weeks so very close to the age if yours.
We were told by the vet we would be seriously risking our pups health if we took her out before her vaccination course was complete. I wouldn't risk it . Taking the pup to friends homes who have dogs that are vaccinated will provide playtime and socialisation and other than that just play in the house for the next few weeks . You could take the pup out for littke car rides and carry them around busy places so that are still experiencing lots of sights and sounds.

As for ribs we can't see any on our pup, she has a waist but has a good covering of puppy fat the vet was happy with this .All pups are diffrerent but I would pop yours to the vet and ask advice on food and worming etc .
Good luck , let us know how you get on .

Caryll wrote:

Stokester wrote:if hes happy and hes eating well then dont worry.
on the walks your dog is very young and not had his jabs yet so at the most keep him in the garden untill hes ready, when you take him for the vets then they weigh him in and if you ask nice they will clip his nails too.

your puppy will have a lot of excess skin to grow in and will fill out over time, watch how he eats, try adding some buiscuits to his food suitible for puppy teeth. we used wagg for gary which he enjoyed.
as stated above make sure he is de wormed.

Not quite as simple as that & excess skin won't be the cause of ribs showing. Without a photo, though, it's impossible for anybody to say whether he's underweight or not.

Also, Pedigree isn't a very good food (neither is Wagg) and you could do a lot better for him with a food like Wainwrights (from Pets at Home) or another good quality, mid price range food.

Walking a pup, even round the block, is fraught with danger of catching diseases until after he's had his second lot of vaccinatons. Even then, he should only be getting about 5 minutes on lead walking per month of age, two or three times a day, plus some off lead running & playing on soft ground (grass or sand).

I would get him to a vet as soon as possible for his first vaccinations and a quick health check up.

I'm with Caryll.

Also, you should be taking him out as it's very important for socialisation but he should not be on the ground until at least a week after his 2nd jab. You need to carry him.

Sorry just walked in on this one , no walks until after his 2nd jab ( 1 week after) the garden bit is really down to your own thoughts and really depends on your home. For us we knew our garden was only visited by our existing girl so were happy for Tommy to be out there from day 1 b (they mixed in the house anyway) but no further . This is not recommendation and only a personal choice.
Tilly didnt go out full stop until 1 week after her 2nd jab , we carried Tommy out until then he could share the experience with Tilly and gain some confidence.

I really think you should visit the vet asap regarding the weight issues , you really can't wait too long with a pup

Otis was quite skinny when we got him at 12 weeks. We took him to the vet the very next day and he did confirm that he was on the small side but suspected it could be worms (as he was quite 'ribby' and bloated tummy) correct me if I am wrong - despite having been up to date with worming. I don't know if this is the case here but just wanted to share - I would definitely take him to the vets to get the all clear. He said it was quite common and nothing to worry about... Also do be careful with walkies before vaccinations are complete...
Good luck with your puppy

Just an update!

Vets' trip yesterday went fine, we've wormed the little man so hopefully he'll start bulking out soon, the vet said that he looked like he had just been through a growth spurt, which is why he's not bulked out yet. Hopefully his stools will get a bit more solid soon - thanks for all the advice!

-James

That's great, glad the vet had a check over and he got wormed. I can't help but think that was one of the big things. Glad to hear it

jamesbeil wrote:Just an update!

Vets' trip yesterday went fine, we've wormed the little man so hopefully he'll start bulking out soon, the vet said that he looked like he had just been through a growth spurt, which is why he's not bulked out yet. Hopefully his stools will get a bit more solid soon - thanks for all the advice!

-James

That's good news! Thanks for letting us know!

So glad everythings okay

Thanks for the update , few pics would be nice

it will happen again, my laska has just burnt all her puppy fat in favour of two massive rear legs,,,, she looks a right scrag bag as she is blowing her coat at the same time. skinney minney with big muscley legs she looks a right odd bod lol if it wasnt for marley doing the same at her age i would be worried too

I have a nine week old staffie who for the last week has been pooing and peeing in the garden. I have two other dogs which are vaccinated so for us it is has been safe to do this. I have been carrying him round on walks with the other two but I agree with other posts that you should not be putting him down outside until a week after second jab. The breeder did worm him and I wormed him again at 8 weeks and a couple of days later he passed a roundworm so it's good that you now have worming sorted. The breeder weaned him on pedigree puppy meat but I couldn't wait to get him off this rubbish..it's full of water and makes them bloated. I now have him on Millies Wolfheart which is fairly expensive but worth it. Look at 'whichdogfood' guide as it gives you everything you need to know about the majority of dog foods out there....good luck!