Should I be concerned about low weight?

[Deftone1fan16]

Hello ,

I'm looking for peace of mind or suggestions from the community. I have an 8 month dobie boy named Obi. He currently weighs 53 lbs . I've read several threads about growth rates / charts. I know every dog is different. I've been having trouble getting him to gain a little bit of weight. Whenever I increase his food intake he starts having soft stools. I had him on 3 cups of food a day for a while , 1.5 in the morning / 1.5 at night. Adult food , 4health salmon potato . Last week I increased to 1 3/4 each feeding and seemed to do fine with it. Yesterday I increased to 2 cups a feeding and now he's having very soft stools again.

You can see his ribs when you look at him from certain angles. There's no behavior change in him, same dog. Not low on energy at all. Did have him checked for worms/ parasites, nothing.

Any advice on what else I can add to his diet would help. Or if anyone else has gone through something similar I would love to hear it. Obis parents to be brief are majestic specimens lol. European bloodline. I attached some pics. Thanks in advance.

 

[JanS]

He is indeed very thin. I would have him rechecked for parasites and try to gradually switch to a different food. It can be a great food but not every food agrees with every dog.

 

[remy]

Did he suddenly lose weight or has he always been on the thin side? I agree with rechecking for parasites and possibly getting bloodwork done too, just to be safe.

High volumes of food can cause soft stool. I would look for a food that is pretty high in calories so you can feed less cups. Inukshuk may be a good option. You can also supplement with things like Dyne, but I would try to figure out the underlying issue first!

 

[Deftone1fan16]

He is indeed very thin. I would have him rechecked for parasites and try to gradually switch to a different food. It can be a great food but not every food agrees with every dog.

I'm going to try switching. It seems like he'll start to fill in then gets thin again.

 

[Deftone1fan16]

Did he suddenly lose weight or has he always been on the thin side? I agree with rechecking for parasites and possibly getting bloodwork done too, just to be safe.

High volumes of food can cause soft stool. I would look for a food that is pretty high in calories so you can feed less cups. Inukshuk may be a good option. You can also supplement with things like Dyne, but I would try to figure out the underlying issue first!

It seems like he'll start to fill in and then gets skinny again. To me he's always been on the thinner side. In my eyes and estimating he always seems like he needs 5 more pounds. I'll look into Inukshuk. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Oh Little Oji]

I have been through something similar.

My Oji was a lightweight. Part of the reason was his narrow build and somewhat diminutive head. Part of it was that it seemed he just did not absorb the nutrition from his food that he needed – well, needed in terms of appearance and weight. He was full height at 28" at the withers, yet weighed 70 lbs. Needed in terms of health, strength and vigor? No. He had all of that in spades. I still say he was stronger than any 100 lb. Cadillac Dobie. (Oji was working lines) He was most definitely quicker and more explosive and agile.

Oji's stools were almost always soft. I described picking them up on walks as wiping them up. I tried several foods and supplements. No difference. Well, actually, when I finally switched to a less highly regarded food (Pro Plan Sport) his stools improved to a level that was quite a relief for me. His breeder said "Yeah, that food has corn, so his stools will be firmer." (I think that's what she said).

Weird thing was, Oji at just under one year of age was heavier in weight. Then, he dropped some pounds and hovered in the 65 lb. range for a long long time.

You could see ribs – about the extent of your Dobe there. You could see spine and some hip bones (Some of which was likely due to the angle of his pelvis. I see your Dobe also has a low tail set like Oji did).

 

[Cferg]

I feed inukshuk 30/25 because I can’t feed much more than 4 cups with out Stassi’s stools going soft. I can maintain her weight 65lbs on 3 cups

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Regarding feeding amounts: Many here will attest that young Dobes may need considerably more than the recommended feeding amounts.

At some points in Oji's life around one year of age, I had him up to six (6) cups of food per day! For some of the time, it was five cups. He eventually came down to 4 cups, if I recall.

 

[Kaiser2016]

We sort of had this look with Kaiser too, but it was when he was less than 6 months old and we couldn't get him to have regular solid stools. For us, it turned out to be that his kibble was very high protein, like 33%, and it seems his stomach couldn't handle it. We switched to raw food and the results were 'solid' overnight. You could try adding a probiotic, raw goats milk, kefir, bone broth to help boost his gut health. A 'quick' fix for the ribs was to add some pasta to his meals, but I don't consider that a good long term solution.

 

[Deftone1fan16]

I have been through something similar.

My Oji was a lightweight. Part of the reason was his narrow build and somewhat diminutive head. Part of it was that it seemed he just did not absorb the nutrition from his food that he needed – well, needed in terms of appearance and weight. He was full height at 28" at the withers, yet weighed 70 lbs. Needed in terms of health, strength and vigor? No. He had all of that in spades. I still say he was stronger than any 100 lb. Cadillac Dobie. (Oji was working lines) He was most definitely quicker and more explosive and agile.

Oji's stools were almost always soft. I described picking them up on walks as wiping them up. I tried several foods and supplements. No difference. Well, actually, when I finally switched to a less highly regarded food (Pro Plan Sport) his stools improved to a level that was quite a relief for me. His breeder said "Yeah, that food has corn, so his stools will be firmer." (I think that's what she said).

Weird thing was, Oji at just under one year of age was heavier in weight. Then, he dropped some pounds and hovered in the 65 lb. range for a long long time.

You could see ribs – about the extent of your Dobe there. You could see spine and some hip bones (Some of which was likely due to the angle of his pelvis. I see your Dobe also has a low tail set like Oji did).

Yup that sounds like Obi's situation. He'll poop solid if I keep him at 3.5 cups a day but then his weight is on the low side. How funny i also fed Purina pro with my first dobie and it seemed like she did fine. I steered away from Purina pro have reading all the negative feed back but might have to give it a try.. thanks for the reply!

 

[Deftone1fan16]

We sort of had this look with Kaiser too, but it was when he was less than 6 months old and we couldn't get him to have regular solid stools. For us, it turned out to be that his kibble was very high protein, like 33%, and it seems his stomach couldn't handle it. We switched to raw food and the results were 'solid' overnight. You could try adding a probiotic, raw goats milk, kefir, bone broth to help boost his gut health. A 'quick' fix for the ribs was to add some pasta to his meals, but I don't consider that a good long term solution.

I do some raw food now and then. I might try making it a regular thing. 4health has 26% protein, don't think that's the case with us. I might do the pasta just to get some meat on Obi lol!

 

[Deftone1fan16]

Regarding feeding amounts: Many here will attest that young Dobes may need considerably more than the recommended feeding amounts.

At some points in Oji's life around one year of age, I had him up to six (6) cups of food per day! For some of the time, it was five cups. He eventually came down to 4 cups, if I recall.

Oh dang six cups!? I think obi would poop non stop worth that amount lol

 

[Deftone1fan16]

I feed inukshuk 30/25 because I can’t feed much more than 4 cups with out Stassi’s stools going soft. I can maintain her weight 65lbs on 3 cupsView attachment 147756

That sounds like Obi, 4 cups and he's back to soft stools. You're the second person on this thread to recommend inukshuk. I've been looking into it and I think I'm going to give it a try . Thanks for the reply!

 

[Cferg]

That sounds like Obi, 4 cups and he's back to soft stools. You're the second person on this thread to recommend inukshuk. I've been looking into it and I think I'm going to give it a try . Thanks for the reply!

Definitely start on the low end of recommended feeding. It will be rich at first, you will also be blown away by the weight of the package for its size. A lot of density per volume.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

How funny i also fed Purina pro with my first dobie and it seemed like she did fine. I steered away from Purina pro have reading all the negative feed back but might have to give it a try..

Well, the thing that got me to try Pro Plan Sport is Oji's breeder posted on facebook that she was switching her Dobes to it. It's not that she was getting sponsored to say such a thing. She is a very ethical breeder.

It was a bit surprising, because it is supposedly a lower quality food than those that get all the accolades. I messaged her, and she said that yeah this other working Dobe breeder (who she got her foundation pup from, and who I had contacted years prior and again later and almost bought a pup from her – and she is, in my estimation, one of the most important, experienced working Dobe breeders at least in the Midwest / South) (sorry for the long, wonky sentence) well, she has always fed Pro Plan.

 

[Deftone1fan16]

Well, the thing that got me to try Pro Plan Sport is Oji's breeder posted on facebook that she was switching her Dobes to it. It's not that she was getting sponsored to say such a thing. She is a very ethical breeder.

It was a bit surprising, because it is supposedly a lower quality food than those that get all the accolades. I messaged her, and she said that yeah this other working Dobe breeder (who she got her foundation pup from, and who I had contacted years prior and again later and almost bought a pup from her – and she is, in my estimation, one of the most important, experienced working Dobe breeders at least in the Midwest / South) (sorry for the long, wonky sentence) well, she has always fed Pro Plan.

Now I'm debating between Inukshuk and pro plan. Dunno which to try first. I think Obi's issue is he can't take a lot of food. I'm liking inukshuk because of the high protein/crude fat/calories packed in a small portion. Never thought I'd have to do this much research for dog food lol.... my first dog was a mutt and he ate whatever I have him, never any issues and looked great lol

 

[BGpa]

That sounds like Obi, 4 cups and he's back to soft stools. You're the second person on this thread to recommend inukshuk. I've been looking into it and I think I'm going to give it a try . Thanks for the reply!

I've read that too much kibble can cause soft poo...
K-9 trainer in our area recommends Inukshik 16/26 as a whole food. Bonnie (byb "euro/american")has done well on it since 4 months, now 18 mo @70#. Its cheaper ordered online at Chewy than PPP, free shipping for thr big bag that lasts about six weeks.
I supplement in the AM with a cup of whatever protein I'm eating, eggs, sardines, cooked chicken, cooked ground meat for extra protein.

A couple tbls of large curd cottage cheese at night mixed in firms her poop, Or cooked pumpkin (not pie filling) if she's loose.

Add this as recc by vet after antibiotics if you might suspect gut problems.

 

[Two Dobes]

Sounds as though you are researching the best you can! My boy is also 8 months, and looks thinner to me; but is growing like a weed...so I figure it is the growing spurt. I agree with checking the stool again; giardia can't always be discovered by a standard stool test - so be specific that you want to test for that (just a thought, if you haven't already)
Keep us posted with more photos of your boy!

 

[Deftone1fan16]

I've read that too much kibble can cause soft poo...
K-9 trainer in our area recommends Inukshik 16/26 as a whole food. Bonnie (byb "euro/american")has done well on it since 4 months, now 18 mo @70#. Its cheaper ordered online at Chewy than PPP, free shipping for thr big bag that lasts about six weeks.
I supplement in the AM with a cup of whatever protein I'm eating, eggs, sardines, cooked chicken, cooked ground meat for extra protein.

A couple tbls of large curd cottage cheese at night mixed in firms her poop, Or cooked pumpkin (not pie filling) if she's loose.

Add this as recc by vet after antibiotics if you might suspect gut problems.

Sounds as though you are researching the best you can! My boy is also 8 months, and looks thinner to me; but is growing like a weed...so I figure it is the growing spurt. I agree with checking the stool again; giardia can't always be discovered by a standard stool test - so be specific that you want to test for that (just a thought, if you haven't already)
Keep us posted with more photos of your boy!

I measured his height today and he's at 26 inches. I'm going to try switching his food and if I don't see any improvement I'll have to redo the parasite test . I used to think it was his growth spurts but he's always been about 5- 10 lbs where he should be , in my opinion. Would you happen to have a Pic of your dobie so I can compare ?

 

[BGpa]

I measured his height today and he's at 26 inches. I'm going to try switching his food and if I don't see any improvement I'll have to redo the parasite test . I used to think it was his growth spurts but he's always been about 5- 10 lbs where he should be , in my opinion. Would you happen to have a Pic of your dobie so I can compare ?

No point in comparing your male to my female, but if you are looking for average size/weight by month this and other forums/facebook groups and that youtube guy sponsor that info.

Best is to change one thing at a time and keep daily notes on the effect on your boy.

Most common reason for loose stools is a diet change.

Change food out slowly- 1/8 of days of new feed swapped out increasing day by day over 8 days, for example.

Pet food makers recommendations are by average. You might be overfeeding by that metric if your pup is on the small side.