Should I be concerned about low weight?

[Rits]

Have you had a full blood panel done?

Any possibility that he ate something he shouldn't have? Ever? Foreign bodies can sit in their systems for months then suddenly move down and cause an obstruction, either partial or full. Obviously even a partial can cause weight issues.

Any vomiting?

 

[Ravenbird]

I was always of the opinion that the higher the protein from NON-meat was the issue of loose stools from kibble. Pure meat protein, like in raw diets makes small firm poop, Lower quality kibble with high % of soy, peas, lentils etc for protein content and high carbohydrates like corn, tends to make looser stools.

I've always fed my kibble soaked, use water or no-salt broth and one of the two feedings a day has about 1/3 human grade meat topper of a variety that I prepare myself.

My dog is female & mature (4 years old) 25 1/2 inches and stays between 65 - 69 lbs. and is very active and fit.

 

[JanS]

Lower quality kibble with high % of soy, peas, lentils etc for protein content and high carbohydrates like corn, tends to make looser stools.

That and I found potato high on the ingredient list to be a problem for our prior dogs. I was feeding Merrick but they changed the formula and added a lot more potatoes and that didn't cut it.

 

[Deftone1fan16]

Have you had a full blood panel done?

Any possibility that he ate something he shouldn't have? Ever? Foreign bodies can sit in their systems for months then suddenly move down and cause an obstruction, either partial or full. Obviously even a partial can cause weight issues.

Any vomiting?

No blood work done.... no vomiting. If he doesn't put on some weight after the diet change the blood panel will be the next step I take

 

[Deftone1fan16]

That and I found potato high on the ingredient list to be a problem for our prior dogs. I was feeding Merrick but they changed the formula and added a lot more potatoes and that didn't cut it.

Interesting, the food I'm feeding is high on sweet potatoes....

 

[Deftone1fan16]

I was always of the opinion that the higher the protein from NON-meat was the issue of loose stools from kibble. Pure meat protein, like in raw diets makes small firm poop, Lower quality kibble with high % of soy, peas, lentils etc for protein content and high carbohydrates like corn, tends to make looser stools.

I've always fed my kibble soaked, use water or no-salt broth and one of the two feedings a day has about 1/3 human grade meat topper of a variety that I prepare myself.

My dog is female & mature (4 years old) 25 1/2 inches and stays between 65 - 69 lbs. and is very active and fit.

I'm going to add some meat on a regular basis see if that helps

 

[Ddski5]

You might be overfeeding by that metric if your pup is on the small side.

A lot of folks don’t understand this. When you overfeed you can give too many calories, too much protein, carbs, etc….that’s the cause for the loose stools.

I would come off the sweet potatoes and get on some good quality food.

Ideally, going full RAW would be the optimal fix. If switching kibble, I would switch to FROMM black and gold bag.

No way should he be that thin as in the pictures.

 

[Two Dobes]

Here is Falcon, 8 months old....see how he looks real skinny when he lays down? But normal standing....except the photo makes his head look huge

 

[Deftone1fan16]

Here is Falcon, 8 months old....see how he looks real skinny when he lays down? But normal standing....except the photo makes his head look huge

View attachment 147789 View attachment 147788

Lol today I was looking at obi from the side and he was looking good ... it just seems like he can use 5-10lbs more but I dunno if it's just in my head. I know they're more lanky they're first year. That's why I wanted to see if anyone has had similar experiences. I've seen pics of 8 month dobies and they look thicker compared to my lanky boy ... see looking at Falcon that's where I imagine obi should be

 

[DracoDobie]

I had the same issue with my black Dobermann Draco. He kept on having loose stools, couldn't put on much weight, and he was underweight considering his height and build (95lbs and almos 29 inches tall)

I changed his food to an only fish kibble, a spanish brand sadly, and we've never had a gut issue ever again. We are sure he's intolerant to some proteins, and I agree, too much protein in his kibble and he'll get the runs.

I'd do a full blood and thyroid pannel, chrck for giardia again as well, and not overfeed him, as he'll get loose stool again! He's still a lanky teenager and has lots of growth and filling out to do, if all the tests come back right then I wouldn't worry too much, maybe his gut will readjust with the new kibble and as he grows older <3

 

[Deftone1fan16]

I had the same issue with my black Dobermann Draco. He kept on having loose stools, couldn't put on much weight, and he was underweight considering his height and build (95lbs and almos 29 inches tall)

I changed his food to an only fish kibble, a spanish brand sadly, and we've never had a gut issue ever again. We are sure he's intolerant to some proteins, and I agree, too much protein in his kibble and he'll get the runs.

I'd do a full blood and thyroid pannel, chrck for giardia again as well, and not overfeed him, as he'll get loose stool again! He's still a lanky teenager and has lots of growth and filling out to do, if all the tests come back right then I wouldn't worry too much, maybe his gut will readjust with the new kibble and as he grows older <3

His previous puppy food had more protein and calories and he never had any issues and I would feed the recommended amount which was around the same account of cups to his new adult food.
After reading about your situation and some others similar stories it sounds like he might not be able to eat a lot of cups per meal but needs the calories. I'm going to try to switch him to inukshuk chicken.... currently his food is salmon sweet potato.

Thank you for sharing your story with your dobie. Helps me narrow in on the issue. I have always watched his weight, caloric /protein intake but just can't figure out his issue. If the food change doesn't work I'll do another parasite check and a full blood panel...

I will say these last few days it seemed like he's filling in again

 

[Deftone1fan16]

Hello all, posting this update so it may help someone else in the future. Obi is now 11 months and at 66 lbs . He is looking good and active. After taking in some advice I decided to switch his food to a higher calorie / protein. I started with inukshuck 30/25 blend. He seemed to gain a little bit more weight but still looked a little thin. I decided to switch to the 32/32 blend. This blend did the trick ! He gained good weight a bit faster and was more active. I kept an eye on his weight. Luckily his vet is literally walking distance from our house so we would go weekly. I got him up to 65 lbs . He started becoming too energetic to the point we're he became a bit destructive and started having looser stools. Assuming now that he's at a good weight he doesn't need the extra calories / protein. I bumped him back down to the 30/25 blend. A bit calmer (for a dobie) and stools are solid again. I do mix in veggies / fruits and raw meat once in a while.

It seems he couldn't handle more than 3 cups of the lower calorie food or he'd start with the loose stools. Love inukshuck. I posted pics of Obi at 11 months. Thank you all for the advice and hopefully this thread helps someone else in the future!

 

[Cferg]

He looks good. Your story parallels my experience with inukshuk.

 

[Two Dobes]

Good looking boy! Thanks for the info, I had not heard of inukshuk...I switch brands now and then, glad to know this one is good.

 

[JanS]

I had not heard of inukshuk

It's mostly geared toward sled dogs or very high energy working dogs.

 

[MyBuddy]

Hello all, posting this update so it may help someone else in the future. Obi is now 11 months and at 66 lbs . He is looking good and active. After taking in some advice I decided to switch his food to a higher calorie / protein. I started with inukshuck 30/25 blend. He seemed to gain a little bit more weight but still looked a little thin. I decided to switch to the 32/32 blend. This blend did the trick ! He gained good weight a bit faster and was more active. I kept an eye on his weight. Luckily his vet is literally walking distance from our house so we would go weekly. I got him up to 65 lbs . He started becoming too energetic to the point we're he became a bit destructive and started having looser stools. Assuming now that he's at a good weight he doesn't need the extra calories / protein. I bumped him back down to the 30/25 blend. A bit calmer (for a dobie) and stools are solid again. I do mix in veggies / fruits and raw meat once in a while.

It seems he couldn't handle more than 3 cups of the lower calorie food or he'd start with the loose stools. Love inukshuck. I posted pics of Obi at 11 months. Thank you all for the advice and hopefully this thread helps someone else in the future!View attachment 150329View attachment 150330View attachment 150331View attachment 150332

I'm just catching up on your thread and it's wonderful to see your progress! Thank you so much for coming back and giving us an update! So many times members do not do that and we're always kind of left in the dark worrying about their dog. Your boy looks fantastic and I'm so glad you had success! We'd love to see more of him! Check out our random photo of the day thread.

 

[JanS]

I'm also concerned about my dog's weight

Do you have any photos?

 

[Deftone1fan16]

I'm also concerned about my dog's weight

How's his energy level ? Age ? Weight ?