Possibly underfeeding?

[K & J]

Duff has just celebrated his first birthday July 10th. birthdayic
While I feel he is in fine health, with a beautiful shiny coat and good muscle tone, he only weighs about 45 lbs, and he is about 23 inches at the shoulder. We feed him 1 cup of Canidae twice daily. For a little while we tried feeding him closer to two cups at each feeding, but we found that he became less interested in his meals and less responsive to commands, so we returned to 1 cup. He usually has 3-4 bowel movements in a day.
Obviously I'm not concerned about his size as long as he is healthy- and it also seems to me that he is closer to breed standard size than a lot of boxers are nowadays. But of course as a concerned 'mum', I just wondered if there was a possibility that I am, in fact, underfeeding him. What signs should I look for that he is eating an appropriate amount? I am including some recent pictures of him in my gallery so anyone able to respond can have a look at his condition and size.
Thanks!
Karen and Duff

 

[gmacleod]

45lb at 23" *is* kind of light, and he looks as though he could stand to gain a few pounds too. That said, a great many boxer puppies put their energies into growing upward before they really start to grow outward, so I wouldn't be too worried (but I would increase his food intake a bit).

If two cups twice a day is too much - how about trying 1.5 cups and/or supplementing his meals with some reasonably high calorie foods? Peanut butter sandwiches, whole raw eggs, and cottage cheese jump to mind...

Oh - and birthdayic Duff!

 

[Tulsa-Dan]

I also feed Canidae. I was feeding my girls (both around 65 lbs) 3 cups per day. They started gaining weight and looking a little "chunky" (see earlier thread entitled Chunky Monkey) so I've cut them back to 2.5 cups per day. 2 cups is ok if the dog has energy and gets moderate exercise. My two are larger, and older and get a LOT of exercise (two 1/2 to 1 hr. free run sessions at the park). But due to medications and the summer heat, they were getting less exercise so they began to gain weight on 3 cups per day.

I would suggest going to 2.5 cups per day of Canidae and see if your dog doesn't start putting on a few pounds. If you exercise a lot, 3 cups won't hurt. 4 cups per day however, would seem a bit too much for my comfort. It is a very nutrient rich food, so I can see why your dog might have lost interest in eating all his food. Too much, too rich, perhaps not enuf exercise to work all that off.

Plus, Boxers don't really fill out completely until they are around 2 to 3 years old. So he's still growing. I think 2.5 cups to 3 cups would be a good amount for a growing pup. (Adult formula, not puppy formula.)

Hope that helps a little.

 

[TracyLynn]

I also feed Canidae and supplement. Munson turned 6 mos yesterday and he eats a whopping 3.5 cups a day plus supplements of veggies, eggs, liver, etc. He is 50 pounds and VERY lean. I have even worried at times that he is not getting enough. Contrasting that, my girl Rita, gets just shy of 3 cups a day plus supplements. She is 48 pounds and 22" tall. Both have endless appetites. I think they both look great (but I am biased), they are definitely not heavy. Just thought another example might help.

 

[Scrapper's Mom]

Why don't you try feeding some goodies every morning? A half a can of good quality wet food - they usually will eat that right up. Scrapper was a "dainty" eater at first. I started with half a can of wet, with vitamins, a little cottage cheese, he gobbled that right up every AM and still looks forward to his "breakfast." His other food is probably about 2 -2.5 cups premium kibble (combination of Solid Gold and Avoderm Lamb & Rice). I say "probably" because he free feeds on that the rest of the day. I just put more in the dish when it's empty. Now, at 2 1/2, he weighs 66 lbs., is absolutely all lean, but I think he weighed about 57 when he was one. Boxers continue to fill out way past their first birthday.

 

[adeinert]

Hi,
My sixteen month old male is much the same size as your guy. He is not oversized as so many seem to be out of the ring. He'll never be huge, but will fit right in range according to the standards.
I was feeding Canidae, and now am feeding Wellness - but I believe you would feed about the same quantity (mine had some trouble with the turkey in Canidae, or I'd still be feeding it.)
Anyway, Tulley is still quite lean and he eats 1 3/4 cups, twice a day. I can see his ribs when he moves, but he burns up a lot of calories!

He is still growing, I would be worried if he was huge or fat.
Tulley is a bit finicky so I mix in additives like: eggs, yogurt, or Wellness supplement to name a few. He also gets kongs filled with bananas and peanut butter for treats.

Tulley was the obvious smaller of the two males and now they are just a tad different in size. They are built much the same all around so I think he is right on as his genes have set out for him to be.

Enjoy the baby stage! I have a 75 pound male also so Tulley is definitely the baby of the family!
:D Ashlie and the rescued boxertrio: Jillian, Tulley, and Desi