Puppy underweight?

[Emmitt]

Our 15 week old pup is 18pounds. He was the smallest of the litter of 7. We got him at 6 weeks weighing in at 4.8 pounds. He consistently gains about 2 pounds per week. We feed him 3x/day and he usually eats most of what he is given. We are feeding an Iams Vegetarian diet (fish and potatoe) because of his allergy to food. It is a DOG food not puppy. But the vet ensured us that is a great quality food and that he is getting all the nutrients he needs with it. (It is not cheap that's for sure). He is energetic and seems very healthy. I've just noticed most other boxers I have seen at his age seem a lot bigger. He is tall and thin. Any advise? PLEASE!!!
Thanks!

 

[ChiliMom]

Food?

Hi there,
I have a nine week puppy and he is only 9 1/4 pounds. I wish he would gain weight as well. i know you are thinking 'well you aren't any help, why are you reponding?' I just wanted to let you know that I have been checking out this site, and it has been so helpful. I have learned that Iams food is not a good quality (eventhough it costs an arm and a leg). I did a search yesterday because I want to get a new food for my little one because he absolutely HATES what I am feeding him now and I learned a lot. If you look up Whole Dog Journal, they come out with a list of the top ten foods every year. Also, you might want to ask your vet or pet store if they have samples to see if your puppy even likes it. You might have beeter luck with another brand. I am definetely no expert, but I thought I might pitch in my 2 cents.

Thanks.

 

[Baby Duncan]

I had the same concerns about Duncan which brought me to this great website. I have learned so much here and highly recommend you search the site. As a result of my searches, Duncan has made incredible weight gains and enjoys eating now! I was a bit horrified to learn that the food that I have used and trusted for years was not necessariliy good for our dogs, and I coulda been a much better mommy before! I am definately not an expert either, but I bet this site will be very helpful to you and I bet you can find something better than Iams.

Good Luck!

 

[Emmitt]

correction

I'm sorry we are feeding him Iams VETERNARIAN diet, not a vegitarian. It is a higher quality food then the Iams you can buy at the pet store. I realize that it may not be the BEST, but we were feeding him MediCal which is a very good food and he was vomitting everyday because he was allergic. This food seems to aggree with him and he hasn't been sick since. I'm just gonna get through the next couple months with it and then I will experiment a bit. I'm just trying not to play with his poor tummy too much at such a young age.

I have checked out this sight a lot since we've had Emmitt and that's why I'm concerned about his weight actually. Most of the threads I've read suggest that a normal weight is about 20-25 pounds at 3months. Emmitt is much below that. Do you guys think that's normal or should I be concerned. Thanks for the advise though. I really appreciate it.

 

[Baby Duncan]

You have to take this with a grain of salt, because I know just enough to be dangerous! Anyway, here are some of the things that I read that were comforting to me when I thought that Duncan was small for his age:

1. Puppies from large litters are generally smaller and do not gain as quickly, but still will eventually reach their optimum normal weight. (Is 7 a large litter? I think it is about average.)
2. Rapid growth can cause problems later in life, thus slower growth will increase your pup's chances of longevity.
3. My trusted vet was quite comfortable with a weight gain of 2-3 lbs. per week.

Once we got through the struggle of gradually introducing about 5 different brands of dogfood and Duncan got on a regular feeding regimen, he has improved significantly. He only weighed about 7 lbs. at 7 weeks, but now weighs what is considered to be average at 12 weeks. I bet now that you have found a food that your pup can eat, you will see significant changes over the next several weeks.

Hope all goes well and dont forget to give us updates!