Typical runt size

[BurtsMomma]

My dog Burt was the runt of the litter. How big do the runts usually get? I've heard many different answers. Mainly that they are the biggest out of the litter. Burt grew pretty fast but lately he hasn't done much growing. He is 5 months old and weighs about 35lbs. But that could be due to teething. He won't eat much after he has lost a tooth. I've given him some moist food but that gives him the runs so I try to give it to him only once in awhile.


Also when he sleeps he ALWAYS twitches. I know its normal but is it normal for every time they sleep? I'm just a little worried because I know boxers are prone to epilepsy.

Thank you for your input.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Twitching and seizing are 2 VERY different things and having witnessed both trust me you will not mistake one for the other. Also if you can call the dogs name or touch them and have them stop twitching them it isn't a seizure. Yes twitching is normal and moreso when they are pups. They play hard and crash hard. They will still do it as adults but less. At 6 months old my boy was 50 pounds even and now at 3 years he's 67 pounds (and has been that weight since a year) so there's really no telling. A runt can catch up, surpass, or stay smaller forever it really just depends on the dog.

I'd say by the time he's a year old you'll have a good idea of the size he'll be and by 2 he should be done growing so you'll definitely know but unfortunately there's really no way to say for sure at this point.

 

[BingsDad]

I don't know if this is absolutely true, but I have read that runts are either the last to be conceived or they have shared a "pod" in the Mummy's tummy. Also, they may not have been fortunate enough to have fed as well as the others.

I acquired my current male Boxer, Jax, last March (Bing went to the bridge in February - CHF). Jax was the runt as well. He was very skinny and had none of the typical rolly polly puppy look about him at seven weeks - he weighed 6.8lbs. Dare I say it? Jax was not a cute puppy, either. He had large bug eyes, a long back, sunken face, and a huge occiput, but he had large paws. HOMELY! He was the only male available, and I wanted another male after my beloved Bing passed on. The breeder insisted to me that he was from "good stock" and his sire was 95lbs and great looking. I took the risk and made the deal. Today, at seven months, Jax is almost 60lbs and measures 24in in height. He's going to be a big dog, and he is beautiful! He has grown into those big bug eyes, and his long legs are balancing out that long back - he's squaring up. The huge occiput lends itself to great head shape. He is the proverbial "ugly duckling." I get the "that's a beautiful dog" compliment all the time. Therefore, I surmise that runt or no runt, it's all genetic. Jax looks like his sire in face and body shape and it looks like he will be at least near to his sire's size as well. Best forecast of eventual development can be made from what the parents look like. BTW, I just looked at Jax's weight/height growth chart and at 20wks he was also 35lbs on the nose and measured 19.25in.

Sorry this was long. I haven't posted at BoxerWorld in years and I guess it's good to be back.

Best of luck with your Boxer.

 

[Kilby'sMum]

Kilby was the smallest of her litter but I don't know if I'd call her a runt per se! Until she was about 18mths she was the skinniest, gangliest looking thing you'd ever seen but around 2 she started filling out and at 4.5yrs and now on a raw diet, she is gorgeous. When we picked up Kona we took Kilby (then 2.5yrs) with us to show the breeder (same one) and she was AMAZED at how big Kilby got, we always knew she'd be 'petite' (she takes after the dam) but the breeder said we must be doing something right because she was perfect... asked us if we were showing her and was so disappointed when we said no!

Our cat (Siamese) on the other hand was most definitely a runt (almost half the size of his litter mates) and he is still tiny - at 11yrs old he weighs in at a measly 3.25kg... Even so, he easily manages to boss around his 2 x 26kg boxer sisters

 

[lovemybabies]

My very first boxer happened to be the runt of her litter and now at 2 1/2 years she weighs in at about 48 lbs. She is the exact same size as our 7 month old rescue. We had a litter in December and the runt was the same size as his (at birth) much larger brothers by 10 weeks of age. I blame parvo for my girl being so small. She got sick at 14 weeks and it took her a while to get back up to weight after she came home from the hospital.
I think every dog is different!! Love my bug eyed runt!!

 

[EAO76]

My Nano was the smallest in her litter. At 8weeks she was 6lbs. Today she is 5yrs old & weighs 55lbs. They all vary. It really depends on the dog.

 

[Gatorblu]

Arabella was the smallest of the survivng pups from her litter. (Out of 11 pups they lost 4.) though she was small at first, she was maybe 1/3 smaller than most of her littermates, she has grown into a good size girl. She is 3 1/2 yrs and weighs in around 70lbs. She could probably stand to lose 2-3 lbs. (You can barely feel her last rib, but still has a defined waist.)

My first girl, Star was the largest in her litter, and was smaller than Arabella. Star was maybe an inch shorter and when she was at her ideal weight she would weigh in around 63 lbs.

Thor on the other hand, was one of the biggest, if not the biggest in his litter. From day one he never missed a meal! He is a large boy! At 9 yrs, he's 87 lbs and doesn't have an ounce of fat on him!

Each dog is different. You take what you get and love them no matter what!