What do you think? Is my boxer too small?

[Niko Boxer]

Niko was 7 lbs at 8 weeks old. He was the runt of the litter. Now at 5 months old he is only 21 lbs. He is a very good eater and very active.

At 3 – 4 months old my husband and I was concerned about Niko being too skinny because you can see his ribs a little bit. Plus our friends and strangers would ask us why he was so thin or small. The vet said he wasn’t too skinny and that he is growing perfectly.

So last week we took Niko in to get neutered. A few days later we had to take him in to make sure that his stitches were doing fine. So the lady at the check in counter took Niko back to the vet to check his stitches. She came back minutes later and told me that vet said his stitches were great but he needed to gain weight.

:confused: I was shocked. I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say because they always said his weight was fine and they didn’t say anything about his weight when we took him in for his surgery.

So when I got home I was very upset. Beating myself up about Niko’s weight and thinking that I was a horrible mom.

So the next day I called the vet to talk to her about Niko’s weight and what we needed to do to get him healthier. She told me that his weight was perfect and she didn’t comment about his weight. I told the vet that the lady who checked us in said it. The vet informed me that the lady who said it had no right to say anything because she was not trained to tell owners about their dog’s weight and etc.

I'm still mad about what happen. But I’m very relieved that Niko is doing fine and that I’m not a terrible mother to him.

What do you think? Is my boxer too small?

 

[gmacleod]

What he actually weighs is only relevant when considered WITH his height and build

From what you have said in your post above, it sounds as though your dog is a perfect weight. Boxers are supposed to be a lean breed - with a build that is muscle-on-frame, NOT layers of flesh covering the entire skeleton (think greyhound, not labrador). On a boxer of correct weight, you *should* be able to see the last couple of sets of ribs when the dog is just standing normally, and he should have a tummy tuck-up viewed from the side, and defined waist seen from above. If you can't see these things, the dog is overweight.

LOL - most vets spend their time trying to convince deluded owners who think their dogs are "all muscle" or "cuddly" that they are dangerously overweight and need something done about it. It's not a pleasant job, and the advice is usually given only when the dog is significantly overweight (consider that 80% of pet dogs are overweight, and you start to get an idea of the skewed perspective that people have about what consitutes healthy weight). You have a vet telling you that your dog IS of healthy weight Keep him that way!