Is my 4-month-old Pitbull too skinny? She has worms and bald spots.

Hi there! Nova appears to be a very healthy weight - you can see her ribs just a tiny bit in the first picture, she's got a nice waistline, and you can't see the bones of her spine sticking out. I would not be too concerned about her weight at this time unless a veterinarian says so. At Nova's age (kind of "teenage" months for a dog her size), they grow long faster than they grow wide, which can make them have a bit of a "lanky", leggy appearance, but it's still nothing to be worried about unless she's not eating or having any GI issues. I think Nova is a beautiful dog - if you are very concerned, drop by your vet's office for a weigh-in. I'm sure they'll be happy to see her! Good luck! :)

Sorry to hear Daisy is unwell! If Daisy is losing weight despite having a good appetite it suggests something is going wrong in her digestive tract meaning she can't get the goodness from her food. Because she is a young dog there could be a condition from birth causing this or a problem she has developed. However what I suspect is the problem is a high worm burden. You say she passed a lot in her faeces, so she will have many inside. Because she is weak and has lost a lot of weight I would take her to the vet because it may not be a case of simply worming her, she may need more treatment if her gut is damaged by the worms. The vet will also be able to give you a good worming product which you should use regularly.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Poor Nova! Thanks for the pictures. Based on your description and the pictures Nova likely has a bacterial skin infection. Other possible causes are demodex (non-contagious mite) and ring worm. Skin infections are usually caused by allergies to food or the environment. Pit bulls are sadly allergic dogs. Nova ideally needs to see your Vet to confirm the skin infection and get oral antibiotics and medications to stop the scratching, You can discuss with your Vet food options and additional allergy testing and medications if her skin continues to be a problem. You can try a medicated shampoo. Bathe 2-3 times per week and leave the lather on for 10 mins before rinsing. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27975 I hope this helps and I wish Nova a speedy recovery!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Be sure that Noora has been dewormed and stool samples have been checked. Intestinal parasites can cause poor weight gain. I would deworm her even if the stool was negative. Also get her on heartworm prevention as that is also a monthly dewormer. If she eats well I would increase her food volume gradually, spread it out over 3-4 meals. If she is still not gaining consider changing brands of puppy food. I wish you the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It’s hard to tell from the pictures but it looks like there is a skin infection on Noheas head. An infection could cause bumps and hair loss. A common cause of skin infections in young pit bulls is mange (demodex). These are microscopic mites that don’t cause scratching. I recommend taking Nohea to a vet for a close exam of her skin. They will need to look at cells under the microscope to diagnose this. They can then get her medications to treat the infection and mites if needed. Good luck and kisses to Nohea!

It does appear in the pictures she is really skinny. I recommend testing a fecal sample for parasites and starting off with a good deworming. If she eats wet food that is okay but you could also offer her dry food to try and firm up her stool. However if deworming her does not work I recommend taking her to a vet for more testing like blood work. Dogs can loose weight due to viruses, bacterial infections, auto immune disease, maldigestive/malabsorption disease and possible cancers.

If she has not been recently dewormed I would start there as worms can cause improper weight gain. How much to feed depends on what food you are feeding her. Be sure she is eating a high quality PUPPY food and follow the instructions/recommendations on how much to feed by what the packaging tells you.