Is my 1-year-old Pitbull underweight? What should he look like?

Pit Bulls can have some extreme variation in size so there is not an average for the breed. Certainly some smaller framed males will be as small as 40lbs. Some huge males may be as large as 80lbs or even bigger. This could be Little's natural body type but you should make sure his stool is checked microscopically for worms and other parasites since they will steal his nutrients and you should feed a high quality dog food. Not all foods are created equal. A diet that is highly digestible with high quality protein is more likely to help maintain a good body condition than a diet with poor quality protein. Unfortunately you can't tell just by looking at the package if the protein is high quality or not. The brand I recommend is Royal Canin. Look for one of the higher calorie formulas (this information can be found on the side of the bag). Here is a helpful chart to know if he is too skinny or not. It's all dependent on the body condition score. Scroll down to the bottom to see pictures: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-do-i-determine-if-my-dog-is-overweight/ Please feel free to post any additional questions.

He actually doesn't appear to be underweight based on the pictures shown. I'd have to examine him to be sure, but the biggest indication that he is not underweight is the fact that he appears to have well-developed muscles. Dogs of this breed tend to be naturally lean and put more weight on their muscles rather than their ribs, or belly. If I was concerned that he was underweight, then I would first want to rule-out a disease, or parasite causing him to lose or not gain weight. It's best to have a veterinarian evaluate him, so you can ensure he's healthy and ensure that you are not going to feed him unnecessarily. Dog obesity is a big problem in the U.S., which means that the average person thinks a fat dog is at ideal weight; and a dog with an ideal body condition, or a lean body condition is thought to be starving. The truth is that the lean dogs are statistically healthier and live longer than overweight dogs. Some dogs (much like people) are able to naturally maintain a lean body condition. Leo is one of those dogs, but would urge you to have a veterinarian examine him to make that call. Below is a link to a body condition scoring guide. This is what veterinarians use when assessing whether a dog is overweight or underweight. We prefer them to be at a BCS of 4 or 5, but some are naturally at a 3. https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20dogs.pdf At this time, I recommend feeding him normally and would not recommend a diet change until he can be evaluated by a veterinarian. I hope that helps and all is well with Leo.

No, you should not be able to see every bone. A normal healthy weight dog should not appear boney. You should be able to feel the ribs with your hands, but not see them. I'm not sure the age of this puppy, but reasons for poor weight gain can be improper amount of food, poor quality food or parasite problems.

Tony is a good looking pup! Most dogs with this breed will have a large, deep chest and a more narrow waist. You should also be able to see the last rib when they turn. Some dogs do naturally run more thin. If you are seeing more than the last rib, try increasing the food intake or changing to food to a higher calorie diet (you can find information about the calories on the side of the package). I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello! In an ideal situation, you can feel the ribs, but not see them, so that sounds pretty good! When you look at him from above, there should be an "hourglass" shape, just behind his ribs, in an ideal body condition.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Smokey. The average American dog is quite overweight. So if you have one at a healthy weight, it will usually look too thin. You want a thin covering over the ribs when you run your hands along his sides. He should have a waist the curves in from the top and size views. There is a one through nine scale of body condition scores. A healthy weight is a four or five. Every dog food contains a different amount of calories per cup. At six months of age, he should still eat puppy food. Look at the side of the food bag for feeding recommendations. Keep in mind, these are typically too high for most dogs. His weight looks great in your picture, but it obviously hard to tell for sure. Your current feeding amount is likely adequate. I hope this information helps! https://www.justrightpetfood.com/blog/dog-body-condition-score

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! :)