Puppy skinny but eats adult food. Is it her diet or breed?

Hello. Genetics can be pretty tricky to interpret in dogs, especially if each parent was a combination of breeds. As long as Bella is eating & drinking well, active & engaged with all around her, I would not be too concerned about how she looks when compared to her litter mates. Is she up to date on her vaccines, wormed on a regular basis & on heartworm preventative? If she is well cared for, eats a name brand food & does not seem overly hungry, then changing her food will not probably change much. She is still young, & truthfully, staying a little thinner is actually healthier than being overweight. If you are concerned, a good evaluation by your veterinarian would confirm if there are any issues to be dealt with. But, all sounds pretty normal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Most puppies should be proper weight if they are getting fed puppy food, and in his case large breed puppy food. If you are concerned about his weight, then I would recommend getting him checked to ensure he isn't losing nutrition due to intestinal parasites, which is the #`1 cause for weight loss in puppies. Otherwise, he may just be naturally lean. I can see his ribs there but he is laying down, if he stands and his ribs are still readily pronounced, then he may be a tad bit underweight. Also if he has any loose stool, this can indicate other internal organ issues that should be checked by your vet. If he has an underlying issue that is not treated, then no matter what you feed him, he will continue to be undersized. I hope that things work out well for your pet Thunder and that his weight normalizes soon! Best wishes and take care.

Labradors are large breed dogs and thus they should eat a large breed puppy food to help correct growth and development. The large breed puppy formula will make sure growth is slow and consistent which is best for development. Large breed dogs are prone to a variety of growth abnormalities and the appropriate diet helps to prevent them. Additionally, most veterinarians do not recommend grain free diets. The research is not fully complete but there appears to be a link between grain free diets and heart disease. Not every pet who eats a grain free diet will develop heart disease but more dogs do on these diets than dogs who eat grains. There is likely a genetic predisposition that the diet affects. I recommend to change your food to a commercial diet that is formulated for large breed puppies. I recommend the brand Royal Canin. They even have a formula for Labrador puppies. This diet is easy to digest and is formulated for appropriate growth. This diet is complete and balanced and you do not supplement protein or vitamins/minerals. It is also important to make sure that Pom is dewormed appropriately as parasites will cause dogs to be thin. He will gain the weight once he is on an appropriate diet and eating the correct amounts. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

There is not a photograph attached to this post. If she is too thin, I recommend to increase her food intake. Also make sure she is current on her deworming medication. Puppies at her age are lanky, they are like teenagers so being thin is normal. They don’t generally begin to fill out until closer to one year of age. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would be sure he is on a good quality large breed puppy food. I like Purina Proplan or the Royal Canin or Hill's Science diet puppy foods. Feed him more than the recommended amount on the bag. At 11 weeks old he should be seeing your Vet for vaccinations. Be sure he has had his stool tested for intestinal parasites and has been dewormed a few times. Parasites are a huge issues in all puppies. Good luck!

Yes, there are diets better suited for Storm. Any dog who is expected to be over 55lbs as an adult should eat a large breed puppy formula. These foods are designed to control the growth of large breed puppies and help to avoid growth abnormalities like dysplasia. Also, most vets do not recommend a grain free diet unless a pet has known grain allergies. While it is not understood, there appears to be a link between grain free diets and some pets developing heart disease. Make sure storm is current on his deworming. Worms and other intestinal parasites will steal nutrients and make pets thin. A few other things to consider, Shepherds and Shepherd crosses are often naturally thin dogs. Some of his body structure may be normal for him. At his age, being lanky is also normal. Storm is essentially a teenager right now and he will not start filling out until 1 year of age. Don't be in a hurry to put weight on him. As long as he is eating a good food and eating enough food, he will fill out. Without a photo, it's impossible for me to know if Storm is too thin. I recommend to discuss this with his veterinarian and also remember to check his body condition score. Check the bottom of this link: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-do-i-determine-if-my-dog-is-overweight/ The diets I recommend most are Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan. Both of these diets contain high quality, easy to digest protein and they have good quality controls. Storm should transition to a large breed puppy formula and eat this duet until he is 1 year old. The amount of food to feed is based upon the calories and he may need more than 4 cups but the package will tell you how much to feed based upon age and body weight. When he is 1 year old, he should eat a large breed adult formula. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Being lean is not always a concern. A good body condition is based on muscle mass and palpation of the body, not a number on a scale. You should be able to feel her ribs while standing without pushing hard and she should have an hour glass waist from the sides and top of her body. She should also have good muscle definition in her chest and limbs. Make sure you are feeding what the bag of food says for her daily amount based on her weight. Make sure your vet tests for intestinal parasites so they are not consuming her calories. I hope this helps! Kisses to Soska!