My 4-month-old puppy is thin. Should I adopt? What to ask breeder?

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.

There is not much you can do other than to ensure good nutrition and health from this moment forward. I would recommend starting a high quality puppy food. In addition you want to make sure that they are up to date on vaccines per your veterinarian. They should be dewormed at least twice. Finally, you should endure they are on flea prevention and heartwo preventative if endemic in your area. All of these things should improve their overall condition. I also recommend neutering between 6-8 months. Good luck!

I don't think I would be concerned about anything based on a single picture. The picture could have been taken down for a variety of reasons. If you are even remotely concerned about the puppy's health though, I would think it is a great idea to have it vet-checked prior to a purchase. Some breeders have refund policies if the puppy turns out to be unhealthy within the first few weeks of purchase. These breeders that have these types of a policies are typically the most reputable ones.

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.

Awww. It's very nice of you to take on this type of responsibility. The first thing you should do is to take him into the vet for an initial examination. They will be able to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong, versus simply malnutrition and dehydration. If this is the case, Champ will likely require something to eliminate gastrointestinal parasites. He belly looks very round in that picture, which in young dogs is usually associated with worms. This can be a very common cause of weakness and malnutrition, and the nutrients that he is consuming will not be properly absorbed until the parasites are eradicated. The veterinarian will also probably want to give some fluids, either subcutaneously or directly into the bloodstream. The method of delivery will ultimately be decided based upon the level of dehydration the vet detects. Champ will require a healthy, high quality large breed puppy food eventually. However, in the meantime, I would provide something like a Purina Critical Nutrition or HIll's A/D. These are prescription diets that are very high in fat and high calorie, and are typically not easily turned down by even the sickest of pets. Lastly, Champ probably needs your love, warmth and support. I am sure you have plenty of this.

It sounds like his weight is fine. Puppies go through growth spurts and sometimes they look thin and other times heavier. I don't get too worried about them being too thin unless the ribs are showing. I think you may be getting too wrapped up in a number. Can you post again with some photos so we can maybe help you better? If he is only half Newfoundland then he probably won't actually get as big as a Newfoundland. What is his other half? I find it hard to believe that a vet would tell you he is fine if he was truly 20 pounds underweight. That is a significant amount of weight. Also, it is very rare for a puppy this young to show allergy symptoms, especially to food. It is actually rare for dogs to have a true food allergy at all. If you have not had him allergy tested I doubt he has a food allergy. You may just have to keep switching diets until you find one he likes.

First you want to make sure that Teddy is parasite free as parasites will rob his body of nutrients. Secondly, some breeds are naturally thin at his age. When he goes in for his next veterinary visit, make sure to ask the doctor about his weight. Lastly, don’t be in a hurry to put weight on Teddy. Rapid changes in body condition are not good. Instead feed a high-quality, small breed puppy food. Brands like Royal Canin and Science Diet have additional calories in their small breed formula which is different than a normal puppy food. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.