Is my puppy too thin?

[SkinnyMalinkys]

She s 13 weeks.

On naturediet. Having 1 pouch a day plus a handful of AVA when training plus treats.

Worming up to date

Seems to be going off naturediet a bit. Not overly enthusiastic at meal times

Am a bit worried

Happy, healthy and extremely bouncy in all other ways.

[Honeyroar]

From those photos the pup looks absolutely normal, not even slightly underweight- I wouldn't be remotely worried or trying to build him up.

People are far too used to seeing fat dogs nowadays.

[Ticcinalong]

Your pup looks fine, they often go through a gangly stage.
I feed all my Millie’s wolfheart. They all look brilliant on it from my young puppy to my oldest dog. The food scored 4.8/ 5 on allaboutdogfood website and is very good quality. I love that it’s suitable for all life stages and uses high quality ingredients.

[BiteyShark]

Having had a spaniel who was extremely underweight at one point due to an illness I can honestly say your dog looks lovely and lean and healthy. It is much better on the joints to be lean rather than plump/overweight.

[Rafferity]

Hi my redsetter /English year old pup is still so skinny ! You can still see his ribs , his coats and eyes all in good condition . I feed him proplan more than the suggested amount , he’s always so greedy looking for food , should I feed him canned meat as well ?

[adaline]

Please don't feed puppy a raw diet

Nothing wrong with feeding pups a raw diet so long as it's done properly.

[adaline]

Puppy is 13 weeks, they’re normally plump and wrinkly at that baby stage

No, puppies shouldn't be fat at over three months old - I wish people would stop perpetuating that myth.

Dogs being overweight as puppies is bad for them - it puts pressure on growing joints and is thought to cause things like hip dysplasia. Genetics play a part but it's thought that diet (ie. being overweight) is just as much of a problem.

My beagle was a skinny little thing until recently (he's eight months) when he started to fill out. Our vet said he was the ideal weight recently - and yes, you could see his last two ribs. We see so many overweight dogs that we think it's normal. Poor things can't breathe properly and struggle to walk, and some are so young

[yetwig]

Fluffypie1 my pup has been on raw since I bought him home, was on James welbeloved before, but is loving his food more and has grown slowly and looks in great health raw bones are fine to feed, not weight bearing as they can be too tuff for teeth.

[xxreeldancerxx]

Looks perfect to me .... lot easier trying to put weight in a dog than lose it so I'd stick with what you're doing .... beautiful puppy by the way

[Fluffypie1]

Please don't feed puppy a raw diet . I think the risks of raw feeding out way the benefits such as gastro ,parasites fractured teeth etc

[LittleBLUEsmurfHouse]

Puppy is 13 weeks, they’re normally plump and wrinkly at that baby stage

No spaniel should be plump and wrinkly at that stage! Both of mine looked quite gangly by that stage.

I don’t think you can overfeed a young puppy.

Of course you can and having a puppy overweight is just as unhealthy as having one too skinny. It's important to check their bodily condition very regularly at that age, to keep them in the healthy range. It's not just ribs not being clearly visible yet feelable, it's how much of a waist and tuck they have, how well covered their hips are, etc.

[LittleBLUEsmurfHouse]

Both my spaniels are doing extremely well on barking heads TLC (although they've just changed the name to something stupid like lickin chicken).

I've tried lots of different brands (& price brackets), including really high quality grain free 80/20 types and the barking heads one is the only one that has allowed me to put weight on my cavalier with a sensitive tum (I had a problem that it was an extremely fine line between getting enough calories in him to keep his weight up but not so much that it upset his tummy. Then he lost a little bit of weight and if I increased his food even a teeny tiny amount in an attempt to increase his weight, it upset his tummy and he lost more - total catch 22. Thankfully with the barking heads one he can eat loads without upsetting his tummy, so it has finally made it easy to keep his weight at ideal). My cocker moved onto it and is thriving in it too. Both of mine eat way over the recommended amounts and are ideal weight - my vet said it's pretty normal with spaniels because they move around a lot more than other breeds throughout the day.

[almondsareforevermore]

Puppy is 13 weeks, they’re normally plump and wrinkly at that baby stage. She’s growing fast and needs masses of food, I don’t think you can overfeed a young puppy.
She looks a bit skinny to me. You should be able to feel ribs under a layer of fat but not see them.

[BoeandBall]

I use tails.com as they make the food specifically to your dogs breed and needs. It can be costly but I would say it's worth it

[BoeandBall]

I use tails.com as they make the food specifically to your dogs breed and needs. It can be costly but I would say it's worth it

[SkinnyMalinkys]

Have ordered some samples of Millie wolfheart to try her on.

Yes you do see an awful lot of fat dogs about, I guess it does sway my vision.

There was a bichon frise at the vets when I was getting my pups injections and she was so fat she looked like a waddling cloud. It was awful. Poor thing looked so tired.

Thanks everyone

[SadieLancaster]

Looks good to me. Most dogs are far too fat.

[Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten]

Nope not too thin - a dog on a raw diet will usually lose weight not put it on so although I raw fed do not change if you want weight gain in an active bred

[Hoppinggreen]

A friend of mine is a vet and she says that most pets are at least a bit overweight. We used to look after her dog and a couple of people commented he was a bit thin but he was actually a perfect weight

[bluetongue]

That happens with my whippet Raven. People are so fucking rude and I get a bit down about it sometimes. I see plenty of morbidly obese dogs but don’t mention it to people because it’s a) rude and b) none of my business.

[SkinnyMalinkys]

I couldn't do a raw diet. I just couldn't.

[RavenLG]

Anyway, the vet said that we are so used to seeing dogs which are carrying a bit more weight than they should - it should be normal for them to have a waist and look 'thin', but a bit like with people, we've all become a bit skewed by what is now normal
THIS.
Everyone stops my parents when they are walking their dogs (Husky and Collie) and they'll all say, "Oh, the husky is beautiful but she's so skinny" .. no, she's just not a fat husky that the majority of people have, shes the correct weight.
They look in good condition OP.

[Panicmode1]

I was talking to a friend who is a vet recently - my dog (golden retriever) is a food monster and I struggle to keep her trim, despite weighing every meal and not giving her lots of treats.

Anyway, the vet said that we are so used to seeing dogs which are carrying a bit more weight than they should - it should be normal for them to have a waist and look 'thin', but a bit like with people, we've all become a bit skewed by what is now normal (given that the average size in the UK is what, a 14 or something?) so that what we think is 'thin' is actually healthy.

I think spaniels tend to be a bit on the 'thin' side because they have so much energy, but I think the dog looks fine.

If you want to look at better dog food, I used allaboutdogfood.co.uk which tells you about the nutritional value in foods.

[missbattenburg]

Photos are tricky to see properly but your dog looks bang on, to me.

Much better for her to be getting the right nutrition and lean (obs not massively underweight or starving) than overweight - especially while she is young and growing.

[SurfnTerfFantasticmissfoxy]

Consider a raw food diet - you can ready prepared ones which make it really simple. nutriment is a good one.

Also agree with what little blue said above - people are so used to seeing fat dogs that they have lost perspective on what is a healthy weight. We've been told by numerous people in the park etc about our Frenchie 'ooh isn't he thin!!' When in fact he's a very fit healthy dog and theirs is verging on obese.

[SkinnyMalinkys]

Any recommendations for a good food for spaniel please?