Puppy is still skinny

[TreacherousPissFlap]

DPup is an 18 week old lab and an absolute dream ❤️

The only issue I've got is getting weight on him. He's growing like a weed and is otherwise fit and healthy, but his ribs are clearly visible. He's 13kg and as he's from a working line is naturally long and leggy.

He came to us on a generic own brand dog food (the kind you buy in bulk and label it as your own) which from memory was only around 28% meat. Once he was settled he came off of that and on to Barking Heads puppy. He's eating the maximum recommended amount but to no real effect. Also, his poos are MASSIVE and he is occasionally a little soft (though no diarrhoea) The only treats he has are natural such as chicken's feet and buffalo tendon, he has his regular kibble as a training reward.

His worming is up to date and he's still fed three times a day. I'm struggling to know what else to do TBH.

Could you not give him a chopped chicken breast. My dogs loved that as puppies. They still do love it with a little gravy added on top.

It sounds as if you need to change his food, whether the brand or just the protein source. Do you know if he is sensitive to poultry? Two of mine have been turkey intolerant. Have you tried a lamb recipe? Sometimes large breed dogs with sensitive digestion do well on lamb based food.

With working line dogs particularly, what you think of as the "better" foods aren't always necessarily the ones that best suit your dog. I've lost days down the dog food rabbit hole and spent hundreds trying every food under the sun with my last two dogs.

I had my Pyrenean girl on Millies Wolfheart because everyone said it was the best but her poos were enormous, soft and stinky so I took her off it. She now has a large breed lamb & rice formula. On paper the food is not as good, but in reality it suits her much better.

Good luck in finding something that suits your boy better and hopefully he will start to gain some weight and bulk up a bit.

Are you sure it’s a problem? You say he’s healthy, growing and well in himself. Being able to see a young dog’s ribs isn’t unhealthy, he shouldn’t bulk up until he’s older. The guidelines on my dog food say if his poos are soft, reduce the food slightly. He’s actually eating too much and not absorbing it all. Does your vet have any worries about his weight?

That's what I'm wondering 🤔

I think I've read so many horror stories of labs being so quick to gain weight and the damage it does to their joints that I just expected to be battling his weight in the other direction!

The vets weren't concerned about his weight, they just mentioned that it wouldn't be an issue if he gained a little extra

Ours is on Millie’s Wolfheart and his poos aren’t smelly or excessively big but like humans every animal is different. If the vets aren’t worried I wouldn’t be concerned tbh. You’re aware of his weight and can adjust accordingly as he gets bigger if it remains a problem.

Try raw food. We buy Albion. It comes frozen in packs - each lack around a days feeds - a wide variety of choices. His favourite at the moment is surf and turf which is beef and salmon. Poos are tiny.

DDog1 is raw fed and that would ultimately be my intention. However I use his kibble as a training tool and I'm using it so many times a day to establish good routines and boundaries I am loathe to change him over yet. I believe mixed feeding isn't ideal but I'm happy to be told differently as this would solve a raft of problems

Remember feeding guidelines are just that, guidelines not absolutes. Both our working labs have always required more than the recommended amount of food to maintain weight. They get more or less the recommended amount of dry food then extras on top - training treats, fish, egg, broth, wet food etc.

I wouldn't worry about mix feeding, ours have kibble, wet food, raw food (duck wings, necks, fish etc.), table scraps...

Likewise @tizwozliz , nothing wrong with mixed feeding. Ours have kibble, raw, tray foods, home cooked veg, eggs, bread, cheese. Reared all 10 LGD that way. Also use more than one brand of kibble. People become too fixated on feeding the same food every day.

If his body condition is 3 or 4 out of 9, that's better for Labs, to prevent future joint issues.

If he is truly skinny (like a 2 out of 9 BCS), up his food intake. It is fine to go over the recommended feed intake, if that's what your dog needs. They're just blanket guidelines

It's sometimes recommended to feed cold pressed kibble rather than baked, extruded stuff alongside raw if you want to feed raw.
It has to be used up quite quickly though so it might end up going bad if you don't use it fast enough.
Only other thing I'd say is maybe drop the chicken feet. They are high in fat, which might be making for soft poos, and it's also possible that chicken itself is an issue.

My cocker spaniel pup didn't start to hold any weight until he was around 4. I used to worry myself sick over it, and was prone to over feeding him which meant sloppy poo. In the end, I put him onto working dog food which was higher in carbs and that solved the issue. Now he's 13 and I'm trying to keep weight off him....