# Very skinny poodle



## Fluffyspoos

How tall is he? Vegas is 24" and 50lbs, I can feel his spine, ribs, and hip bones and have had no luck in TWO YEARS trying to put weight on him!


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## pinkteaji

Fluffyspoos said:


> How tall is he? Vegas is 24" and 50lbs, I can feel his spine, ribs, and hip bones and have had no luck in TWO YEARS trying to put weight on him!


I'm not sure how tall he is. I never measured him before  does the height go up to his head or the top of his body? I can guesstimate 


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## spindledreams

You measure from the ground to the top of the shoulder


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## pinkteaji

Thank you! He's not with me right now which is why I'm guestimating. I'm in college so I brought him to my parent's house (hour away and 20 minutes away). He's about 19-20 inches tall up to the top of his shoulder.


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## Apres Argent

Sometimes adding a probiotic to meals will help the body utilize more of what they are eating, B vitamins will also increase appetite. He may need more calories satin balls served either cooked or raw will also put weight on. 

I worries me when they barely eat enough to survive. 

Holistic Dog - Satinballs Satin Balls


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## Angl

After obsessing over Max's surgery coming up- the doctors keep stressing how important it is that he stays slim for the rest of his life. Less strain on the joints. He's probably just really healthy.


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## pinkteaji

Angl said:


> After obsessing over Max's surgery coming up- the doctors keep stressing how important it is that he stays slim for the rest of his life. Less strain on the joints. He's probably just really healthy.
> 
> 
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I don't want him overweight, i just want him to gain 5 pounds or so. He just looks very skinny


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## Fluffyspoos

Apres Argent said:


> Sometimes adding a probiotic to meals will help the body utilize more of what they are eating, B vitamins will also increase appetite. He may need more calories satin balls served either cooked or raw will also put weight on.
> 
> *I worries me when they barely eat enough to survive. *
> 
> Holistic Dog - Satinballs Satin Balls


Bolded your quote for truth! This is Vegas to a T! I don't know WHY he does it! Sometimes he'll skip three meals at once, I leave his food down for 20 mins and he'll just ignore it.


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## pinkteaji

That's the thing about Shelton though. He eats really well but just doesn't gain any weight  it does worry me though when he doesn't gain weight

And I don't want people thinking I starve him.


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## CharismaticMillie

If the dog's only 19 or 20 inches at the shoulder I think the weight is just fine.


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## pinkteaji

If he's a good weight for his height then that's good to hear  However, I'll try to upload a picture of him just to make sure and see what you guys thinks


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## Sawyersmomma

for that height he does sound fine. Sawyer is super skinny as well. he's 27'' and only 46 pounds-ish

I've asked the vets and they said he seems totally healthy. As long as he is still his bouncy self it should be okay.
I learned I just can't shave him short or he looks like death. So fluffier hair just looks a bit better. Now people don't question me starving him...


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## lily cd re

Lily is 22 3/4" at withers and about 35-36 lbs. She free feeds Blue Buffalo and she does eat. My vet (also a spoo person) thinks she is fine. He also says he's never seen a fat poodle unless it was one that was fed lots of human food. If you have any interest in anything like agility it is better for the dog to be lean and light, easier on the joints for jumping.


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## Sookster

I think you should actually measure him. Shelton is probably closer to 26 inches tall and should weigh about 55lb lean. Reference for you, Nova is 28 inches (65lb lean) and Sookie is 22 inches (and 32lb). I would consider 36lb extremely underweight for Shelton. 

My first recommendation would be have some bloodwork done to make sure there isn't a medical issue. Then if everything checks out normal I'd start adding high protein or high fat foods like olive oil, cottage cheese, full fat yogurt, hamburger meat to his meals. You may want to try "satin balls" (do a forum search) to help jump start the weight gain. 

Have you noticed any change in his muscle tone?


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## pinkteaji

Sookster said:


> I think you should actually measure him. Shelton is probably closer to 26 inches tall and should weigh about 55lb lean. Reference for you, Nova is 28 inches (65lb lean) and Sookie is 22 inches (and 32lb). I would consider 36lb extremely underweight for Shelton.
> 
> My first recommendation would be have some bloodwork done to make sure there isn't a medical issue. Then if everything checks out normal I'd start adding high protein or high fat foods like olive oil, cottage cheese, full fat yogurt, hamburger meat to his meals. You may want to try "satin balls" (do a forum search) to help jump start the weight gain.
> 
> Have you noticed any change in his muscle tone?


Oops, I guess I measured him wrong. I'm glad I have you here to help me !! Shelton will be happy about having those extra foods added to his meal haha. I haven't seen any change in his muscle tone. The only areas where he really has muscle are his back legs and they seemed fine. Everywhere else is just fur and skin and bones. I did feel like he was underweight, because he was 36 pounds when he was 6 months old, and he's definitely grown since then; also he just looks soo skinny. We thought he had gained weight, but of course we realized after we shaved him, it was the cushion of his fur and not the fat that made him seem "normal". 

I'm bringing him up here along with Nova in a week or so (Nova's rabies is due soon and I like the vets in Athens LOL! Still can't move on to other vets just yet) so I'll probably go get Shelton's bloodwork done around then. Thanks Sookster!


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## frankgrimes

Ralph's 46 pounds and Ive had three Vets in total tell me he's an ideal weight (even though I can feel his spine and can see his hip bones easily). I think he looks like a skinny little greyhound, but I guess if the Vets are telling me his perfect who am I to argue. I think Poodles are just prone to thin, supermodel bodies - poor them:aetsch:


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## JudyD

I had Jazz at the vet today for an ear infection. As I recall, when we got her, she weighed 34 pounds at almost 5 months. She's about 24 inches and 44.2 pounds by the vet's scales (about 46.5 by ours, but that involves me holding a wiggling dog while balancing on a small platform, so it may not be accurate) at 9 months. I asked the vet if she was underweight (she was groomed yesterday and always looks skinny the first day or two, until I get used to it), and the vet assured me she's just fine and should not gain rapidly at this age.


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## HerdingStdPoodle

*Either Skinny or Fleshy*

My vet informed me that she sees lots of Poodles, and they are either on the skinny side or way-too fleshy side. 

My Spoo is on the skinny side, and she said that he was "perfect," but still, I do not shave Louie super short because he looks and feels way too skinny to me! HerdingStdPoodle


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## Carley's Mom

When I changed Stella to Wellness Core Grain Free she finally gained some much needed weight. She looks great now.


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## Rhett'smom

Depending on the parents weight and bone structure your dog may always look thin. My spoo comes from a very large boned sturdy stock. The weight issue raised by my former vet caused be a great deal of concern but after having long conversations with the breeder and the new vet I felt much better. Soft cooked eggs will give some additional calories that might help"fatten him" up


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## pinkteaji

Thanks everyone for your input! You guys are awesome! It helped me to see some of you guys shared a similar problem or just get to read about the different heights and weights of poodles out there 

The main reason why I was concerned about Shelton was not due to seeing his spine or his hip bones, but his ribs. You can really really easily feel his ribs and feel the spaces in between and see them. Since he's actually taller than I had thought he was (he is roughly 26 inches), I do believe he does need to gain just a bit more weight, so he has some coverage over his ribs. He's also almost two years old now and fully grown and 36 pounds is just way too underweight for 26 inches. 

It was just something concerning at how he wasn't gaining weight as well because his brother gains weight pretty easily. Of course, his brother is pretty relaxed compared to crazy Shelton. I'll try to get Shelton to around 50 pounds and see how he looks from there! Thank you guys so much! If he ever gets to 50 pounds, I'll post a before and after picture (making sure he's in the same cut before and after).


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## OffTheLeash

You can also try feeding your dog puppy food for a while-until he gains the weight. It's higher in fat and protien, and when rescue dogs I've volunteered with come in underweight, that's what they did. If it's because he doesn't want to eat the food, there is a few things you can do. The first thing is pour HOT water over his food. Use enough to soften the food. This does two things-it makes the aroma of the food more enticing, and it helps alleviate bloat. Not that that seems to be a problem, but hey  The other thing you can do for picky pets is buy a supplement from a holistic pet food place, or online, that you sprinkle on their food. It's supposed to make the food more tasty/attractive to them. I'll look at work tomorrow to see what it's called


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## pinkteaji

Thanks for the tip! My mom accidentally did that and he's actually gsined ten pounds! He measured around 49 pounds the other day and this was with all his fur shaved!! 

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## Brenda-A

I have a tiny toy and he weighs a little under 4 pounds. One time he was shaved (because of a bad groomer) and some lady on the street accused me of not feeding my dog. I was soo offended. Teddy is super spoiled and I love him to death.

I always look for the healthier food, food that doesn't include corn and those bad ingredients. I've talked to different vets and they all say he's healthy. He eats normal but I could feel his ribs. Like someone said earlier I just keep him fluffy to avoid problems. Even though last time this lady at the mall tried to argue with me about my sons age. She insisted he was a puppy. Teddy is now one year and two months. She didn't want to believe me lol. Why would I lie about his age?

Any way, I've tried everything to fatten him up but had little to no success so I've comes to terms that he's just skinny. I'm glad to know that Teddy is not the only skinny poodle out there


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## OffTheLeash

lol Brenda! some people are so weird. I can't think of a good reason anyone would lie about their dogs age to a random stranger.
You should be able to feel your dogs ribs, just not See them  if your vet says you're ok, then you're probably ok. I agree wholeheartedly on the food thing. My dogs probably eat better than I do.


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## pinkteaji

Ppl are.definitely weird. I mean.there is a difference between looking s little skinny and looking emaciated. 

Lucky for me ten pounds for Shelton was a perfect amount of weight he needed to gain to cover his ribs. 

We shaved him completely cuz his baby hair and adult hair was driving me crazy

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## Locket

Yep, he looks like the perfect weight to me.


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## Ainsley

I haven't read all the replies, but something to keep in mind is most family pets are at least a little over weight and this has become the norm for people so when they see a healthy weight dog they see a too skinny dog.


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## pinkteaji

Ainsley said:


> I haven't read all the replies, but something to keep in mind is most family pets are at least a little over weight and this has become the norm for people so when they see a healthy weight dog they see a too skinny dog.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Yeah definitely. I knew though for Shelton that he was underweight for sure because I have a few poodle friends who are at a healthy weight (very lean) and I compare how his ribs felt compared to them. That pc I posted today is him after gained weight  I'm so happy!



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## outwest

He looks fine in that picture.


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## OffTheLeash

He looks good to me! Glad you found something that worked for you guys

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## lily cd re

He looks great!


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## Dawnsohma

i personally just think poodles are naturally skinny for the most part from what ive seen. Esther was really small tell i switched to raw. 5 pounds mpoo (who weighed less then my chi) now she is about 8.


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## pinkteaji

Dawnsohma said:


> i personally just think poodles are naturally skinny for the most part from what ive seen. Esther was really small tell i switched to raw. 5 pounds mpoo (who weighed less then my chi) now she is about 8.


They definitely are  I know they are supposed to be on the lean side but Shelton was way too under weight for his height and age. But now that he's gained weight he's at his perfect weight! I'm so happy cuz he look so healthy now; lean with light coverage of his ribs ) but not fat ha ha

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## pinkteaji

lily cd re said:


> He looks great!


Thank you! 

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## faerie

seelie is a skinny boi. i'm hoping when he gets neutered he puts on that much needed 5#

he eats okay when he eats, but he also will self fast for a good 24 hours or so weekly.


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## lily cd re

They are really pilly eaters aren't they? I would rather have this than gluttony though.


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## pinkteaji

Yes I totally agree. Although sometimes nova (my other poodle) eats so fast she throws up whole pieces

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