# too skinny



## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

I think Zoe is too skinny. She eats a lot and would eat what ever you put in front of her, not a picky eater. I can't seem to get her to gain even a half a pound. 

She is 7.8lb,( 12inches) I always say 8 to round off. She eats 1/3 twice a day of kibble.( I even give slightly more.) She also gets fruit and veggies and on weekends challah. 

My vet isn't concerned ,although she said she wouldn't mind to see her fatten up a drop. When you pet her you can feel her ribs.
suggestions??


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

She sounds a lot like Lily! Lily always has food available and she eats well, but you can definitely feel her ribs. She has always been in the 36-37 pound range. Many people tell me to feed her pasta or something like that to put a little weight on her. My vet, however, has always thought that since her weight is very consistent it isn't an issue. He also thinks it is healthier to be a bit too lean than a bit too heavy. So I don't worry about her.


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## kayla_baxter (Jul 17, 2015)

If you can't feel ribs when you pet a dog then they are probably fat. I tell customers that a good way to judge body condition is by using their own hand. Put your hand face down on a flat surface and run your other hand across the back. That's what a dog at a good weight's ribs should feel like. The same thing but with palm facing up is an over weight dog, and making a fist and running your hand across your knuckles is an under weight dog. You can see the last few ribs on my Dane, but his hips are well muscled. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

How old is Zoe? My vet and I never quite agree about Sophy's ideal weight - he says she is fine at the top end of her height/weight range, I know she is happier 200g below that, and try to keep her there. I think so many dogs are overweight these days we have almost forgotten how "skinny" a fit dog looks - you _should_ be able to feel the ribs, as kayla describes above. Has she got good muscle tone? Is her coat in good condition? Is she active and happy? Is she eating well? Has she been wormed regularly? If all answers are "Yes" I would not worry - time to take action if she puts on too much weight!


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Does she have bigger bones ? In comparison, Merlin is 11 inches and 5.4 lbs. i think he is skinny and I'm trying to put some weight on him too. I'm trying to go 6 lbs, ideally 6.5. 

Your dogs sounds an ok weight to me, but I guess you have to feel her ribs and bones to know.


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## mom2Zoe (Jun 17, 2014)

fjm said:


> How old is Zoe? My vet and I never quite agree about Sophy's ideal weight - he says she is fine at the top end of her height/weight range, I know she is happier 200g below that, and try to keep her there. I think so many dogs are overweight these days we have almost forgotten how "skinny" a fit dog looks - you _should_ be able to feel the ribs, as kayla describes above. Has she got good muscle tone? Is her coat in good condition? Is she active and happy? Is she eating well? Has she been wormed regularly? If all answers are "Yes" I would not worry - time to take action if she puts on too much weight![/QUOTE
> 
> 1 1/2 yrs
> She has good muscle tone. She eats great, exercises regularly . She is very active and happy. Her coat is soft and shiny, groomer likes it.
> ...


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

The New York Times wrote in July, that one in four dogs at the Crufts Dog Show was overweight. (We're into "fat shaming" in the U.S. big time.). Now that I have a large, neutered dog, I do want to make sure he's not carrying extra weight for the sake of his joints. I plan to always ask my vet if Buck is at a good weight and to use Kayla's hand test as verification.


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

Willow went to stay (I was on vacay) with Sasha and Lily, who are free fed. She got so plump... I had to skinny her down when she came home


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