# My Spoo Looks Underweight!



## LaurenLovesSophie (Jun 19, 2015)

Hey guys! First off thanks for the help! So, my sweet Sophie is a 1 year 3 month old standard poodle who, in my opinion, looks CRAZY underweight. I've done tons of research and realize that poodles have super high metabolisms and are generally very lean dogs, however I can't help but to worry that my girl is way underweight. She is free fed Royal Canin Dog Food (I JUST switched to the adult food from the puppy one). She just got off her first heat, and I just had her groomed and was absolutely shocked to be able to see her spine and the indention where her rib cage meets her waist. She is a SUPER happy, energetic and loving dog. She doesn't seem depressed or sick or any of the above, she has more energy than me and I'm a 23 year old!! She is also wormed every month, has had ALL of her shots, and is on frontline plus monthly for fleas and ticks. The only health issue that I can think of was that about a little over a month ago I found two ticks on her.. but I quickly removed them and had a professional come treat my front and back yard for fleas and ticks and put her on the prevention medicine (haven't had a single flea or tick since). I am a college student, but besides the 3-4 hours i'm in class, I am always home with her, she is hardly ever alone (but when she is, I put her in her crate for her safety). I should also mention I can't really noticeably feel her ribs when I run my around across them, but her spine is VERY noticeable and quite gross how much it protrudes. Her waist is also very skinny compared to her rib cage which is what also concerns me. 

Should I change food? Should I feed her foods to help fatten her up a bit? Could this be cause of her recent first heat or possibly from the two tick bites? Do I need to go see a vet for this?

The best way I can describe it, is that it looks like ever since she was a puppy she has grown taller, but hasn't grown outwards or filled in one bit. I've attached pictures, but keep in mind that for some reason I feel that they do NOT accurately show how skinny she looks in person. Thank you so much for any help/advice!! 

- A worried momma


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

It is a little hard to say from those pictures, but I don't think she looks underweight. She actually looks a lot like Lily when her coat is short (which it isn't right now, otherwise I'd snap a pic for you). I will say that on Lily I can almost close my hands around her waist (belly) at its narrowest point. She is 22 3/4" and weighs consistently 36.2 pounds (her weight has hardly varied in 5 years). She is also free fed.

I have a question or two for you though. Why did you wait so long to put her on adult diet? Also what do you mean when you say she is wormed every month? Is she getting preventive heart worm medication (which is very important) or are you giving her regular nemex or other treatments for intestinal worms (which shouldn't be needed).


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

I personally would not really worry about this. My standard has always been crazy skinny too like your girl. Can without any effort feel his spine, ribs and hip bones. Almost everyone that pets him for the first time comments on how boney/skinny he is. I used to worry more about it, but I don't anymore. He is an active dog that just won't put on weight. I don't free feed him as he would be even skinnier as he really doesn't like his dry food.

I actually cook a mixture to mix into his food every day to get him to eat more and get more fat into him. He also has acid reflux bad where if he goes awhile without eating he will get sick. I mix that and a pre-biotic into his breakfast (about 1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup high quality kibble). He 95% of the time will eat that. I will also offer 1- 1.5 cups of plain dry food at dinner. He will choose to eat that or not on his own. I don't worry anymore if he skips a meal or doesn't eat (as long as its just one).

I am not a huge fan of free feeding though and would work on getting her on a schedule (there are a few good recent threads on why and how in this food section). I also am not the biggest fan of royal canin and would maybe look for a higher quality food.


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## TeamPoodle (Aug 10, 2015)

I have a mini poo and he's like your girl... and I've been told by the vet that he's a perfectly healthy weight and not to worry about it. As long as he's eating well and his energy levels are fine they're not concerned.

We feed Riley freeze-dried raw and we feed him 1.5x the recommended amount for his body weight and he just doesn't gain weight very fast. I can feel his whole spine and his hip bones very prominently, but you can feel there's a (thin) layer of fat on his ribs, so we're not too worried. 

When we got Riley 5 months ago he was 1.25lbs thinner (a big amount for a small dog!) and all his bones were a whole lot more prominant. Good food helped put on a pound, but what really helped was exercise to build his muscles. He feels a whole lot sturdier now.

I'm including the link to this thread so you can see pictures of Riley:
http://www.poodleforum.com/5-poodle-talk/195682-poodle-mix.html


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

She is shaped a lot like my kiddo and Iris has maintained a slim figure her whole life. Just about same size and weight as Lily. 

I free feed as well and Iris eats a food VERY high in Protein and low in carbs.....same food, EVO, all her life. There are other food choices which, IMHO, are better than Royal Canin. They may be more expensive per bag than what you feed currently, but the dogs utilize the ingredients in a high quality food better than in a moderate quality food, therefore you usually feed less per day. They also poop less as they digest it more efficiently and have less material left over. Yaaay, less poo to clean up. When you buy a bag of food, mark on the bag the date, you bought it, then when you use the last you will know how many days it took to feed the bag, then divide that into the cost of the bag.....voila, the cost per day.....you might be surprised.

I feed Iris 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups per day and it costs me about $1.19 per day to feed a high quality, more expensive food. This is what I would pay for a coke at McDonalds, if I drank coke. Much less than a fancy coffee shop coffee. I think Iris is worth at least the price a coke per day to have great food.

I used to work in a locally owned high volume pet food retail store so have LOTS of experience with helping folks change to higher quality food. Royal Canin is not a poor quality food, I just think there could be a better choice for Sophie.

My vet has always been pleased by Iris' slim figure. I would be concerned with using a wormer that often. I can't remember the last time I wormed Iris and she is nearly 14 yo. I would worry more about the frequent worming and effects from the wormer each month than I would about her being a lovely, slim spoo. Spoos should be slim and show a nice trim waistline. They are built so differently than labs and other retrievers. Rather like a ballet dancer or elite athlete. Sometime look at the picture of Eric's airborn dog Gracie here on the forum. She is quite the slim ballerina poodle.

Sophie really a lovely girl. 

Viking Queen


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## LaurenLovesSophie (Jun 19, 2015)

I am definitely going to look into other foods. I have been hearing lately that Royal Canin isn't as good as I thought it was, and I have no problem spending more money on my baby's food if it is healthier for her. Any recommendations for brands of food?

Also for the free feeding vs timed food schedule, I have found that due to my varying class schedule (I'm in college) I can't always feed her at the same time everyday, so I have found that it works best for both of us to let her have food out constantly and eat when she is hungry. Is this a thing that I should really try to change? I can work towards getting her onto a timed food schedule but it will definitely put a large strain on me, but like I said she is my baby and I will work around anything to give her the best!

As for the questions:
I am heart worming her, and have never done any treatments for intestinal worms.
Also, for switching, I just followed the instructions on the bag, which stated that she should not be switched to the adult food until after 15 months of age, although I switched her to the adult food at 14 months.


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## LaurenLovesSophie (Jun 19, 2015)

Do you have any suggested food brands I could look at? Although I don't want to be spending a ridiculous amount of money, I am certainly okay with going up in price $20-$30 if it means that she has a higher quality of food.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Monthly heartworm meds, good job! I was worried it was the other kind of intestinal wormer.

I really like Acana and Orijen foods, and Iris Eats EVO, but it has become hard to find. My local store orders it just for me. You might also check Dog Food Advisor for their 5 star rated foods. I like foods high in protein, low in carbs and grain free. The big box pet stores won't have some of the really great foods so a privately owned food store would work and some internet food companies will ship for free, just compare their per bag costs with that of your local stores.

Everyone will have a different opinion of free fed dogs. I have had beagles much of my life and a normally 20 lb beagle would weigh 60 lbs if you tried to free feed....they seldom self regulate and hoover up everything in sight. My spoos have done well free feeding and they eat a little whenever they are hungry. They have never had any tummy problems and have been of ideal weight so my next spoo kid will also be free fed. It works for me.

You are a good mommy, doing well raising your girl and enjoy her. I loved the picture of Sophie in your lap....Iris also loves a good lap snuggle.

Keep up the great job! Cathy


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Thanks for answering those questions!

VQ I was also going to suggest dog food advisor. 

I think free feeding is fine if your dog is healthy, active and not a glutton. My three all share one bowl and it always has food in it. They all prefer to graze. My golden retriever friends are all pretty amazed that we can do free feeding with multiple dogs.

We feed Blue Buffalo large breed chicken and rice dry. Everybody has been fine with it for ages.


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## itzmeigh (Apr 28, 2014)

Personally I think the public at large as well as many vets and groomers are so accustomed to seeing overweight dogs (of all breeds) that when they see a healthy weighted dog it makes the dog appear "too thin". 

Age and activity levels also play a big roll as does being neutered. 

Hazel runs a bit on the slander side and she looks a lot like your girl. Hazel is 19 months old and not yet spayed. She's pretty active and she isn't a very motivated eater. 

I do a combination of free feed and controlled feed. We feed everyone 2 meals a day. They each get a morning serving and evening searching. When we wake up we put their morning serving in their bowl (one cup for Hazel). They have no time limit to eat their morning serving. After work or around 6pm we put their evening serving in their bowls (one cup for Hazel). Almost always their bowls are empty by supper time. The cats will have some kibbles left and I just add their dinner serving to what's left. Cotton (notapoodle) eats all her food before supper. Hazel sometimes has a few kibbles and sometimes has a full serving. If she has more then half a serving I don't feed her supper. If she has almost half a serving then I pour it back and put one cup. If she just has some kibbles then I add her one cup to what's left. 

So, basically, we feed them 2 times a day and they have several hours to eat their meal. I don't just keep food in their bowls so it isn't exactly free feeding. But since I don't pick their bowls up after an allotted time it isn't a controlled feed either. 

Some days they don't eat as well other days. Some days they won't eat their breakfast serving until around noon. Sometimes Cotton will eat Hazel's leftovers (and that means Hazel's out of luck until the next serving is offered) Since Cotton will eat Hazel's leftovers we cut Cotton's serving by about a third to compensate for treats and leftovers otherwise she gets a bit on the chubby side. But she's 12 and not at all active.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

I think she looks just fine! My Rita (spoo, deceased) was always very thin. I have always fed my dogs only once a day. I would give Rita 2 (3 as a youngster) cups of food, she would only eat half most of her life. Turns out she was grain-intolerant. Once I put her on a raw diet at age 15, she gained some weight. But...she never looked much different from your girl. She was an active, happy dog her whole life until (probably) the last year or so. Lean dogs live longer...Rita was 18 when she died.


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

itzmeigh said:


> Personally I think the public at large as well as many vets and groomers are so accustomed to seeing overweight dogs (of all breeds) that when they see a healthy weighted dog it makes the dog appear "too thin".


Trust me, groomers are only very happy when they finally see a dog in proper weight! We know fat from correct weight no matter how many obese dogs we see!


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## itzmeigh (Apr 28, 2014)

Mysticrealm said:


> itzmeigh said:
> 
> 
> > Personally I think the public at large as well as many vets and groomers are so accustomed to seeing overweight dogs (of all breeds) that when they see a healthy weighted dog it makes the dog appear "too thin".
> ...


Well, that's why I didn't say "all". I'm very familiar with the grooming world. I have had all kinds of dog professional people comment that Hazel "looks a bit thin". Her vet was pleased with her weight this visit (35 pounds) but felt she was on the edge at her visit a few months before (32 pounds). But she's in heat and we've been bribing her to eat her dinner. I'm pretty positive once we get into the summer she's going to dump those 3 pounds.


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

I don't think that pup looks underweight. I agree with itzmeigh (and not just because she's my sister!) that vets are used to seeing typical overweight dogs and aren't used to lean animals.

My Sugarfoot is 24 inches tall (at the shoulder) and weighs in at 48 pounds. He's a lean, hard athlete and his ribs and hipbones can be easily felt. My husband's corgi is "only" about 21 pounds, which apparently is shocking to the vet--"We never see a thin corgi!"

Ours are raw fed and eat once a day, though there are certainly treats at stake during training and at shows!

--Q


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Mysticrealm said:


> Trust me, groomers are only very happy when they finally see a dog in proper weight! We know fat from correct weight no matter how many obese dogs we see!


LOL--This makes me think of my husband's corgi's breeder. She was SO mad that the owner of one of her puppies let the dog get grossly overweight that she was declaring up and down that she was going to put a clause in her contract about keeping the dog in healthy weight. Not sure how enforceable that would be...

When I was in the grooming world, yeah, it was nice to see a fit, healthy dog. (Won't even go into matting / between-groom care...) Our vets always seem a bit bemused by how "lean" our dogs are.

--Q


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## hkb (Oct 12, 2014)

Hi there, I know this thread was about spoo's, but I had a similar experience with Smudge, who is an oversized toy poodle - 15.3 inches at the shoulder, and weighs 12.3 pounds. He was definitely underweight when I got him at 13 weeks (was only 5.2 pounds and you could see his spine and ribs through his fluffy coat the day I got him), and it took a long time (about a year) to get him to what I thought was reasonable weight - where his ribs had a little covering, so you couldn't see them when he was close clipped, but they were still easy to feel. He still has quite prominent spine, and seat bones. He has a very defined waist. He is a very active dog! My mother in law gave me a hard time a couple of years ago about his weight - so I discussed with my vet at his annual check up, and the vet said one of the nicest things - that if Smudge was his dog, he wouldn't change a thing, including his weight! Smudge is probably on the lighter side of a healthy weight range, but as he has luxating patella's, it is better for him to be slightly lighter than slightly heavier so less stress on his knees.
He is free fed, unless we are looking after my friends dog Skittle (maltese-****zu cross) - then it's a morning / evening feed regime so that Skittle doesn't eat everything.
Smudge is a grazer regarding food (unless it's one of his humans eating, then clearly he should be haing some of that!), and so long as he is drinking, active and eating treats, then I don't worry so much about how much kibble he eats in a day - some days he eats it all, other days he eats hardly any. So long as he is his happy, active self, I don't worry; he'll eat the kibble when he is hungry.

(For those worrying about treats [a dental chew most days; some fancy kibble for training treats; liver treat; veal or kangaroo tendon; occasional chicken chew] - he gets a few a day - they don't make up the main food intake)


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I don't think she looks underweight either. Are her ribs sticking out? You should feel them when you run your hands along her sides, but you shouldn't see them unless she's bending when she's making a turn or the sun is shining on her flanks...sometimes you get a glimpse of the ribs then. Her back bone sticking up might just mean that she needs some more muscling up. I think as she matures and her exercise increases, she'll get more muscly and filled out looking. She's very pretty and looks good to me. If you're ever unsure or uneasy, stop by a vet's office and ask. You usually don't need an appointment or need to pay for a quick question like that of a tech or nurse, vet sometimes. I've done that before with like questions.


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## grab (Jun 1, 2010)

She looks much like my Brooks, who is quite active and always very lean.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I don't think that she looks underweight either - maybe she could put on a touch more muscle, but hard to really say through the coat.
In my experience freed feeding dogs usually stay very thin - they just don't get that excited about eating.
Timi is my first meal fed dog, and it is just so wonderful - she is the best eater that I have ever had, and she can weigh whatever I want her to weigh because she I'll et anything, any time, any place (yet I keep her at least as lean as your girl because I think that it is healthier for her ).







If you really want to keep free feeding, perhaps you can continue to do that, but add one evening meal of something extra special - canned food, raw, freeze dried raw? If you want something as convenient as kibble, Ziwipeak is well liked, is a high quality food, and is very calorie and nutrient denses - just a couple of ounces of it a day would absolutely put weight on her!


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

I personally don't see a problem, and I agree with the others. She's clipped short and that's probably why you are seeing a thinner dog. BTW, I love the pictures, especially of the one with you and her sitting in the chair!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I would say she is a young dog, in excellent health, who has finished growing but not yet furnished up with muscle - bit like a slightly gawky adolescent human. So congratulations on raising her to be so happy, healthy and fit! Lots of exercise, good food and not too much of it, and I think in a year or so she will still be slender (a waist and definite tuck are very good signs), but will have enough muscle to soften the outline of the spine and hips. If she loses weight or condition, or stops eating, or shows signs of lethargy then call your vet, but at the moment it sounds as if you are doing everything right!


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## StormeeK (Aug 3, 2015)

It is a big shock when your dog has had a longer coat in the winter and then you clip them short. Last week during spring break I spent a long time clipping Dewey to about the same length that it looks like Sophie is in your pictures (I used a 7 FC ). I like him really short in the summer and it has been so hot here recently. When he got down from the table I was shocked at how thin he looked and wondered if I needed to increase his food. The more I looked at him the more worried I got. He is 27" and 60 lbs at 2 years. However, when I watched him run and jump outside I realized this was a very good weight and he is not too thin. His body just looks like a thin tube in this short clip. 
Sophie looks beautiful!


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I think fjm and stormeeK are right on. My Jazz was very slender--around 45 pounds and 24-25 inches--until she was two. When I asked the vet, she said, "She's just a slim teenager. Her weight is perfect." Now, at 3.5 years, her weight is best around 51-52 pounds. 

Both my dogs look scary-thin to me for a couple of days after their first summer clip. Once I'm used to it, they look fine.


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

I think she looks fine. Hans is pretty thin too, 23 inches I think and 46lbs. He was just at the vet for his annual checkup, and I did ask about his weight. The vet said he looks great, and the vet also has poodles. 

I'll post a picture of Hans later...he's due for a bath and haircut and I'm keeping him really short so you'll really be able to see his body.

Hans gets two meals a day and sometimes a snack (usually chicken backs or something). I tried free feeding him but he just doesn't eat enough that way. He does better if he knows he only has a limited time to eat, plus if I take him to work free feeding isn't practical.


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