# Is my vizlsa underweight?



## vizslamom1 (Mar 15, 2021)

Hello everyone! I have a three-year-old female vizsla who is very active (as expected) and is definitely smaller than most other vizslas I have seen. Every time we go out in public I get comments about her being thin. I do not know if the general public just isn't used to the vizsla physique or if she is actually underweight.
She was a healthy puppy and was not thin until she hit her growth spurt and starting growing taller. I expected her to start putting on weight as she got older, but I still have not seen her gain any weight. She is very muscular, weighs 36 pounds, and is 22 inches tall.
She has regular vet check-ups (including parasite tests) and her vet says as long as she is eating as much as she wants, there is no need to worry about it. She eats Taste of the Wild Wetlands grain-free dog food (see analysis below). She generally eats about 3.5 cups per day. I have never restricted her food and I have always fed her as much as she will eat. 
This is my first vizsla and I am hoping that someone with experience raising vizslas can tell me if is something that I should be concerned about or not.

_*Taste of the Wild Wetlands Grain-Free:*
Protein 32%
Fat 18%
Fiber 4%
Zinc 150mg/kg
Selenium 0.35mg/kg
Vitamin E 150 IU/kg
Taurine 0.12%
Omega 6 Fatty Acids 2.4%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids 0.4%
Calorie Content 375 kcal/cup_


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2020)

Hi there!

No judgement whatsoever, but she does look thin. My Oscar looks thin as well and he is fed on Canagan (500 grams) and raw bones and eggs and lunches in weekends. Plus leftovers because I am weak 😅. 

The food is more than ok from my research (I also tried Taste of the Wild with Oscar, but for some reason he dislikes it). I previously cared for an 11 yo mutt raised on Taste of the Wild and he was exceptionally looking, with exceptional teeth and great weight and health for his age (super lazy, though, but he was only getting the amount prescribed with restrictions when he gained, due to his age). In my opinion Taste of the Wild is a great food based on what I have seen. 

In my experience, Oscar is gaining when he is receiving raw complementary to his kibble diet (good amount of raw). It is not recommended to blend the diets, however, I am blending with due time for digestion. I feed kibble in the morning (at 8 am), raw at 2-3 pm and kibble in the evening at 8-9 pm. This was his summer diet, which was altered in the winter due to our schedule. 

To be very honest, she is having quite a lot of food. Not sure what 3.5 cups means in terms of grams (my guess is around 400 grams), but my pup, at 63-64 pounds gets 500 grams kibble per day with an addition of raw and lunches (intermitent). Please note that Oscar is about 65-67 cm tall (roughly 26 inches in my inaccurate measurements, due to his constant movement). So, your lady is not short at all, for a female (right within standard). If you were to guide upon the standard AKC measurements, she should weigh roughly 50 pounds. 

You may wish to compliment her diet with additional food like boiled eggs, boiled chicken breast, pumpkin, sweet potatoes etc. until she reaches the desired weight. Oscar is fussy too about kibble (2 cups tops at one meal), but if I give him chicken, turkey, or eggs he will be more than happy to eat. I supplement his kibble diet with meals consisting of rice, eggs, carrots and chicken or turkey breast, alternatively with raw beef bones which contain a decent amount of meat. With this diet I manage to keep him at 63 pounds. 

I do hope this helps and I am sure more experienced owners will reply as well.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

It looks like she could use a little more cover over her hip bones.


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## vizslamom1 (Mar 15, 2021)

Thank you for your insight!


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## InTheNet (Jun 1, 2016)

My wife is in charge of dog food/feeding. She spends a lot of time researching.

That said, our 2 eat almost double the recommended amount of food. Our female looks thin but we have a hard time trying to put weight on her. Our male looks good. They get a LOT of off leash running.

your pup does look thin with the hip bones showing. Try to increase her food intake.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

With her already eating 3 1/2 cups. Not sure I would try to keep increasing her daily intake.
Maybe look into her gut health. So that she gets the most out of the food she's eating.
If that doesn't help, maybe consider changing her to a higher protein food. Orijens has good 38/18 dog food.


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## SV13 (Mar 18, 2021)

vizslamom1 said:


> Hello everyone! I have a three-year-old female vizsla who is very active (as expected) and is definitely smaller than most other vizslas I have seen. Every time we go out in public I get comments about her being thin. I do not know if the general public just isn't used to the vizsla physique or if she is actually underweight.
> She was a healthy puppy and was not thin until she hit her growth spurt and starting growing taller. I expected her to start putting on weight as she got older, but I still have not seen her gain any weight. She is very muscular, weighs 36 pounds, and is 22 inches tall.
> She has regular vet check-ups (including parasite tests) and her vet says as long as she is eating as much as she wants, there is no need to worry about it. She eats Taste of the Wild Wetlands grain-free dog food (see analysis below). She generally eats about 3.5 cups per day. I have never restricted her food and I have always fed her as much as she will eat.
> This is my first vizsla and I am hoping that someone with experience raising vizslas can tell me if is something that I should be concerned about or not.
> ...



Your girl appears fine. She seems to be growing tall before filling out. She'll go through several phases as she matures. I also feed TOTW and have no problems. You should measure out her food however, and not free feed. If you are unsure about her size, you should contact your breeder as they would know the growth expectations in their pedigree. Most my girls are 21.5-22 inches at the withers and weigh 40-45lbs fully mature.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

Not judging if there is a problem or not. I would also look into supplements especially probiotics. I use Nupro and Probios at every feeding for example.


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Satin Balls: Supplement for a skinny Vizsla


Bailey in "field trial" condition - December 2010 On the Yahoo Vizsla Talk group lately there has been much talk about the supp...




redbirddog.blogspot.com





My two were thin their whole lives. You really don't want to see much ribs or backbone sticking up. A good "tuck" at the waist.

My $0.02. Happy trails.
RBD


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