# Ribs on show - advice needed.



## Lewijen (Jul 14, 2021)

Hello - I hope everyone is well.

My puppy Charlie is 14 weeks old - many people are saying he’s skinny or very athletic looking.

The vet said he’s a ‘fine dog’ but what do the other Vizsla parents think … is he underweight / too skinny? (11kg at 14 weeks).


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## A-arons Kodster (Sep 2, 2018)

My Meatball Kody was the same way....he will get plumper with age. I can still see my V's ribs also BTW. He looks very nice!

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## Mrs M (Jul 21, 2021)

Lewijen said:


> Hello - I hope everyone is well.
> 
> My puppy Charlie is 14 weeks old - many people are saying he’s skinny or very athletic looking.
> 
> ...


Charlie is gorgeous 😍
We’re always concerned our Oscar is a bit ribby too!
Almost 10 months old but eats well without being greedy.
Healthy and active so no worries 😊


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Ribs can be misleading. More reliable indicators are the hip "points" and spine. These becoming prominent are signs of underweight. Your Charlie is fine based on those.

"People are saying ..." happens commonly when those people aren't familiar with Vizslas. You can tell them: "He's fine - he's a Vizsla".


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

He looks great to me.
The ribs are not the truest indicator. He will show ribs well into his adulthood if he is exercised properly
Nice thigh development. His shoulders have bulk to them. His hips and back don't have any pronounced poverty lines. There is enough mass to cover his "hip bones", and he has a nice round little butt. Nice little fat rolls on his neck.
The top and bottom picture have the ribs showing because he is at an awkward stance and sucking in air through his nose. The middle picture is more true and his ribs are present, but not pronounced.
11kg at 14 weeks is just fine.
His front paws indicate to me that you're going to have a big boy on your hands by Christmas 2022. 
Vizsla's are "lungs on legs". They're not supposed to be heavy of body.


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## Frida010 (Apr 24, 2020)

Yeah, Vizsla puppies are skinny. But I’ve also learned here on the forum that normal amounts described on kibble packages are a bit on the low amount for active v’s. So you could give him more food. Also, vizsla’s rarely overeat and puppies cannot get fat. So you can give him some extra kibble or add maybe some canned fish to his diet if he’s are picky eater.


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## Dan_A (Jan 19, 2021)

He’s a big boy for 14 weeks!


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## 86902 (Oct 20, 2020)

Lewijen said:


> Hello - I hope everyone is well.
> 
> My puppy Charlie is 14 weeks old - many people are saying he’s skinny or very athletic looking.
> 
> ...


What happened to his tail???? 
And yes, he is too skinny, you should not see that much ribs and hips...


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## Stevie D (May 22, 2020)

Nickbell8 said:


> What happened to his tail????
> And yes, he is too skinny, you should not see that much ribs and hips...


What are you basing that on NickBell? Respectfully I disagree and agree with the other posters. You can't see his spine even when bent over. Charlie is clearly sniffing in the 1st and 3rd picture where the ribs are so pronounced, which exaggerates the look as the lungs expand. The second picture is more indicative and shows a good amount of baby fat. Vizslas are lean, active dogs and are not meant to look like sausages (which unfortunately we see way too often). Regarding his tail, looks to be docked to 2/3 and that fur will grow around it in time.

Charlie looks very healthy (and handsome) to me. Lewijen, If he's eating and pooping normally (i.e. not runny or excessive) I don't think there's anything to worry about.


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## 86902 (Oct 20, 2020)

Stevie D said:


> What are you basing that on NickBell? Respectfully I disagree and agree with the other posters. You can't see his spine even when bent over. Charlie is clearly sniffing in the 1st and 3rd picture where the ribs are so pronounced, which exaggerates the look as the lungs expand. The second picture is more indicative and shows a good amount of baby fat. Vizslas are lean, active dogs and are not meant to look like sausages (which unfortunately we see way too often). Regarding his tail, looks to be docked to 2/3 and that fur will grow around it in time.
> 
> Charlie looks very healthy (and handsome) to me. Lewijen, If he's eating and pooping normally (i.e. not runny or excessive) I don't think there's anything to worry about.


Hi Steve,
I never said that the puppy looks ugly nor that he should look like a sausage dog... 
The rule of thumb that you will read and hear from many breeders and vets is that if you see 3 or more ribs the ADULT Vizsla might be underweight. Here the case is different, Charlie is just a puppy and to me he looks more on the "suffering side" rather than healthy but I am not a vet.

The fact that many people stopped Lewjen to enquire on Charlie's health might be a sign that he does not look great and might have some intolerance to food or other issues to be checked with a vet.

Having said so, what really horrifies me is that tail... I really hope that happened for medical reasons and people will soon end the barbaric use of tail docking...  

Cheers


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## A-arons Kodster (Sep 2, 2018)

Nickbell8 said:


> Hi Steve,
> I never said that the puppy looks ugly nor that he should look like a sausage dog...
> The rule of thumb that you will read and hear from many breeders and vets is that if you see 3 or more ribs the ADULT Vizsla might be underweight. Here the case is different, Charlie is just a puppy and to me he looks more on the "suffering side" rather than healthy but I am not a vet.
> 
> ...


Did you miss the part where their "Vet says he is a fine looking dog" or that others think he is "Very athletic looking"? My Dogs tail is Docked....do you have a problem with that? If so....its not your dog....its my dog. Quite trying to tell others what they should be doing with THEIR DOGS. Next are we gonna get into trying to INDOCTRINATE others people's dogs because you think shock collars are barbaric? I use one...oopps....I must be a bad person/ owner. Keep your PC Bs to yourself and think before you talk.









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## 86902 (Oct 20, 2020)

A-arons Kodster said:


> Did you miss the part where their "Vet says he is a fine looking dog" or that others think he is "Very athletic looking"? My Dogs tail is Docked....do you have a problem with that? If so....its not your dog....its my dog. Quite trying to tell others what they should be doing with THEIR DOGS. Next are we gonna get into trying to INDOCTRINATE others people's dogs because you think shock collars are barbaric? I use one...oopps....I must be a bad person/ owner. Keep your PC Bs to yourself and think before you talk.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 You are hilarious dude... perhaps you "have missed the part" where he started this post for the specific purpose of asking other people opinions on his dog, don't you?? My dear Mr Mutilation???
Go back to your cave, c'mon... 😘


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## Stevie D (May 22, 2020)

Nickbell8, not to be argumentative but what you clearly wrote was that "he IS too skinny, you should not see that much ribs and hips". It was written as an authoritative comment and you have added that he looks to be on the suffering side to you. I think that we have to be careful with our words and extreme opinions on matters like these, especially when we're not professionals and based on just one picture. I would also point out that if we, as Vizsla owners, used people stopping us to inquire as an indication of our dog being too skinny we'd be in real trouble. I hear that comment almost weekly from people who are not familiar with the breed - Twix is a 20 month, 58 lb dog that is run 2-3 hours a day. He's very lean, but well within the weight standard for a young male...and very much looked like Charlie as a pup.

As for the 3 rib "rule", in my experience how prominent ribs are depends on many factors, including age and position (i.e. if the dog is turning, sniffing or panting). As Lewijen indicated, Charlie has been seen by a vet and got the all clear. Personally, I don't see anything in these pictures that would contradict that assessment.


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## A-arons Kodster (Sep 2, 2018)

Nickbell8 said:


> You are hilarious dude... perhaps you "have missed the part" where he started this post for the specific purpose of asking other people opinions on his dog, don't you?? My dear Mr Mutilation???
> Go back to your cave, c'mon...


Sure....thing...ill go back to Walmart...grab my shells and shotgun and go shoot pretty birds and watch the docked tail Vizla do exactly what God made them to do and that is to be a companion and Hunter. I feel bad for any animal in your possession. Good luck out there....just remember there are more like me out there than there are of you*









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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Nickbell8 said:


> You are hilarious dude... perhaps you "have missed the part" where he started this post for the specific purpose of asking other people opinions on his dog, don't you?? My dear Mr Mutilation???
> Go back to your cave, c'mon... 😘


@Nickbell8 
Please check your private messages
You can find them in the Conversation tab.


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Many of our members are from different countries, and the Vizsla standard can vary from country to country. We don’t always have to agree, but we do need to be respectful on this forum.
We will not allow this kind of behavior to continue.
HVF Administrator
Deb


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

he looks fine to me


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## Mnk (Jul 28, 2021)

Hi! Our V Hunter was 11,5 k at 14 weeks. He looks just like Charlie, and he was the biggest of the litter. I think like many has said that the indicator should be the spine and hips. He looks just like our boy! You will see that next month he would need little more food because they grow so fast! Now hunter is 5 months and 20 k. A big boy and always hungry. trust your instincts. If he looks like a very happy dog and no issues with food or poops then he’s perfect. He’s so gorgeous! Congrats!! 🧡🧡🧡

…and respect tails, I know a lot of people are against tail docking. I have 2 pointers, 1 vizsla and a collie. We never thought about that even if that was a breed standard in my country. But in fact one or our pointer is soooo crazy that he always has issues with the tail, like scrape it when he was outside or licking like crazy and never heal his wounds… and one time he broke and twist his tail in a run trying to jump the brick wall in the back yard. He got a emergency surgery and since then all tail problems are gone. So maybe there was a reason, beyond esthetic, that some dogs need their tail shorter… so maybe is not an issue to judge.



Lewijen said:


> Hello - I hope everyone is well.
> 
> My puppy Charlie is 14 weeks old - many people are saying he’s skinny or very athletic looking.
> 
> ...


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## Pumpkin (Sep 6, 2021)

Lewijen said:


> Hello - I hope everyone is well.
> 
> My puppy Charlie is 14 weeks old - many people are saying he’s skinny or very athletic looking.
> 
> ...



I think he looks great! They are naturally skinny. One time a bunch of teenagers yelled "Feed your dog, bro!" out a car window to my husband who was walking our V.


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