# Is my vizsla to small/Thin?



## DeftonyVizla

Hi

I have a 1 year old female vizsla her name is molly. Shes not much of an eater, I tried different food, pro plan, eukanuba, bill jacks, blue buffalo, everything i think she might like, I just can't get her to gain weight or eat regularly.

shes about 22-23 inches tall but shes about the most i think 35-38 pounds. She is pretty active, she gets to run around off leash at the dog park 45-mins at least on most days, i take her for a 30 min job in the mornings sometimes, she gets to go to the dog beach to swim, over all shes an active dog. It seems like shes just a bad eater, I'm even pondering to just buy fresh meat and feed her this. lately i've been buying some healthy beef sauseage like meat and my wife mixes this with about 3 eggs and she's been eating that...

any ideas on how i can make her gain a little bit more weight? something i think she looks malnourished, i dont' like that her ribs show. i think her weight for bodyframe should be from 45-50 pounds?

what do you guys feed your vizlas, or whats the food that's worked for you guy, thank you


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## mswhipple

When I needed to put weight on my dog, I bought a big bag of puppy chow (Kirkland -- from Costco), just because puppy chow has more calories. One bag was all he needed to cover up his ribs.

There are many eating incentives you can use. Try putting a tablespoon or two of water-pack tuna, plus a little warm water, onto Molly's kibble. Or you can use mashed up sardines; dogs like smelly things. There is a special treat for dogs called "Satin Balls" but this involves making them yourself, and I don't know if you are willing to do that. Anyhow, I am going to post a link just below to a thread from a couple of months ago. Maybe you will find it helpful. ---

http://www.vizslaforums.com/index.php/topic,1618.msg13633.html

A number of forum members have offered good advice there.  My previous dog was diabetic, and so it was very important for her to eat the same number of calories at every meal, right before her insulin shot. I learned how to tempt her into eating. Good luck with Molly!


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## Big Rick

Our female is almost 2. She will eat anything we put in her bowl. Right now they are both eating Nutro Ultra because her brother is picky. I took them in for a nail trim on Tuesday and she weighed 74.8 pounds. She's about 24 inches. We have put her on a diet.


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## mswhipple

Willie's about about 4-1/2 years old now, and he weighs 70 pounds. He measures 24" at the withers. At one point, he got up to 75 pounds, and the Vet said that was too much. I didn't have to alter his mealtime calories at all. Just had to cut back on the treats he was getting throughout the day. I tend to suffer from an owner's affliction -- "treat inflation". Every day he was asking for more and more treats, and I was giving in! So anyway, gradually he dropped back down to 70 lbs.  He still gets a few treats, but less than before.


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## SteelCityDozer

My Dozer weighed in at 44 lbs yesterday with two collars and a leash on and he's one year old today and still intact. So ur not alone. I mix about a tbsp of wet food in with his dry to keep him interested and he'll be getting his first satin balls tonight. Did I mention he actually just gained 2 - 3 lbs?


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## redbirddog

> he'll be getting his first satin balls tonight. Did I mention he actually just gained 2 - 3 lbs?


http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2010/12/satin-balls.html

In case you need the receipe or how to mix it all up.

Bailey for "the show" two weeks ago got feed about 8 pounds of Satin Balls in 5 days. This was while he was with the person I sent him to for "handling lessons" the week before the show in Reno. 

She said he refused his normal kibble once he got to eat his fill of Satin Balls. He filled out nicely.

Before he left he was 59 pounds. Afterwards he was 63. The four pounds made a difference. Now back at home and running the hills again, he is back at his "huntin' weight" of about 60. He is 24 inches tall.

RBD


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## 00tjwrangler

My 2 yr female lillee stand just 22 inch to the shoulder and she weighs 42 pounds and looks great I run her everyday for over 2 hrs I feed blue buffalo chicken and Brown rice. For most of the year and when it comes September1 I switch to high protein blue buffalo which is salmon and Brown rice she will only eat in the afternoon to evening now by the end of October u will be able to see her ribs pretty good but I will hunting her so she will be eating double what se usually does she does the on her own


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## Linescreamer

I have the same problem with Copper at 1.5 years and maybe he is 45 lbs now. I think I will be trying out EVO red meat formula. It has the highest fat content I can find. We use Nupro powder to make a gravy and he eats that usually. : For the last few weeks we have been mixing cooked chop meat or steak into his food and it disappears before our eyes. ;D The trick is to spend the time every week and cook it up and then keep in a large Tupperware. Open fridge 2 big spoons of meat and a large bowl of dry food 3X a day. That will work for sure. I wish we had more time.


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## BamBam

my female vizsla is 9 months and about 21-22 inches and weighs about 40.7lbs, sometimes she weighs a little less, some a little more. 
She has always been a really foody, but just recently has started not eating meals. I wonder if this is because her growing has really slowed down, and she feels she doesnt need as much.
To try and put on weight I would give her lots of raw chicken wings.


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## ironman_stittsville

My Phoebe is a little small, 15 months old, about 21" at the shoulder and 42 lbs last vet visit.

She looks good and her muscle tone seems right (she gets lots of exercise each day). 

I expected here to weigh more but she appears to be healthy at 42 lbs.


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## tripod

BamBam: be super careful about feeding chicken wings to your dog! chicken bones are hollow and can be bad news because they shatter so easy. The last thing you want in your dogs tummy is a shattered bone!


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## BamBam

raw chicken bones are fine - see BARF diet


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## Looney

BamBam said:


> raw chicken bones are fine - see BARF diet


i'm going to do the RAW diet myself when i get Laszlo here in february and i read that you can't feed dry/raw together since the stocmach digests them in totally different times. Confuses their bellies i guess?
i thought that the standard for males was like 50-60lbs..i must have read that wrong.


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