# Róza & Gizi not gaining weight?



## CPS624 (Jul 5, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum thing..

I have 2 female litter mates, that are 3 months old.

A couple weeks ago, I took them to the vet for a round of shots (distemper I think). The vet found Róza had whipworms & decided to treat Gizi as well.

The vet gave me the chalky, paste form of Pancur to treat both of them with for 3 days. Then the 4th day I gave them their 1st dose of Heart Guard.. They seemed to gain about a pound or two, but are still very skinny. You can see their ribs. :-\

They eat great (actually very fast) & get plenty of exercise. They also live with a very healthy Malitpoo ( just checked a day before). 

I currently feed each of them 1&1/2 cups a day, 3 times a day, of dry Blue Buffalo puppy formula.

I feed them at 8am, 1pm & 6pm. 

Do I need to increase the number of times a day I feed them, while increasing the amount they eat?
Or increase the number of times a day I feed them while keeping the amount the same?

Last time I went to the vet I was very embarssed when they told me my puppies were too skinny. I felt awful that they had worms.

Since I have treated them & have been careful to watch them when we are outside. I am confused as to why they are still very "bony". :'(

Do you think the worms have come back? And if so, should I be mad that the vets treatment did not work?

I have a vet appointment on the 19th of this month (for a second round of shots) & would love any suggestions. I would hate for them to think that I starve my lovely girls! 

Please Help! :-\


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

We found that as a pup our V, Ruby, needed more food than 1.5 cups a day. We feed her a good quality food (Acana) but she still required about 3 cups a day at that age. She still only eats 3 cups a day and is at a healthy weight.

Sometimes they burn so much energy growing/playing as pups and need more than you think they would to eat.


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

A lot of puppies have worms, this is not a reflection on you. The breeder usually deworms them when they get their first shots, yours didn't.

There are no absolutes when it comes to feeding....3x a day is fine, but you can slowly add a little food each time and see what happens. "A little skinny" isn't a catastrophe!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Hello, CPS624! I just wanted to welcome you to the forums!! I see that you've already received some good advice... Your pups are beautiful!! Maybe they just need a little more food at each meal. ;D


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Rózsa & Gizi ;D I like my V with barely visible ribs when standing, with plenty of rest and adequate exercise. See the rib cage outline only when turning. 
But, that depends on the bloodline, I guess. Still, I would feed a raw egg in the morning and supplement with a small portion of raw ground meat.


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## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Hi there. Your girls look just fine to me, but I also think its difficult to see them properly. You should be able to see your V's rib on movement I believe. I have also had concerns with weight gain for my V Ester. It's a fine balancing act, getting the right amount of nutrition. You may need to swap their food, or supplement meals. I changed Ester from Taste of the Wild, (she pooped a lot) to Burns. How many times a day do they poop? If they poop a lot, then they won't be getting the right nutrition. Its quality rather than quantity in my opinion. Depends what you feed them, but sometimes the more you feed them, the more they poop! She also has food added to her kibble, chicken, lamb or tuna, with pasta, rice and sweet potato. She also has a boiled egg occasionally, peanut butter and lots of raw veggies. It has taken some time, but she has gained some weight. She is 16 months old, approx 22cm to her withers and today weighs 20.5 kg. She is perfect to me, but by golly its difficult to keep the weight on her. Not very good at dietary advice for dogs, more used to giving it to my patients! Sorry. Let us know how you get on with the girls. Most of all, enjoy and treasure them.


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## CPS624 (Jul 5, 2013)

Thank you everyone for the kind advice. ;D

I had a couple requests for pics of them from the side. Don't let the pics fool you. They are very active, happy pups. I had to hold their collars to get them to stay still! As you can see Róza is more thin than Gizi, this comes from her natural build, but in my opinion, she is too skinny. 

I feed them Blue brand dry puppy food. I feed each of them 3 times a day. 1/2 cup at each feeding. They are heaping scoops < this will not continue when they are adults. I'm just doing it now in hopes of putting some weight on them. 

@Pippylongstocking: They poop at *least 3 times a day.*


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## GarysApollo (Nov 27, 2012)

They are both still very young, my boys were bone racks until they were about five to six months old. 

I'm not saying they should not gain a few pounds but if you do some reading on Vizslas typically as puppys you can see the rib cage and spine for a few months. They should be putting on about one to two pounds per week.


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## pippylongstocking (May 21, 2012)

Bless them. They are absolutely beautiful girls. gorgeous glossy coats too. , but they do look a bit on the skinny side. Remember that if they use more calories than they take in, they will lose weight. I am still learning re everything V related, despite having had dogs before, so I am no expert, just my own experience and opinions. 3 poops a day are ok, but it's dependent on what you feed them though. Sometimes the higher protein content, (generally active dogs require higher protein content diet), the more poops they can do. That's what happened to Ester on Taste of the Wild. She was doing at least 5 poops a day when I tried to increase her food. Now she generally does 2-3 on her current diet. 
There's loads of feeding advice on here, and you will get input from lots of people, all with differing opinions on different foods. What you have to remember is that we all have individual dogs, so what suits one, doesn't necessarily suit another. It's trial and error, but if you read some of the advice on here, and shop around, I'm sure you will find the perfect food. I haven't heard of the food you are feeding the girls now, but if you are happy to continue with it, I would increase the amounts you give and also supplement with other foods. You could also try the satin balls (there is a recipe on here somewhere), as I believe they are effective for increasing weight. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Thanks for the pics. These dogs look rather underweight, as puppies they need all the nourishment they can get. Consider speeding up that process by either adding or switching entirely to a high quality wet food. Also, give a vitamin supplement.


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## Rudy (Oct 12, 2012)

Please take a few more pics back off the camera some

show the entire dogs with other things in the pic"

There Heads look far out of balance with there bodies but I must see more balanced pics before any judgements
This is Willow very young


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