# She was just hungry!



## VizslaCity (Sep 5, 2013)

We picked up our puppy on Sat so we've had her for almost a week. I thought she looked too thin but this is my first Vizsla so I wasn't sure. 

We took her to a local vet (who raises his own Vizslas) and he weighed her and said she was only 9 lbs (at 8 weeks), and needed to gain some weight. 

Ever since we brought her home she has been very tired and sleepy and showed no interest in eating. I was getting really worried about her. My husband bought her home some Wellness brand food the other night to see if she would eat it (the breeder had her on Purina Puppy Chow) and oh my word, she LOVES it! I haven't re-weighed her yet but she looks like a totally different puppy! She has filled out so much in just a couple of days and her bones aren't sticking out anymore. Along with the weight gain, comes lots of energy! She has been full of it lately, lol! 

She goes back to the vet in a week so I'm anxious to find out how much she weighs. She already feels heavier to me. 

Has anyone else had to plump up a puppy that was underweight?


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

Vizslas in general are lean thin dogs. 9lbs at 8 weeks isn't bad in my opinion, Chase was 10 lbs at 8 weeks and he is a male so should be bigger. 

Chase has been developing well thus far in regards to weight. 

We have had more difficulty keeping weight on Miles. He is a very active boy! We supplement his food with some raw food, sweet potatoes, all kinds of meats and fish, eggs, and yogurt to help him become more interested in eating. 

Because you just got your pup she may need a little time to adjust. Chase took a few days to settle into his eating habits. We have found that when we travel our dogs don't eat much. Miles even turned his nose up to eggs on our last big trip! He lost 3-4 lbs on our last trip because he was hiking and swimming so much, and not injecting enough calories. Took me over a month to get it back on him. 

Our breeder says if you can see more than 3 vertebrae while dog is standing, time to supplement.


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## VizslaCity (Sep 5, 2013)

Okay that makes me feel better to know that her weight wasnt that off. Unfortunately I could see her entire ribcage and the bones on her back even stuck way out. 

She is already looking rounder. I did wonder if the change of environment was the reason but I don't like she liked the food we originally bought her either. 

The breeder had her on the Purina and my husband did a bunch of reading online and decided she needed a better food. Personally I think he should've just kept her on the same food for a little while as that's a lot of change all at once. 

He bought her this Nature's Instinct Prairie stuff and she pretty much hated it. She was already on the skinny side when we got her so the lack of eating the first few days didn't help. 

We bought her some Wellness puppy treats and she loved them. Every time I'd give her one she would practically attack my hand and then run around in circles like she wanted more. He went back to the store and bought her the Wellness Puppy food and she scarfed it down and has continued to eat up every meal.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

I have also had a good experience with feeding the Wellness brand of dog food to my boy, Willie. Actually, I switch him around to different brands fairly often, but come back to the Wellness. It's in my regular rotation. I have read that it gives some dogs bad gas, though. I guess every dog is different.  It doesn't do that to Willie.


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## VizslaCity (Sep 5, 2013)

She actually did have a little bit of smelly gas last night, lol! She seems much better though. She is very playful and energetic and appears to be very healthy. I'm so relieved she likes her food. She hated the first kind we bought.


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## MCD (May 4, 2013)

Dharma was only 7lbs at 7 to 8 weeks old when new brought her home. She was the littlest one of the litter. Her brother weighed considerably more than she did. She now weighs just over 20 lbs at 14 weeks old. Dharma fluctuates from being extremely active to being a big floppy tired out puppy. She eats about 2 cups of Oven Baked Chicken puppy kibble and gets kibble as training treats. She also gets other treats stuffed in her Kong or dried chicken as rewards. Raw egg is good, a little bit of yogurt. Canned pumpkin will settle an upset, gassy tummy. At first Dharma didn't like peanutbutter. I think it still upsets her stomach though. She will eat it.


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