# Do I have a runt?



## HUVizsla

So my Vizsla is 15 months old. She seems small and underweight to me. She is not even 20" to the withers and is 37lbs. Vet said she needed to gain weight and for the past 3 weeks I have been over feeding her and she hasn't gained a pound. Has she stopped growing? Did I get stuck with a runt?


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## KB87

I don't think you got "stuck" with anything but a loving vizsla who is rather petite 

All of the Vs on here vary in size- some are larger and some are smaller. There are others on here that have females of similar size as your pup so I doubt that she's a "runt," but likely just on the smaller end of the spectrum. Was mom, dad or both on the smaller side?

I would also suggest not overfeeding your little lady but evaluating the food that you're feeding her first and see if there is something that better suits her needs to gain weight if she needs to gain weight. There are a few threads regarding food that you could look into/read on here to shed some light on food.


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## HUVizsla

Actually the females in her line run large so I am surprised by how small she is. I prefer males dogs in general so for my first female dog to be sub-standard is a bit disappointing. I will look at the food suggestions in diet section but she has been eating Blue Buffalo since I got her. Thanks for your reply.


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## lyra

I don't understand why people get obsessed by the size of their dogs. There are lots of qualities I look for in a dog but size isn't one of them because I don't think of a size as a 'quality'. I am sad that you think of your dog as 'sub-standard'.

When you say you are now 'over feeding' your V, what are you basing this on? The suggestions on the packet? I don't understand why people worry so much about what it says on the packet - dogs vary a lot - and the suggestions aren't even specific to your breed or account for your dog's activity. It's simple, if your dog is too skinny, feed more, if your dog is too fat then feed it less!


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## MilesMom

Not sure if you are open to feeding people food, but we need to try to put weight on ours as well and we use yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, and peanut butter in his kibble to help. Suggestion of our breeder and vet. He also gets lots of fruit and veggies and some fresh fish but these aren't likely to put weight on our little guy!  We also use some raw food for supplement but it's way too expensive for us to feed him full time.


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## jld640

At 15 months, Savannah was eating more than the bag recommendations, too. I assume partly because of her activity level. Her kibble was mixed with wet dog food and, like MilesMom, we supplemented with people food - peanut butter, chicken, turkey, veggies, fruit, etc.

If you supplement with people food, I suggest you read a bit about what others have found regarding allergies. By varying the diet, if you do have an allergy problem, you will have to track food fairly quickly and carefully to find the source.

There is a recipe for satin balls on the forum that folks have used to increase weight. It seems to me there are a few other recipes that could also help. Redbirddog's liver treats come to mind. Use the search function. You should find some good ideas.


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## SteelCityDozer

Hm. I'm thinking our male Dozer was just slightly heavier than that at her age. Maybe 40-42 lbs and he is now a solid 46 at 2.5 years old. He didn't stop growing until about two years old. So she still has time. My female is the same weight as you girl but only nine months old. I expect her to end up in the low 40s. I think the size is perfect. She may not be as "hardy" but our girl can really whip and weave off leash probably bec of her size. And it makes a much better size for my lap since they insist on laying there!


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## Ozkar

She is what she is. Hopefully that is a loved and needed member of your family, regardless of size. I have one small one, one massive one and one in the middle. The smallest is the hardiest of the three. She will run till she drops........... 

Unless you intended to show her for conformation, size shouldn't really matter.

I would imagine your sub-standard remark is probably better worded as "not breed standard" rather than substandard............


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## threefsh

Is she spayed? I've noticed that the intact females are shorter and more compact, but much faster than the spayed females. Our Riley tops the scales at 40lbs on a good day at 16 months old and she is faster than most Vizslas I know. I had her on TOTW but switched her to Canidae Pure Sea a few months ago and she has definitely bulked up. The higher protein/fat content (40%/20%) has made a huge difference for her.


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## VictoriaW

Maybe you could post a picture? If your vet agrees that she is underweight, perhaps you do need to adjust her diet or coax her to eat more. 

Gracie is 18 months and 38 pounds...and we wouldn't have her any other way. I love my pocket rocket! 8)


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## RubyRoo

My Ruby was about that at 15 months. She was the runt of the litter so expected her to be small. Now at 2 yrs old she is 42 lbs of solid muscle. We see some of her female litter mates and they are the same size. I love that she is petite and get compliments all of the time for other V owners of what a great size. 

Ruby's mother is 42 lbs and father is 55 lbs so we expected the small size. You can see in the picture how much smaller than she is than her V friend and he is only 9 months.


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## Darcy1311

My gorgeous little Darcy, and I mean LITTLE is only 16 kilo's and 21 inches at the shoulder, her mum and grand mother were the same size, she is no runt, but to be fair I thought she might have been a bit larger, but it doesn't matter, she has the heart of a lion and an ego as big as an elephant and she is loved so, so much......................and anyway my wife informs me that size does not really matter, cant think what she means by that...


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## adrino

We've got a small girl too. Elza is only 17.1 kg and maybe 21" .(can't really measure her, she freaks out of the tape measure) 

She was indeed the smallest of the litter, we originally wanted a male but due to complications during the birth only girls left and we were lucky to get a girl. It was more important for us to get A dog from that litter than worrying about the sex and the size of the pup. The parents are great.

I wouldn't change Elza for the world. She's the sweetes, funniest girl I could have wished for. Big or small, boy or girl she's stolen our hearts.


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## Hbomb

Does your vet know about viszlas? Ours said Hercules (our male) was ok at 29kg and 25 inches shoulders however he was actually carrying too much weight. 

He's now 27 inches at shoulders and around 28kg and looks much better! 

If you type in 'fat v' in the search engine (sorry, I don't know how to do the link thing ) on that thread there is a diagram re: dogs ideal body weight. 

There's no such thing as a 'runt!' The petite vs I have met are speed demons! They run rings round poor herc and his gangly legs!


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## born36

I like a good looking dog. 

But I love a GOOD dog.


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## v-john

I agree with the others. I don't understand why being "stuck with the runt" and being small is being "substandard". 
My bitch that I have have is probably 35 pounds at best. Love her. Granted she is built to run, and is essentially all muscle. I've gotten comments from people at field trials, when I took her to the line, they would say "she ain't no bigger then a minute!". But she can run, and find birds. She's extremely light on her feet and extremely agile and I am sure there won't be any problems with joints. 
I have a bigger 55 vizsla as well, and when he runs, he pounds and attacks the ground. As he ages, I fear that his joints may begin to break down. 
So, their are advantages to having a smaller dog. 
My point is, that there are other, more important qualities in your dog than size.


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## texasred

I love watching those pocket rockets run. The same people that told you she was no bigger than a minute, were probably impressed with the way she covered the field.


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## dmak

My pup is 20 inches at the shoulders and a lean and mean 42 lbs of pure muscle. He's small, but a fierce hunter and is lightning fast. He's a true all day everyday working dog. Don't let the size of your pup dissuade you from working him hard. My little guy typically brings in more birds than the other dogs on the hunt


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## v-john

TexasRed said:


> I love watching those pocket rockets run. The same people that told you she was no bigger than a minute, were probably impressed with the way she covered the field.


Thanks... She runs against pointers, and they better run if they want to compete!  She has done very well so far.


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## v-john

dmak said:


> My pup is 20 inches at the shoulders and a lean and mean 42 lbs of pure muscle. He's small, but a fierce hunter and is lightning fast. He's a true all day everyday working dog. Don't let the size of your pup dissuade you from working him hard. My little guy typically brings in more birds than the other dogs on the hunt


It seems that the smaller ones figure out how to get around cover, and don't take the punishment that the bigger ones do. My big guy is a bull in a china cabinet, and afterwards, in an all day hunt, his body shows the punishment he takes. My other smaller boys (probably the size of yours) don't take near the punishment.


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## HUVizsla

Thank you for all of the suggestions and comments. To clarify, I asked the question "Do I have a runt?" expecting to get an idea if her size is normal for her age or should I expect more growing or not. Personally, I am used to large dogs breeds and since she is my first V and my first female dog, I thought it would be best to ask the question from other owners to get an idea of where she is in comparison. She is a part of my family regardless of her size, its not like I'm going to ship her back to Hungary. ;D 

That said, these are the only pics I have at the moment but I will take more tonight. 

The vet is the one who said my dog needs to put on a couple of pounds. She is spayed. I have been feeding her about a half cup more of food (according to the bag) for the past three weeks and she has not gained 1 ounce. I don't give her table food. She is spoiled tho. If I drop her kibble on the floor she won't eat it. I gave her a carrot and she spit it out and looked at me like I tried to poison her. She also does not like peanut butter at all. So I'm a bit leary to try satin balls.

I saw the posts about raw food diet and that's a bit costly for me at the moment. I will look into some of the satin ball alternatives. Any other thoughts would be appreciated.


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## threefsh

What are you feeding her? If her food has a lot of fillers (grains, corn, soy, etc.) that could be why she isn't putting on weight.

She looks fine to me. A bit on the thin side, but not gaunt. Most vets don't understand that Vizslas tend to naturally be very slim.

I would try a high protein/fat content kibble and see if that helps.

Here are some good brands:

Canidae
Orijen
Acana
Taste of the Wild


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## texasred

I would look at your pups bloodlines. The Field Trial bloodlines tend to run a little smaller.
As far as weight. You don't want the back bone to be visible, but a little rib showing is fine.


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## HUVizsla

She is currently eating Blue Buffalo. She tends to get bored so I switch between Blue Buffalo Wilderness and the regular Blue Buffalo.


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## pippylongstocking

My Ester is also on the lean side, but she is happy and healthy. Stop worrying and just enjoy your dog. She looks great to me.


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## lyra

HUVizsla said:


> She tends to get bored


Our V is the same, we mix a bit of something in it to keep her interested, sardines, liver, chopped sausage, cheese, chicken. Doesn't have to be a lot, just enough to make it smell interesting!

It's not the best of photos to tell from but she doesn't look unhealthily skinny just slim. There's a million V pics on this forum you can compare her to.


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## dmak

We started on blue wilderness and really liked that kibble; its just a bit pricey. I switched to taste of the wild high prairie formula and have been really pleased. Its cheaper and has almost identical ingredients. The pup bulked up. I would also suggest some wet foods to add to the kibble to bulk her up. As others have stated, your pup looks pretty good, she could use a few pounds but doesn't necessarily need them. With Vs ive learned that each is very different with weight and food amounts. Just pay attention to her, as long as she's still highly active and not acting famished she is just fine. I personally don't do any human food as I don't want him to start begging at the dinner table. Look for a grain free kibble with higher crude fat/protein content. Wild Dogs by design are typically under nourished while being healthy.

Btw, TOTW is a bit harder to find but you can get it from amazon with free shipping. $50 for a 30 lb bag.


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## WillowyndRanch

From the Photo's - I would have to disagree with your Vet on her being underweight. She looks just about perfect. Her Hip bones are covered, you can see muscle in her shoulders, her ribs are just ever so slightly noticable, and she has a nice tuck.

Most people are used to seeing overweight dogs, so when they see an athletic dog they assume the dog is then too thin. 

As for the "runt" - I've always been a bit partial to them. They are generally a bit tougher by scrapping through for food in the litter, but not aggressive and looking for a fight. They are generally VERY fun to watch because they are low to the ground and quick. 

From Best way to train your GunDog, by Bill Tarrant
_"Bunch of chalk-eyed cowboys perched on Delmar’s coral poles one dusk, chewing snooze, swatting flies, talking dogs, when the subject of picking a pup came up.
A discussion goes back and forth amongst the cowboys.
Delmar listened. … “I can tell ya exactly how to pick a pup” … “And I got the facts and figgers behind it proves it”.__ “Towsey was one ‘em. He was a triple national champion. He was a leftover pup. Holiday Britt was a national champion. He was a left over pup. Baconrind Rex was the cull of the pups. Buddington Pince was the cull of the pups. I could go on and on, but all them dogs is nationally known. Everybody came and got their pick and left ‘em. So that is the way I pick one. Just whatever is left and go."_

She looks just fine to me!
Ken


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## jld640

She doesn't look gaunt to me, either. You might ask your vet what makes him think she is underweight.


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## adrino

It took Elza 2-3 months to put some weight on. She sort of looked like yours. I just didn't want her to go into the winter without any fat on her. She was eating twice a day so we went back to feed her 3 times a day. Had to keep raising her dry food intake plus she got one wet pouch in the middle of the day. 
She's eating a lot more than the bag recommends even though that she's on the smaller size. I would suggest to take the guidance as it is a guidance. Every dog is different and if you think she's hungry then give her more. 
Elza eats JamesWellbeloved adult duck and rice, 400g a day. If she gets a wet pouch she gets less dry obviously.


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## HUVizsla

Thanks for the feedback. Here are a couple of pics. 

Excuse the noob question but what's a wet pouch?


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## Suliko

HUVizsla, I know how you feel. My youngest V Pacsirta has been skin and bones (ton of muscles though!) her whole puppyhood, and she didn't gain weight until recently. She's 13 months now and finally packing on some pounds. I'm not sure if its because of her first heat or change of food (Merrick), but she's looking good! I did think she'd grow taller, but nope. I think with time your pup will fill out and look more mature  
If you don't mind me asking, what breeder in Hungary did you get your baby from? Pacsirta is an import too


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## HUVizsla

I got her from Vadaszfai kennel.


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## texasred

Wet pouch is just how the food is packaged.


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## Suliko

I think there might be a V on here from the same kennels. I got Pacsi from Aranyvadasz kennels


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## Suliko

Actually come to think of it, a Vizsla friend of mine back in Latvia owns a V boy from the same kennels ( mom Fricska), and she had an extremely hard time putting some weight on him. He's very picky about his food too. He's two years old now and starting to finally gain some weight and filling out. Small world!


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## HUVizsla

Wow. Small world is right. Thanks for the info. I hope she too will fill out as she gets a bit older.


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## v-john

HU, I think your little girl just about looks perfect.


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## HUVizsla

Thank you all for the feedback.


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## zigzag

From the second set of pictures. I would say she is a bit on the lean side. If she was just coming off a hunting season and had been working really hard then that would be diffrent. But it seems she is still young and growing not working that hard yet. So I would want to see a bit more covering her ribs and shoulders. Just my opinion and everybody's got one I know.


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## HUVizsla

The only hunting she has been doing is retrieving her ball in the backyard or hunting her bdf at the dog park. It is hilarious watching her as she stalks this GSP and runs him down. She gets about an hour a day of run time during the week and 2-3 hours a day on the weekends. I try to tire her out and in the end I'm the one who is exhausted. LOL. I'm going to start adding some raw food/satin balls to her diet as I can and see how she does.


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## VictoriaW

FWIW, we've been having great luck lately getting G to eat more (or at least more enthusiastically/predictably) by adding 1 teaspoon of Bravo Salmon Oil to her kibble. She is completely crazy about it. For now. If I didn't just jinx myself. 

In any event, there are definitely people on the forum (Gunnr comes to mind) whose girls added significant height/weight after 15 months.


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## texasred

I do know of a kennel that was feeding Blue Buffalo and had 1/3 of their dogs lose a lot of weight. They changed dog food, and the dogs weight came back up.
I don't think you have anything to worry about with her. If you decide to try and put more weight on her ,I would watch how much with a scale. As small as she is I would only be looking at 2-3 lbs to fill her out. To much weight slows them down and puts more pressure on the joints. 

My Female June stacked on some weight over duck season. Single coat dogs in cold water need to be a little more filled out. I wasn't putting her on the scale and was shocked that she went from 46 lbs to 54 lbs. Were going to work on knocking at least 4-5 lbs off.


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## dmak

Good point red. Kauzy bulked up a bit for the duck season as well. He probably has a few lbs to lose. He hasn't been on a scale since pre duck season.


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