Is my pup too skinny?

[NancyD]

I just brought my beautiful 8 week old mini dachshund pup home. He's so sweet but he seems too skinny to me. When I pet him it seems like I can feel every rib, vertebrae and hip bone. Now, I'm a portly lady so maybe I'm just not used to normal. And he doesn't seem especially hungry even though I offer him kibble every couple of hours. Should I be able to feel his skeleton when I run my hand over him in your opinion?

 

[gpmum2]

My advice if you have any concerns would be to contact a vet for a quick check over.

My puppy wasn't & still isn't particularly interested in food. As this is my first small dog maybe their appetite aren't as greedy & as my Beagle & Dalmations of the past

I don't know if this is correct or not but the breeder I used wouldn't let her puppies leave the mother until they were 12 wks at the earliest and several other breeders I spoke to said 15wks. SO maybe 8 weeks is a little early.

But I am not an expert, hopefully someone on here will be able to give you the correct advice

 

[nikkihoughton]

Hi NancyD,

Congrats on getting a little pup

As gpmum2 says, the best thing to do if you have any concerns is to take your pup for a check over. This is usually advised in any case when picking up a new pup. The breeder may have had the pup vet checked but it is advised that for your own peace of mind, new owners should do so with their own local vet.

As for collection of pups, the ideal age to collect from a breeder is between 8 and 16 weeks of age. As long as they have moved on to solid foods and stopped feeding from the mother, had their first vaccination etc, it should be fine. It just depends on the breeder as to when they think is best to let the pup go to their new owner, or when is best for the new owner to collect.

 

[Doxie Rick]

Hi Nancy, Congratulations on your little companion, I agree with both posts above that if you have any qualm check with your veterinarian. I have two Miniature Longhairs that are eight months now, but I found both to be very finicky eaters that were as skinny as your discription. Regular puppy kibble is to big for their little mouths. I found a couple of brands that were designed for small breeds and the kibble is much smaller. Both have a regular eating schedule now and are plumping up as puppies should. I am feeding my two Blue Buffalo Wilderness puppy and both eat it with no problems.

 

[NancyD]

Thanks for your help

I'll be taking him to the vet next week for his check up. I feed my dogs Taste of the Wild so was going to try to find their puppy food. The breeder was feeding Purina Puppy Chow (also known as 'Corn'). Maybe I'll try that Blue Buffalo puppy food. He does seem to be a picky eater. Thanks so much for your responses!

 

[DeafDogs]

My little Mouse is skinny, and has always been skinny. I have a real hard time keeping weight on her. She is not a little puppy anymore, and is definately NOT a pickey eater, she will eat whatever I put down for her, however, I have kept her intact as the worst thing you can do for a Doxie is let them get overweight, even the slightest extra weight is detrimental to their backs. So her metabolism is very high, and I keep her food intake strictly monitered, as she gets little in the way of walking due to missing half a foot.

I would keep him on TOTW, (It's an EXCELLENT food!) but switch to their canned formula, or mix it with kibble until he's eating a bit better. Talk to the vet and get his opinion, but you should be able to feel the ribs easily, without them being visable, and the hipbones and spine should not stick out... However that's for an adult dog, young puppies are often "bony" so I expect he's within proper conditioning.