Q: My 4-month-old German shepherd is not eating very well. Herweight is 30 pounds. She's 19 inches toe to shoulder and 25 inchesnose to butt. She looks underfed. I've tried good puppy food and haverecently switched to Purina Puppy Chow (she seems to like it). ShouldI be concerned? Will she eat when she's hungry? She also refusestreats.
A: This is a great question. It is worth noting that some puppiesare more interested in playing than in eating, regardless of the foodbeing offered. I have a human child that does the very same thingfrom time to time. I wish I could be more like them both!
The first thing I would do with your puppy is make sure she is ahappy and healthy girl. Take her in for an exam and make sure someonechecks a fecal sample for parasites. (Veterinary receptionists justlove getting bags of stool from pet owners. I have actually beenalmost mowed down by a receptionist running to deposit a fresh samplein our laboratory. The fear of a mid-hospital collision with such asample is enough to make anyone jump out of the way!)
After the veterinarian finds her healthy and parasite free, someof your worries should be eased. I think people have an altered viewof what a normal puppy should look like today. Some breeders believebigger is better and that is not the case, especially for these largebreed dogs. For example, one of the AKC breed standards for theGerman shepherd addresses the height requirements. The desired heightfor an adult female at the top of the highest point of the shoulderblade down to the floor is only 22-24 inches. They are much longerthan they are tall. Ideal adult weights should be only 60-70 poundsfor females as well. It is a long and lanky dog, so it sounds likeyour puppy may be right on target for her breed. A very importantrule of weight management is to look at your dog and if you think helooks a little on the thin side, then he probably is just aboutperfect.
As far as food goes for this puppy, there are some wonderfulchoices on the market now. All puppy foods currently available arecompletely balanced and nutritious diets that will not cause growthproblems in your pet. I prefer the puppy foods for large breed dogsfor German shepherds, but Purina Puppy is still an appropriate dietand she likes it, to boot! Feed her a little less than what isrecommended on the bag twice daily.
To attempt to train her to eat meals, try feeding her at the sametime each day. Give her 15 minutes or so to eat and take her foodbowl up with any leftover food in it. After a few days of thisroutine, she will hopefully learn to eat what is served to her whenit is served to her and then go back to playing.
As to the treat issue, food treats are a large part of the dogfood market. People love to give treats. The ones that smell,resemble real food and are multi-colored are generally owner'sfavorites. They add no nutritional value or health benefit to the petother then lots of unwanted calories. The best place for treats,according to most veterinarians, is to help reinforce desiredbehavior during training. If you are worried about how to train thispet that won't eat treats, try giving her verbal praise and rub herdown as her treat. Your veterinarian and your dog will thank you forit later.
