Our Vet Visit came up with an issue.

by **abbybaby2011** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:19 am

So I took Abby & Leo to the vet today, and they seemed to have checked out fine, except for one problem. He is worried about Abby not building muscle the way she should :eek:

I had not really realized that this was an issue, cause when I think about it, she just turned a year old, and to me, she is still a baby. I did not really expect her to be big and bulky at this age. But anyways, she eats Purina Puppy Chow (I know, it is not the best, but it always has seemed to work tremendiously for our dogs) and the vet says that it has a proper amount of protein in it for her. So he suggested that I increase her feedings by 1/2 cup a day, feed her some protein rich foods(unfortunatley, a raw diet is out of the question for her, it does not sit too well on her stomach), and find some muscle enhancing supplements to start her on.

So i have a few worries; 1 I am not too sure on what protein rich foods i can give her
2, the thought of supplements scares me, I mean I do not even take a tylenol unless I HAVE to, much less give drugs to my dogs. Now maybe if it was all natural, I MIGHT consider looking into it, but it still frightenes me. So does anyone know of natural supplements, remedies, anything that will be safe for her? Or should I ignore this piece of advice all together? I am so conflicted here, because I want to listen to my vet and do the right thing for Abby's well being, but then again, I dont want to give her something that may effect her badly in the long run.

by **TahsSunny** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 12:23 am

I have no advice but I'm confused why it's a issue she isn't as big as she's 'meant to be'. Maybe she is at her right size. Do you think something is wrong with her?.

by **Sarah** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 1:22 am

I disagree strongly with your vet. A 1 year old puppy should not be at it's full bulk yet, and all dogs develop at different rates. If your dog is at a healthy weight, and has normal energy levels for a young dog, then she is fine. Let her mature at her own pace.

by **johnnyv412** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 1:39 am

+1. That's a dumb statement to be said by a licensed vet. No dog should be built at 1 year old. My dogs gained muscle until 2.5-3 years old. They really didn't even start bulking up till they were over a year. A good rule if thumb on most bully breeds is that around 1 year they grow to there mature height. By 2-3 years old they grow to there mature build. Around the 1 year mark there in their goofy looking lanky stage. Atleast that's been my experiences. I don't know the extremes of this case until I see the pup. Any pics? Also, stay away from supplements. Your dog should be shaped on how it grows naturally.

by **Misskiwi67** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:54 pm

And extra calories and protein supplements do NOTHING to build muscle...

by **Leslie H** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 7:03 pm

At the risk of sounding too harsh, I saw your pictures of your dogs on the Gallery thread, and I thought she was actually a little overweight to be doing agility.

by **ames** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:22 pm

I had my vet tell me to put my boy on a diet and then 3 months later tell me maybe he could gain a pound or two. Jeesh make you your mind dude!! I agree with everyone above, as long as your dog is acting normal and doesn't get too tired easy or what not I would keep her like she is. But get her on some better food. Even if your dog does well, purina is crap. You might also look into some grain free like Blue Buffalo Wilderness or TOTW grain free might help her grow up a bit better and then you can decide if she needs to "bulk up" in a year or 2. How much does your pup weigh?

by **FransterDoo** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 9:17 pm

I agree whole WHOLE heartedly with Sarah and Leslie.

Plus to recommend buying additional food "toppers" and supplements while giving you the thumbs up for Purina Puppy Chow? Talk about confusing!

by **abbybaby2011** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:34 am

She weighs 42 lbs, which I think it a decent weight for her

by **abbybaby2011** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:35 am

Leslie H wrote:At the risk of sounding too harsh, I saw your pictures of your dogs on the Gallery thread, and I thought she was actually a little overweight to be doing agility.

She is not doing agility

by **abbybaby2011** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 8:39 am

johnnyv412 wrote:+1. That's a dumb statement to be said by a licensed vet. No dog should be built at 1 year old. My dogs gained muscle until 2.5-3 years old. They really didn't even start bulking up till they were over a year. A good rule if thumb on most bully breeds is that around 1 year they grow to there mature height. By 2-3 years old they grow to there mature build. Around the 1 year mark there in their goofy looking lanky stage. Atleast that's been my experiences. I don't know the extremes of this case until I see the pup. Any pics? Also, stay away from supplements. Your dog should be shaped on how it grows naturally.

here she is, i do not think that she is underweight, if anything, she is a little chunky, but considering her energy levels, i do not see 42 pounds to be too bad a weight on her. plus, she does not do any sports other than daily exercise.

by **abbybaby2011** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:51 am

Leslie H wrote:At the risk of sounding too harsh, I saw your pictures of your dogs on the Gallery thread, and I thought she was actually a little overweight to be doing agility.

I do not take this as harsh at all, I think you voiced your honest opionion, and that is what I am looking for. And at least you did not call her a "cow" like one of my friends did. But I have been hearing the "overweight" word alot here latley. Do You think she does need to loose some weight??

by **GoingPostal** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 9:54 am

Do you have a shot from above? I think she could use more tuck myself and there's no way I'd be adding food or supplements like your vet said. Adding food isn't going to magically make muscle, it's just going to add weight.

by **abbybaby2011** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 10:35 am

here is one, but u have to keep in mind, she just turned a year old, so its not like its already too late to change her weight. I mean she is just now starting to fill out you know

by **Nichole** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:12 pm

So weight is a fickle thing. Most pet owners have their dogs on the chubby side and think they are fine and normal. Even many vets are skewed by this "normal weight" image of chubby being normal.

Your pup is still a pup. She is still maturing and gaining muscle mass at her own rate, as Sarah said. I have two dogs who are from the same breed (SBT) but from very different lines. I first noticed Sadie starting to bulk up at 9 months old, but Violet was slower to mature. She was nearly two when you could see a difference in her muscle mass. She was just slower to mature, and that's fine. I didn't push anything extra on her. I just did normal exercise, normal diet, kept her at a fit and trim weight, and let time do the rest.

For being a young pup still, and being a pet (not a sport dog, I assume. Like agility, flyball, frisbee, etc) I think she is okay. If she were mine, it would be at the year mark that I would be really watching the weight though. I'd personally switch her to an adult foot and cut the calories just a smidge to have her drop maybe a pound or two of chub. Not a lot, just a smidge. I am not a huge fan of the food you are feeding. I think kibble in general can lead to a gassier, more bloated appearing dog. Someone I know went from kibble (orijen) to raw and it was like someone deflated them a little with a sharp pin. Just let that extra air out (or water or fat, whatever it was the dogs were holding on to).

As for raw, it is a richer food and it really has to be switched over gently. Raw meaty bones with marrow are particularly rich and if your dogs aren't used to that they will get the trots (diarrhea). I gave Sadie raw bones to munch on while she was still on kibble and it happened every single time I let her get some of that yummy marrow. I limited her time with said bone and it helped. Both girls are now on 100% raw and marrow doesn't bother them in the least.

But if you have to feed kibble, and there is nothing wrong with that, there are definitely differences in kibble quality. Purina ranks pretty low on the list. There are other top quality or heck, even medium quality that would be better nutritionally and have less fillers (fillers = more poop, and nothing for the dog nutritionally).

I agree with the above comment about mixed signals about more protein and toppers in addition to the regular food. That tells me the food is not adequate. Not enough protein and other good things if they are suggesting those as supplements.