too skinny?

[bmore_girl]

here is a photo of our boy. his DNA test came back as 100% AST. he has been right around 55 lbs. since we got him, 3 years old. i know it is OK for ribs to be visible, but you can see all the knobs of his spine. is that normal? should we increase his food intake? he is currently getting 3.5 cups of grain-free kibble each day. i was giving him 4 cups but it didn't seem to be helping.

[MMSmith]

I don't think he's too skinny...can you get body shots?

[Madeleinemom]

I agree that he looks healthy - and FWIW, our Trusty (who I suspect is 100% AST) weighs 54 lbs., give or take 1 pound or 2.

[Celesteandthebullies]

A better picture would help Preferably, a side view standing up, possible one from the top too.


As for spine, it varies from dog-dog, a little spine on Alice, if I've been working her a lot, is okay. And Dakota can be 20lbs over weight and his spine is easily visible.

Does he roach at all? One thing I dislike seeing, but I don't know enough on whether my dislike is justified or not, several ribs and spine on a dog that lack muscle mass. That would bug me a bit

[amelie]

From that picture he doesn't look skinny. I like a trim animal with good muscle tone. I like myself to be also, but right now I'm a bit chunky from the long winter and eating out at work. My pit bulls are a bit chunky too, but we are all getting in shape now that its warming up!

[Amie]

What DNA test did you use? I've never seen any come back as 100% anything!

He's very handsome - I don't think he's too skinny at all, but as others have said, the picture is tough to read.

[bmore_girl]

What DNA test did you use? I've never seen any come back as 100% anything!

He's very handsome - I don't think he's too skinny at all, but as others have said, the picture is tough to read.

i used wisdom mixed breed. i was SO surprised when it came back 100% too, trust me. a page full of wee little AST's.

i will try to get some more pics soon. he is muscular. i don't know what "roach" means.

[Celesteandthebullies]

Means their back comes above their wither(shoulders).

[Mooresmajestic]

Omg! If he had a white spot on his nose, and white toes he would be a spitting image of my Vi. The spine showing is more from the way he is laying than anything else. He doesn't look too skinny at all to me from that pic.

[bmore_girl]

Omg! If he had a white spot on his nose, and white toes he would be a spitting image of my Vi. The spine showing is more from the way he is laying than anything else. He doesn't look too skinny at all to me from that pic.

it shows like that all the time, no matter what position he is in. i guess i should have mentioned that fact.

[chinsNdobermans]

I go back and forth on my two and their size sometimes. You can't see ribs or spine on Valentino but he's very lean; Midge doesn't show ribs, but does show spine most of the time (although, she also has pretty much no hair on her topline at the moment). However, she also looks paunchy on her belly and has gained visibly since she came to us.

Val averages 50-55 pounds. Midge is shorter, and hovers around 41-42.

I've always kept my dogs leaner than most people think is "normal" but it's all too common for pets to be obese these days, so a dog at a normal weight is often viewed as too skinny.

[Mooresmajestic]

Omg! If he had a white spot on his nose, and white toes he would be a spitting image of my Vi. The spine showing is more from the way he is laying than anything else. He doesn't look too skinny at all to me from that pic.

it shows like that all the time, no matter what position he is in. i guess i should have mentioned that fact.

So does Vi's. If I put her in a show stack you can't see it though. It's just because there isn't a layer of fat over it. All of my dogs have the same thing... I currently have Lucy spine digging into my hip bone. In dogs of correct weight, there will usually be a hint of spine and rib.

[Murfins]

It's difficult to judge a dog's weight when they are laying down, especially in a photo. I don't think he looks too skinny from the photo though. I like my dogs on the thin side and strongly agree that most pets are overweight these days.

[AmstaffMommy]

He doesn't look skinny to me, my AST is between 60 and 65 lbs depending on the season.

3.5 cups seems like a lot to feed too, we feed 2.5 cups a day.

He is very handsome

[twisted]

my pup socks now at 10 years shows some spine.since he has gotten older ive noticed it more. he weighs 59 lbs and at his prime he was 62-65 lbs.

this is him playing about a week or so ago.



its hard to see in that pic but right in the middle of his back you can see his spine. he has hip dysplasia so it could be from that too.

anyhow i think your dog looks good and not to skinny.