Collect Questions

I am hoping that one of you will be able to advise in some way. Storm (boxer) is now 20 months old and as he is my first i want to make sure that all aspects of his development go smoothly. It may sound silly but no matter what or how much he eats he fails to gain weight, and yes he is wormed regular. At the moment he stands at 27 inch to the shoulder and weighs approx 5-5.5 stone (at last weigh in) He is being fed on a diet of tinned meat and Vitalin original, supplemented with vegetables and the odd treat now and again. I understand that Boxers dont really reach full maturity untill the age of 3? So am i worrying over nothing and being an over protective mum? Or am i missing something? He doesnt look bad..far from it, he is very muscular and well defined but to me just looks on the slim side.




Hi there BT if your dog is fit in every other way I would not worry too much, he is still quite yong and has yet to 'body up'. SB who has boxers should be around later and will no doubt be able to advise.




Thanks for that Mini...just being a bit 'over zealous' as my OH would say




Hello

My male is 30 months old, stands 25", and weights 32kg (approx 5 stone). Your boy is on the tall side. It is very easy to get an incorrect height measurement. Are you using a spirit level across the withers?

If he has plenty of energy, and seems well generally, I would not worry too much about his weight. You should be able to feel his ribs and backbone with slight pressure of your fingers. If his ribs, backbone and hipbones are sticking out then he is underweight. It is better to have a dog that is on the lean side rather than one that is overweight, and he will probably continue to fill out for another 12-16 months. You could try adding some cooked pasta to his meals which I have found tends to put weight on my dogs.

There are other things that you can feed to increase weight, e.g. Satin Balls, but I would not be doing that unless he is seriously in need of putting on the pounds.

Do not hesitate to contact me if you are at all worried, or if you feel that I can help you with anything at all. I can talk Boxers all day

Best wishes
SB

PS. The Breed Standard for males is - Height: 57-63 cms (22.5 - 25 ons). Weight approx. 30 - 32 kns (66 - 70 lbs)




Star went through a stage where I could not get any weight on her. She is now 30 months and only in the last few months she has filled out a bit. She is 24inches in height and weighs 57lb.




Thanks SB and Carole. Have just measured him again SB using a level accross his withers and he is in fact 25.75 tall....must admit we had a job on first time round measuring so i think OH just rounded up to nearest inch! He is, overall a very healthy and active dog and like i say i am probably worried about nothing. As you both know that the energy levels in boxers is off the scale! Will try him on a little cooked pasta now and again SB to see how he goes. Thanks to you all




I'm trying to do the exact opposite with my BCs, who are stubbornly resitant to the idea of getting back to their optimum 20kg weights!

But in the last 3 weeks, Kali lost 300gm, whilst Snorri put on 150!

Their ribs are detectable, but still too well padded!

Snorri





It might help if you changed his diet.Tinned food is made of 70-80% water and so needs to be fed in large quantites to gain sufficient nutrients from it.Vitalin original is made of mainly wheat and sweetcorn with only 12% meat and marrowbone.
Saying that your dog is still a youngster and you shouldn't confuse weight with maturity....he will fill out with age and if he isn't underweight putting fat on him will not benefit him at all




I would agree with Archer here. Change his diet to a "premium" dry food such as Arden Grange or Royal Canin for example, they carry far better ingredients.

He is still a youngster and although he might be slim, its better than being obese!
Dawn.