Eve seems too thin.

[borderlicious]

So Eve has me baffled, she's so very skinny. I can easily feel her spine and her ribs and hip bones are prominent. She's been checked out by a vet, she doesn't have worms or any apparent health issues, bloodwork came back normal. She's a healthy looking dog - her coat is soft and shiny, she has large, strong muscles and can run like the wind. She's extremely energetic, always on the go either working or playing. I just can't figure out why she's so little. Everything seems normal except she has virtually no body fat.

 

She eats a raw diet and probably gets 1.2lbs of food a day, give or take a little depending on her appetite. She has dry kibble (EVO) and canned food (Innova or Blue Buffalo) available at various times throughout the day, and sometimes she'll choose to eat a bit of that.

 

Anyone else have a dog that's naturally really thin? Any tips for putting on weight without stuffing them with food? (Eve stops eating the minute she feels full)

 

Here's a photo that shows how slim she is. Is she emaciated or am I just over-reacting because I'm used to seeing fat dogs everywhere?

 

 

[MaggieDog]

I actually aim to be able to feel ribs and hips w/o much fat cover since Maggie does a lot of jumpipng. Have you done a search to see if you can find the thread a while back with pictures of dogs at good weights?

[RaisingRiver]

River is also really really thin. She did put on some weight that normalized her when I switched to Merrick a few months back, but now she's thin again. I can feel her spine, hip bones, ribs very very easily. Her thighs are very muscled, there's nothing wrong with her. She also stops eating or doesn't eat if she's not hungry. She does have really smelly gas all the time and VERY VERY bad doggie breath - which was checked by the vet who said 'that's just the way she is'

 

She is pretty active, is a gun-ho fetcher. Never a lack of energy when asked.

 

Anyway, I do want a few more inches on her in case she gets sick, has the runs, etc so that she can maintain herself when that happens - which is why I switched to Merrick kibble. I was just thinking this week that I might make some of those Satin Balls that Dazzle is getting which Kat has said has helped put weight on her. (just search for satin balls in the forums)

 

You aren't overreacting, and it's not just because there are tons of fat dogs. Diesel is very trim - but I think he's perfect - not too thin, just perfect. My non-BC IS overweight - so I have both ends of the spectrum and River is further on the thin side then is probably healthy for her - but with her coat, no one would know it unless they felt her.

 

BTW, Eve doesn't look too thin in the photo. A wet dog photo of her from the top, etc may prove more explanatory should you feel the need.

 

ETA: Thread on Dazzle & Satin Balls: http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=9732

Oh yah, River just turned 2 last month (like Dazzle did)

[airbear]

Anyone else have a dog that's naturally really thin? Any tips for putting on weight without stuffing them with food? (Eve stops eating the minute she feels full) ...Here's a photo that shows how slim she is. Is she emaciated or am I just over-reacting because I'm used to seeing fat dogs everywhere?

Wick is just naturally really really bony. She has massive leg muscles, but that's about it. Forget about ribs, when she is sleeping on her side, you can see her heart beating (she is slick-coated). It seems to me, looking at Eve's pic, that she is in lovely shape. She reminds me of my friends' little females - very tiny, very dainty, and absolutely perfect.

 

When Wick was on raw, she ate about 2.5 lbs per day (she weighs about 34 lbs). Now that she is on a grain-free kibble, she gets about 3 cups a day, plus a generous dollop of fat. And snacks. And sushi. And whatever is left over from dinner.

 

Anyone up for some ribs?

[MaggieDog]

Here's the link to a prior photo thread on the weight topic.

 

What a healthy Border Collie looks like

[Kat's Dogs]

Daz is incredibly thin. I can feel every single rib without pressing down, a lot of her spine, and of course her hips stick out. Like RR mentioned, Satin Balls help keep the weight on her without giving her 100lbs of food a day. Still, she has to get 2-3 satin balls (hamburger sized) a day plus at least 1.5 cups of kibble, plus cookies, to maintain her weight at all - that is a lot for a little dog....she is just....skinny.

 

http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm

 

That pic of Wick reminds of this one of Dazzle - she is rough so of course it is harder to see, but you can still see those ribs:

 

ETA: She is also super speedy - no lack on energy at all! She flys over 22" jumps and can run 7 yards per second through agility equipment with no prob.

[borderlicious]

Eve's physique is a lot like Wick's; I think she'd have similar looking ribs if she had a slick coat. She has big leg muscles and has a ton of muscle in her neck and shoulders, but her torso and loins are super slim. Her hip bones stick out, which I think is just the way she's built (I can feel Dakota's too, and he's a little overweight at this point) but it's exacerbated by the fact that she has no fat on her back at all.

 

I'll try to get a picture of her from above to compare to the dogs on the weight thread. Thanks everyone.

 

Edit: I made satin balls, and the picky little snob didn't want to eat it! :banghead: I'll offer it to her after she works sheep this week. She's always starving after that.

[SoloRiver]

Eve looks good to me. I need to get Fly back into that condition -- the last time I was out of town, the ex made her fat. I don't mean just soft, I mean FAT, and one sign that Fly is getting older is that the weight doesn't melt off like it used to. Getting her back into condition has been an ordeal.

 

If I were looking to put weight on a dog I wouldn't do it using Satin Balls -- they're incredibly unbalanced. Monica Segal just wrote about this in her latest newsletter.

 

Fact of the month: Satin Balls are Unbalanced

[2 Devils]

Tempe is also very thin. She gets 2 cups of Evo a day plus some Evo treats.

 

Her thigh muscles are big, her shoulder muscles are big but she is lacking meat/muscle, etc... over the ribs, hips and spine.

 

Over the last couple months she has finally starting filling out some so her ribs are not as prominent but they are easily felt. I wouldn't worry about Eve being thin. Some dogs are just thin lil buggers.

 

Tempe just turned 2 yrs a couple days ago so give Eve more time.

[bc friend]

Sara was very thin until she was @ 3 yrs, then she filled out. She now weighs @ 43 lbs but could lose a couple - my vet (who has border collies) doesn't want her under 40 lbs given her age and health.

[NRhodes]

I think people over react a little about dog's weights, they seem to feel if they can see ribs they're being neglectful. Eve and the other two dogs in this thread look fine to me- healthy, well muscled, active dogs. Feed her a diet that will maintain her weight with the nutrients that will allow her to be active without burning muscle. There's threads around here on this too. Or there's a very informative one over on the other forum in the Health Issues section, it shouldn't be too far back, maybe a page or two.

[Shoofly]

Eve's brother Moss is skinny too even though i'm feeding him a ton of food. I think he'd eat even more if i gave it to him, he's quite the food hound. I'm surprised Eve isn't. I think May and Leia both are like Moss and crazy for food. Anyway, Moss is growing again and all that food doesn't seem to stick to him. What does she weigh?

[Dixie_Girl]

When Jackson was just over a year old, I rushed him to the vets thinking he had some exotic "wasting away disese"! Vet checked him out and said, you know, if he were any other breed, I would say he might could use a few pounds. But for a Border Collie he is great. Good muscle tone, and no fat. He is still like that. Skip isn't quite as "skinny". But then he is lazier than Jackson!

[PSmitty]

Wow, Eve is gorgeous! She doesn't look too thin, but I realize that's just based on a photo. How tall and how much does she weigh?

 

I get "he's so skinny!" every time my SIL pets Alex. You can feel every rib on him, too, but I want him thin since he is doing agility and flyball. Definitely no lack of energy on his part, either. He's 19" tall and 30 lbs.

 

[border_collie_crazy]

Eve looks fine to me as well. Happy is also very thin, virtualy no fat over her ribs or spine, HUGE tummy tuck etc.. if I shaved her down she could probably pass for a whippet, cant say she is very comfy to use as a pillow... lol

[sea4th]

How old is Eve? If she's a youngster, and to me that is any dog up until 2, I don't try to put weight on them. She sounds like a very common sense eater. Once they get past two, then generally the weight does tend to stick and that's when I cut back to maintain a good weight. I have one who is 4 yrs. old, and it's only now that her body is filling out with maturity. Sea weighs a whopping 29 lbs. & eats 3 cups of kibble a day. Juta, my 100 lb. plus mt. dog, eats 4 c.

 

I agree. Maybe it's because we're surrounded by fat dogs, whose owners comment on how thin ours are.

 

From what you describe about Eve, she appears to be the image of health -- you're doing something right!

[notailabigail]

Abby isn't a BC (she's a 3 yo mutt) but she is also incredibly thin:

 

With dogs this size (she's 27-29 lbs) even a lb or two makes a visible difference, it seems. Abby is in really great shape, has a ton of energy and is healthy, but I do like it when she's closer to 30 lbs in case she were to get sick.

 

I supplemented her diet (raw, as much as she wants to eat) with Satin Balls for a little while and she'd pick them apart and leave all the oats behind! Silly girl.

[1sheepdoggal]

My boss calls her the Ethiopiean dog, cause she is so thin. But she eats as much as my 110lb GSD. Not a thing wrong with her, she 's just built this way.....wish I was!

[Anda]

Eve looks really good, Grace!

 

At least she's not looking like a body builder with a tiny waist, like mine does He's skinny, but he's got so much muscle mass in his thighs and shoulders, he sometimes turns into elastic dog:

 

From this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

[sweet_ceana]

I think she looks great! Besides, what would snuggling a BC be like if a bony apendage didn't make it painful

[Laurae]

I think she looks great! Besides, what would snuggling a BC be like if a bony apendage didn't make it painful

 

 

Seriously, I agree that Eve looks great. Taz has always been bony-skinny, complete with hip bones sticking out, but he's healthy. He eats a ton and was about 36 pounds forever. Only in the past three or four months has he begun to bulk up. (Well, somehow he now weighs about 42 pounds, but he still looks and feels the same to me. Skinny.) He turned three in June.

Okay, I just looked at some photos to show how skinny he is. And he has changed.

Fat puppy:

 

Super-skinny adolescent:

 

Still skinny now, but more filled out:

 

Give it some time...

[Bo Peep]

Here's Usher at about 1 year soaking wet.

He was and still is 20 1/2 inches and 40 pounds.

I think he looks too thin, but the vet says he's at a good weight.

[Guest SweetJordan]

So Eve has me baffled, she's so very skinny. I can easily feel her spine and her ribs and hip bones are prominent. She's been checked out by a vet, she doesn't have worms or any apparent health issues, bloodwork came back normal. She's a healthy looking dog - her coat is soft and shiny, she has large, strong muscles and can run like the wind. She's extremely energetic, always on the go either working or playing. I just can't figure out why she's so little. Everything seems normal except she has virtually no body fat.

 

She eats a raw diet and probably gets 1.2lbs of food a day, give or take a little depending on her appetite. She has dry kibble (EVO) and canned food (Innova or Blue Buffalo) available at various times throughout the day, and sometimes she'll choose to eat a bit of that.

 

Anyone else have a dog that's naturally really thin? Any tips for putting on weight without stuffing them with food? (Eve stops eating the minute she feels full)

 

Here's a photo that shows how slim she is. Is she emaciated or am I just over-reacting because I'm used to seeing fat dogs everywhere?

My girl Riley is exactly the same way. I too had her checked out. I found in the FAQ of a BC rescue a question regarding a healthy BC being too thin a while back. The vet(who apparently has his own pack of BCs) called it "twirpy border collie syndrome." Though I've never been told by a vet that she was too thin and her foster mom just said that she was at a good weight but could maybe use a pound.

Riley is 33 pounds and eats more than my 61 pound lab. And my lab is no couch potato(though not a BC in energy of course), he goes on long walks twice a day and does agility, and of course plays. Riley is starting to get some of the thigh muscles that my lab has, but I don't think she'll ever look like a body builder the way he does. And just when I think she has put on some weight it disappears again.

You probably are use to seeing fat dogs. I don't think that very many people realize that a dog is suppose to have a waist.

[Guest SweetJordan]

Usher looks like my girl soaking wet.

[Bo Peep]

So, we're all worried for nothing- LOL.