Sharly

Hello everyone! I just had a question regarding the development of my little Toorc.

When his litter was born, he was the largest puppy delivered; but after a week, the puppies had to be bottle fed because mama developed mastitis. I didn't see the puppies until they were 4 weeks old and at this point, Toorc had dropped to being the smallest puppy, including compared to his sisters. I instantly fell in love with him the moment I saw him, and I was able to visit every week afterwards. Even though he always gained weight, he was still quite behind the other puppies.

At 8-1/2 weeks, I had his ears cropped and he came in at 13.7lbs whereas his brothers were between 16-18lbs. He is getting his sutures removed this Friday so I will see where he is at but I took him to Jennie's yesterday so she could see how he was doing and saw that his brothers are now like 3 times bigger than him. He is now larger than the girls but I am worried something isn't right with him.

I've had him since 8 weeks and he always has food available to him. He is an eating machine and loves to play and is incredibly active. he is never lethargic or acting out of the ordinary, just a regular playful puppy. He is on a mixture of dry puppy food, some canned puppy food on occasion and rice, veggies, raw chicken and beef when he doesn't play with it all over my living room.

Because he does act puppy-ish and eats a ton, I'm hoping I'm just over-reacting. He still is gaining weight so that calms me too but I know my previous doberman was 8 weeks when I got him and he was already 16lbs then... any advice or am I just worrying over nothing? Maybe he has a high metabolism?

Thanks in advance!

MeadowCat

Have you asked your vet? That would be my first step.

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Adara

Does the breeder have advice? What is the size of the lines?

My male Vizsla Havoc was small from at least 4 weeks (not sure about when born). He was 11 lbs when they went home and only 1 girl was his weight. 3 girls bigger 1 boy bigger. Finally at 4 months he was as big as the girls. He is a standard sized male (looks small in the show ring) and his sisters are big boned tall girls but within standard.

I would first ask the vet but also ask breeder about the lines. When Havoc's mom was bred a 2nd time the only male was a "smaller" male also although withing standard.

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Colleen
Flirt, ADAMAS All the Girls Do It, OA, NAJ, CL2-F, CL2-H
Gabby, Ch Gold Run's Token of Rumor, JH, NA, OAJ, NF, NJP, CL2,CL3-H, CL3-F Vizsla
Havoc, GCh HRQ Guess Who's In Trouble, JH, OA, OAJ, CL2-H, CL2-S, CL2-F Vizsla
Envy, Kizmar's Bailey HotShot of Adara, Vizsla

Sharly

I was going to this Friday. I know when they did his ears, they tested him for parasites, worms, bacteria and things like that. The lady at the counter even said he was pretty small for his age but that since he isn't losing weight or staying the same that I shouldn't worry. He gets his second shots on friday too so I will be sure to inquire about it. I'm just worried something is wrong... Jennie suggested feeding him food with higher proteins, something that can help put on the pounds. He just seems too happy for something to be wrong with him. I should ask Sharon Bruno how big daddy is...

Adara

He's probalby fine They are just good at getting us to worry.

I'd find out how big the lines are, not just mom and dad. And if either have been bred before it MIGHT give you an idea. Havoc is 23.75" which is just under the top of our standard. Most males that show are 25". The one boy old enough to get an idea of height is going to be about 24.5 to 25. Havoc has height behind him, but not him (I hope I worded that right).

Also if his weight is fine, I would not change anything. If he's too skinny, then I might.

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Colleen
Flirt, ADAMAS All the Girls Do It, OA, NAJ, CL2-F, CL2-H
Gabby, Ch Gold Run's Token of Rumor, JH, NA, OAJ, NF, NJP, CL2,CL3-H, CL3-F Vizsla
Havoc, GCh HRQ Guess Who's In Trouble, JH, OA, OAJ, CL2-H, CL2-S, CL2-F Vizsla
Envy, Kizmar's Bailey HotShot of Adara, Vizsla

MaryAndDobes

Oh, this is one of the Bubba babies. My Copper is his half brother. maryandprince has Sammy and Blush, another half brother and half sister.

Bubba is a very standard sized male with heavy bone, and I'd say he was 85-90 lbs in his prime. However, they do have mothers.

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Sharly

Thank you! He doesn't look skinny by any means, always has that fat puppy belly protruding. He just has a smaller build than the rest of the boys I guess. If he were not active and not wanting food I would have rushed him to the vet ASAP. but like I said, he's a perfectly silly rowdy dobe boy, he just looks puny next to his brothers haha

This is him from yesterday. He found the tropical birds in the front yard interesting

Sharly

Awww yay!!! Family <3

Thanks for the info! The mom was very standard too, I just think it's crazy he ended up so much smaller than his brothers. I figured maybe he was bullied but Toorc has an knack for stubborn attitudes lol

kindafugly

He is gorgeous. he looks of proper weight and looks to be just fine. If your just going by weight difference some dogs are lighter and some heavier.. i wouldnt be to concerned. Dogs can grow at different rates. Some faster some slower.

A puppy i tube fed due to cleft lip was tiny. his brothers and sister were 10 times bigger then he was because they were feeding off mom and he wasnt. by the time he was full grown i was looking at his littermates he became the same size as they were. He just was alittle bit behind but in the end he became the same size. So i wouldnt worry to much.

Sharly

Thank you He's definitely got a different build than his brothers. He isn't as beefy, a little more lean and less bone. Compared to his siblings, he doesn't seem as..... I guess the word I am looking for is "solid." Like seriously, I was shocked at how big his brothers were. Like bulldozers haha

sky14

from the picture he looks like an awesome pup
dobeys have growth spurs i would get him checked out by vet and breeder before worrying too much

Sharly

I'm getting him looked at when he gets his second shots on Friday As long as he's healthy, that's all I care about. I hope that Sharon/Ket Ayling and Ron Siwecki have room in their homes for the big boy's they are getting haha They are all so gorgeous <3

workingk9s

And still he is a puppy. Even if he is smaller than the others now, he may yet catch up. Or he may be smaller than the others. Either way, he looks great from that pic!

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steph&leala

Don't worry too much! Leala was small when I got her, but very quickly turned into a pudgy little thing lol and she is normal weight now. Some pupies just take time to get to normal weight.

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Steph and Leala.
Calgary, Alberta

ajp240

He looks fine, maybe even a bit pudgy if you ask me! I wouldn't over think it. Mine actually was on the skinny side (still is)- but she will eventually fill in. Since you've already checked with your vet, no need to worry, just keep a close eye!

Sharly

Went to the vet yesterday and the doc says Toorc is healthy as a horse He gave me some vitamins and removed his sutures. We also ran into his sisters who were getting their ears done. They are a little larger than he is but his paws are bigger than theirs so maybe he is just waiting for that growth spurt lol Anyway, here are a few pics of him at 10 weeks:





Suckin on his blanket lol

MaryAndDobes

Sucking on the blanket comes from dad. Bubba carries a sucky blanket around with him from room to room. My Bubba kids all sucked on their fleecies when young. Copper still does, not sure about the others.

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GingerGunlock

I'm not the voice of experience (you've had some of that on this thread already ) but I would say that you shouldn't worry about comparing to his littermates. If he's healthy, which he seems to be, he'll develop on his own timeline. He is a cutie!

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brw1982

He's a beautiful pup. I'm glad to hear he's healthy and a happy boy. With that sweet, innocent face I'm sure he'll be causing all sorts of trouble and getting away with it for years to come!

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Old Drum's Crimson Crisp, "Fiona"
Old Drum's Fiery Rumors of Taliesin, "Tali"

HarvestMoon

What a handsome little guy!! He looks like a sweetheart.

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Sharly

Haha It's nice to know it runs in the family. My first dobe never sucked on blankies so this was a funny little surprise characteristic. Toorc has his own little blanket too that I take if he's tagging along. Seems to calm his nerves a bit if he gets agitated. I'm so happy that he's healthy, and he definitely gets away with things... just a little

mary & prince

Sammy and Blush have blankets all over the house, they still suck on their blankets.