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childofgod79 · Jun 21, 2009, 07:46 PM

I just recently got a great dane pup (female) and she is very skinny, as in I can see her hip bones and most of her ribs. I know she is way underweight and I am worried this will cause problems for her down the road. She is the runt of the litter and had to fight to get her food. She has diarrhea now and we are trying to get her the nutrition she needs. I am feeding her nutro large breed puppy wet. I do have the dry but I was told by my mom in law to just feed her the wet right now until we can get some weight on her. I need to know what else I can do to help her get the weight on her she needs. Her back legs look odd right now, like she doesn't have enough muscle mass to keep her steady. I need any info that could be helpful. Thank you so much.

creahands · Jun 21, 2009, 08:15 PM

My dane gets diarrhea every spring. The vet told us to add 1/4 lb chuck chop to his food.

Found out two yrs ago he had stomach cancer. This was causing the runs. Had him operated on and was fine last year.

Weighs in at 175 and is 42'' at the shoulders. Going on 9 yrs old.

Good luck

Chuck

Alty · Jun 21, 2009, 08:40 PM

I'm a bit concerned about her age.

What's a 7 week old puppy doing away from her mother?

shazamataz · Jun 22, 2009, 02:44 AM

Yes I agree Alty.
For any breed of dog is is important for them to be with their mother until at least 8 weeks of age, it is in fact illegal in most states to sell a puppy any younger.

Great Dane puppies should be kept on the lean side while they are growing but from the sounds of it yes yours is underweight.

My first suggestion would be to get your pup wormed, worms can often cause weight loss and diarreah.

Next thing is what are you feeding?
Choosing the right food for a giant breed is extremely important. They need to be fed a diet of less than 24% protein to prevent deformities. I',m not sure if this is the case with your dogs back legs but it is a possibility.

Check out this site, the lady is a great dane owner and an animal nutritionist.

Great Dane Lady | Dog Health, Nutrition, HOD, Allergies

labman · Jun 22, 2009, 04:57 AM

I am sorry, but 7 weeks is the best time for a puppy to go to its home. See American Kennel Club - AKC Breeder

The Great Dane lady is a kook. My guess is that 99% of the advice on food on the net is nonsense, based on speculation, junk science and marketing hype.

I am afraid a Great Dane that is 4 pounds at 7 weeks has problems. I hope you have had it to a vet. Other than that, I would offer it all the food it will eat. It is common for Great Danes to be light eaters refusing to eat more than they need and is some cases letting their ribs show. They are far better off with the ribs showing than eating an overly rich diet.

For more on weight management, see my sticky.

shazamataz · Jun 22, 2009, 05:04 AM

I tend to disagree... sorry labman, there are reasons a puppy should be left with its mother until 8 weeks.
They learn valuable behaviors such as bite inhibition and it gives their immune systems more time to boost up before going out into the big wide world.

Not once on that AKC site you posted does it mention that puppies should be sold at 7 weeks. Merey that they need proper socialisation by 12 weeks old.

The Great Dane Lady is excellent in my opinion. Yes there are a few dog nutrition sites out there that are purely marketing ploys but my mother (who has been breeding danes for 20 years) has tried and tested her methods and she is far from a "kook".

Sorry, I just had to say it as that is one of the few sites that is "for real" not just about marketing.

ZoeMarie · Jun 22, 2009, 05:18 AM

Where did you get this puppy from? Was she properly weaned from her mother? Get your puppy to the vet to find out what's really wrong.

By the way, good choice on the dog food. That's what we feed our dane puppy.

inappropriate · Mar 4, 2010, 01:21 PM

A dane puppy does not need to stay with its mother until eight weeks of age... seven weeks is fine as most dane mothers stop letting their puppies nurse much younger because of their size and roughness... seven days is not enough to make a difference in socialization progress. If you will think a bit, a ten week old puppy often lacks serious bite inhibition... that can be taught, to an extent, by a human as well as a pup's mother...

inappropriate · Mar 4, 2010, 01:21 PM

A dane puppy does not need to stay with its mother until eight weeks of age... seven weeks is fine as most dane mothers stop letting their puppies nurse much younger because of their size and roughness... seven days is not enough to make a difference in socialization progress. If you will think a bit, a ten week old puppy often lacks serious bite inhibition... that can be taught, to an extent, by a human as well as a pup's mother...