[Majorsdad]

My male boxer just turned 8 months old, and he's 23-24" at the withers, and 43 pounds.  I was wondering if this is a normal weight for an 8 month old, and how much he might end up weighing by the time he's full grown.  His father was 75 lbs. and his mother 65.  He's a pretty skinny 43 (you can see his ribs) and he's very active, and eats 4 and 1/2 cups of food a day (1.5 3 times per day).  Thanks for your help.

 

[JessiesMom]

I would say that is on the smaller side for a male boxer of 8 months.  you can try giving him peanut butter and plain yogart mixed with his kibble in order to add some weight.  Eggs are also a good substitute.  Do you have a picture of him?  How many ribs can you see?

 

[Majorsdad]

I really have any recent pictures of him.  You can see all of his ribs, but they're not all sticking out like they used to be.  We had to switch his food because it was going through him.  They're definitely disappearing though.  Sometimes the way he stands, you can't see them at all.

 

[JessiesMom]

I would definitely add those three things to his food.  It makes it more appetizing.  How often does he eat? once, twice, three times a day? Do you leave the food out for him to free feed?  Do you give him any treats for going potty and sitting?  Also is he a very active dog?  Maggie won't gain any weight because she is so active and all over the place.


The boxer standard is that it is ok to see the last two ribs.

 

[JessiesMom]

If he doesnt put on any weight after you've given him the added things I would suggest bringing him to the vet.  He may have something like worms that is preventing him from putting on weight

 

[Majorsdad]

The vet checked him out a while ago, and said it was the food thing.  He's EXTREMELY active.  Always running around and playing.  He gets treats for doing stuff, like sit, down, stay, etc.  Also, we feed him 1.5 cups 3 times per day.

 

[Majorsdad]

Also he had blood work done to make sure it wasn't anything like worms, or other stuff.  he's perfectly healthy.

 

[JessiesMom]

[quote="Majorsdad\";p=\"83626":3l4ufczi]The vet checked him out a while ago, and said it was the food thing.

 

[Majorsdad]

I give him Purina chicken and rice.  I don't want him to get fat tho.

 

[JessiesMom]

[quote="Majorsdad\";p=\"83629":34i29q2w]I give him Purina chicken and rice.

 

[Majorsdad]

haha well that's good.  He's all muscle right now and I want to keep him that way. lol  thanks for the website, it seems very informative.  What do you feed your dog?

 

[ReekosMom]

Well if all checks out at the drs then I wouldnt even worry about it! Roxy is almost 3 years old and you can see her ribs! Its perfectly fine expecially if they are active! She eats and runs it all off lmao

 

[JessiesMom]

[quote="Majorsdad\";p=\"83631":139eadfe]haha well that's good.

 

[Guest]

I wouldn't worry about it..Bo is 1 year old and only 48.4 lbs...when we got him at 9 months he was 46 lbs and a bit skinny...took him nearly 3 months to put on any weight..he's just soo active...peanut butter in kongs are a good, high protein snack...and like lisa said...eggs added to the food...yogurt, etc. are good.  All boxers are different and all grow differently.  Jetta is almost 7 months old and is only 38 lbs...so both of mine are very "small" for boxers...but both look and act healthy.  Bo has all of his ribs showing slightly (vet said this is fine due to his activity level and how much muscle tone the rest of his body has) and Jetta you can see about 3 or 4 of her ribs, which again the vet said is normal due to growing and activity.  So I really wouldn't worry about it too much, give him some supplements and I would highly recommend a new food, Purina isn't a very good brand and has lots of fillers (which is why you have to feed him so much).  I had mine on Canidae and was very happy with it...they only needed a total of 2.5 cups of food each on that- no corn, wheat or soy and has only "good" usable ingredients, so the dog uses it all and doesn't have a bunch of crap that just makes poop.  I switched to Diamond Naturals *a little cheaper, but still no fillers/corn/wheat/soy in order to up the daily amount of food given to fatten Bo up* and now we are switching to another food to try to find something that's a little easier on the gas and Bo's coat.  They say it's a good thing to rotate foods to help prevent food allergies.

 

[superman34234]

well if this tells you anything my boxer is 4 months and a week and he is almost 35 pounds already.  I feed him twice a day and he is not overweight at all.  he is already very wide in his chest

 

[Majorsdad]

well if this tells you anything my boxer is 4 months and a week and he is almost 35 pounds already.  I feed him twice a day and he is not overweight at all.  he is already very wide in his chest

Yea, thats a big dog. haha.  my dog has a real big chest.....he just needs to fill out.  I guess every dog has their growth spurt at different times.

 

[Michelle]

My Tyson is 8 months (almost nine) and just weighed in at 50.2lbs.  He looks small to me.

 

[AllBoxedUp]

i have a male boxer hes 7 months old and just under 50 lbs.      also   does anyone know if neutering affects their growth cycle??

 

[Donya]

Maverick is 8mo and 43lbs a month ago at his last visit. Ill update on thursday when he goes to get weighed but honestly i think he is still around that mark. you cant see his ribs and he is very healthy so im sure he will grow at his own rate...we feed canidae.

 

[lmssrf]

Titan is 8 months today and he is only 43lbs.  He is skinny his ribs show only sometimes depends on how he stands but he is really skinnky tall and lengthy.  I talked to my vet about the how neutering him and his size and she said that the only thing neutering will do to a dogs size is make them more muscuar and that is not evem until they are 2 years.  She said your dog will be the same size neutered or not.  I was really worried about his size and i got advice on this site also.  I have just stopped comparing him to other dogs now that I know he is healthy.  Just a note I wanted to add is I read on here that Daimond food poisoned someones dog.  Also if you do a search for dog food ratings there is a chart that has some foods already rated and it will tell you how to rate your food if it is not on the list.  I bought Natures Recipe and it was rated really good over 100%.  I think your dog is good as long as the vet says so.