[Diesel-and-Kira]

My Diesel (who is 9 weeks old today) is the runt of his litter. at 6 weeks when we brought him home, he was 2.6 lbs. He also had coccidia, which was treated with albon.

His last vet visit was 3 days ago, he weighed in at 4 lbs 14 oz. his stool sample showed he's completely parasite and worm free. So the only problem left is his small size.

granted he's 2 times bigger now than he was 3 weeks ago, but I am still worried about how small he is. I just want him to grow and look like a 'normal' boxer pup of his age. He's still sleeping a lot, but he loves to play with our pug, and his toys, in between naps. And he's eating fairly well for his size.


Has anyone had a pup this small? I just want to know if he's going to have a sudden 'catch up' growth spurt, or if he'll ever be able to reach the size of his parents. (dad is 80lbs mom is 60lbs)

I just have been worried about it for 3 weeks now, and haven't found anything to ease my mind about it. Hopefully you guys can help me.

Thanks!


ps. Tons of pics in my signature link. all filed by age. so you can see how big he was at 6 weeks when he came home, and I added new pics taken yesterday on the front page.

 

[tootsie]

I've never had a pup that small before, but I think he looks just fine. He was a real sick little pup, and he seems to be doing just great now. Thanks to the care you are providing him. Hang in there, he will catch up, he's still very young. Keep us updated!  

 

[boxerbaby18]

One of my boxers had coc. thats probably one of the reasons being so small

 

[jeanathanh2o]

My little Ginsy is the runt also.  she was only 5 1/2 weeks when we got her and she was very tiny and had diarhea. (not Coccidia)We got her some meds for the diarhea and have been feeding her everytime she wakes up.
She was sleeping so much of the time that my DH was worried that we had a defective dog :roll:

She is 8wks old now and has started gaining weight.  I'm not sure how much she weighs now. We are going to get her second shots today so I will know then.  But I can tell she is getting bigger.

Her feet are suddenly out of proportion to her body :lol:  and her chest is filling out.  She has a nice fat puppy belly now too.
She is much more playful now and is starting to act more like a normal puppy.

Diesel looks like a beautiful boy.  I'm sure is is growing normally and will gain his proper size.  A slow start won't affect his genetics :wink:   He just has more catching up to do.

BTW  I love his name 8)   That is the one My DH wanted to name our puppy.  (still does in fact)  But since our puppy is a girl I had to nip that idea in the bud.  

Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[samsonsmom]

First of all, the pictures are soo cute....I think considering how sick he was, Diesel is doing very well..The sleep is nature's way of helping him to heal, so I wouldn't worry...Now that he is getting better, he'll start to grow more...Donna, our meetup co-ordinater has a lovely female, Maggie who is quite small for a boxer, but so very healthy and full of the boxer burns, so I'd just let nature tale it's course and see what it happens...Who, knows, he may put on quite a growing strak and get to be a big boy   ..Take tons of pictures to watch his progress....

 

[Mastray]

He's sooo cute. He looks healthy too! My puppy is 9 wks and 3 days old and he weighs 14 lbs (and he looks kind of slender to me), so I can see why you're worried.    But just because he's the runt doesn't mean he won't grow-up big, strong and healthy. You're doing a great job with him and if there is nothing else wrong with him then I think he'll be fine. He'll catch up with every one else. One day you'll look at him and be in awe I think. LOL

 

[AbbyandBrady]

It may be possible that he is smaller than his parents as a result of the coc...but he will gain weight now that it is gone. Abby is tiny for her age...she's a 9 months now and about 30-32 lbs. We got her at 5.5 months and she had been caged until 2 days before we rescued her and she had giardia. She was 24 lbs at the time, which for 5.5 months is on the small size. One the giardia was resolved, she was VERY slow to gain weight, it seemed to take forever to reach 30 lbs. But the vet attributes her smaller size to the giardia as it prevented her from getting the nutrician she needed during a big growth stage and being caged all the time. She's forever a puppy!

 

[Diesel-and-Kira]

ah you guys made me feel better. I'm a bit more optimistic about him being just off to a slow start.

My absolute favorite thing about him is that his coat is so soft, it feels literally like velvet.

He's always got dry food (canidae) out for when he wants to nibble. and I put wet food (canidae, chicken and rice) in the bowl as well every few hours. So now he's actually got a bit of extra skin, it's not just clinging to him like before.

The vet had me pulling on the skin on the back of his neck to check for dehydration, and there wasn't any extras to grab!!

But yes, he seems happy. and when he's not napping...he is most definitely awake. lol

 

[boxersaige]

Saigey was the smallest also I didn't know until 4 weeks ago when I met the breeder at the dog show he was impressed, He kept 2 boxers himself and when he saw Saigey he told me he was so small compare to the others he didn't even want to tell me so I wont worry that he might not live. Now he is 2 inches taller than others in his litter. Don

 

[Honeyec]

Tink was also the "runt" of her litter, but only in terms of size, certainly not personality!  She is still only 50lbs at 11 months, and I don't think she'll get much bigger, but boy does she have a huge personality!  I think she thinks she's a Dogue de Bordeaux or something instead of a rather small Boxer!

I wouldn't worry about Diesel at all - as long as he his healthy, his weight isn't really a matter for concern.  As my own vet said about Tink, unless he actually starts losing weight, don't get too hung up on what it says on the scales.