Puppy Unusually Small At 6 Months

VinnyBullTerrier

Hello everyone! I’m new to the forum, although i have owned bull terriers before. We recently bought a puppy from someone who seemed like a reputable breeder but I’ve been having a few doubts due to various things. Our puppy is 6 months old, and only weighs about 26 lbs. This is supposed to be a standard, not a miniature. His parents, who I saw photos of but did not meet in person, are normal sized. Are some dogs just much slower to mature or is this strange? My last dog was 40-45 lbs at the same age. Hoping to get some feedback on how other puppies growth has progressed. Thanks

Southsider

@VinnyBullTerrier

Hello, I've had my ( standard ) bull terrier puppy for exactly 90 days now and he weighs 22 pounds, he is our first bull terrier. When we picked him up at 10 weeks he weighed around 16 lbs. It was just him and one other of his litter mates remaining, both of the puppies looked small and we let our daughter choose. He's a fab pup and a little fussy with food, he doesn't seem to like dry food but is thriving with raw based diet and gaining weight. At the moment I am offering up to 8% of his bodyweight in feed, his feeds are mainly 1/3 meat 1/3 bone, 1/3 veg.


Picture of pup at 7 weeks and 11 weeks.

lovely_jdw

Could you post pictures?
We got our male at 4 months and he was roughly 40 lbs.
Our female at 5 months and she was only 26 lbs!
It does waiver and depending on the genetics I'm sure there are some that will weigh less and then bulk up quickly! Don't over feed just make sure you're giving the suggested amount and nutrient dense. You don't want to make him obese and then cause other issues :x

VinnyBullTerrier

I have attached a couple recent pictures of him. We have been having some trouble keeping as much weight on him as I would like. He has had reoccurring mystery diarrhea since we brought him home 4 months ago at 8weeks old. Been to the vet for it 5-6 times, multiple fecal floats, they treated him twice with Metronidazole just in case it was giardia, though all tests have been negative. Nothing seems to help. It will improve for a few days then return. We are starting to think it may be some kind of food sensitivity? When we feed him chicken and rice it seems to help but we can’t just feed him that forever. Tried a few different dog foods, switching him over gradually, to see if it would help. My other two dogs, who have the same diet and routine, have no issues. He has another vet appointment this afternoon, going to see about trying a prescription food. I don’t think he has ever looked badly underweight but he just is so lanky compared to my last dog. But I worry if the diarrhea has contributed to his lack of growth and we’re at our wits end trying to figure it out. He acts happy and playful and eats well.

VinnyBullTerrier

The other odd thing we have noticed about him, is he likes to eat poop. Like he is obsessed with it. But only the poop from our one particular dog. I don’t know if this could be pica? Maybe a sign he’s lacking something in his diet? Or maybe he just likes poop. We make sure to pick up after the other dogs as quickly as we can, and I don’t think he has eaten any in the last few weeks. It could be nothing, but thought it may be related to the other issues? Here is another newer pic from today, the others were from before Christmas and I think he’s grown a bit more since then. He’s currently on Purina Pro Plan Puppy, sensitive stomach. But we’ve tried a variety of foods and things like adding pumpkin to his food, but are open to trying something different.

BulliesofNC

25 lbs at 6 months old is VERY small for a Bull Terrier. It isn't rare that they are twice that weight at 6 months old. Ideal weight, mass, and muscle development aren't always what your feeding your dog. A lot has to do with genetics. You may have been sent photos of the sire and dame of your puppy but that doesn't always mean they were the true parents. Sadly, there are many irresponsible and corrupt breeders.

BulliesofNC

Here's one of our Bull Terriers, "Bam Bam", at 9 months old. (67 lbs in the photo)
He is currently 84 lbs.

VinnyBullTerrier

Thanks for all your responses and input! He had a vet appointment yesterday and they did another standard fecal test, bloodwork and a second different fecal test that had to be sent away to a lab and we’re supposed to get results in a week.

The first fecal test and blood work both came back normal again. They gave us some prescription food to try him on, and some new stomach meds and we’re hopeful this will clear up the diarrhea for good. The vet agreed his size is most likely due to genetics and not anything to do with the stomach issues.

I’m guessing the breeders must have exaggerated the size of the parents, which is upsetting to discover. We trusted them and were really trying to buy from someone reputable. Their dogs had health testing, health gaurentees, show records, etc. Our last bully came from sort of a BYB situation and had a lot of health issues that were genetic and shortened his life. So we really tried to do things right this time to avoid these issues.

Do you think there’s much chance of him still having a growth spurt sometime in the future or does it seem likely he will end up miniature sized? Is there anything we can add to his diet (once his stool hardens up) that might help him to fill out a bit? We’re hoping to show him just for fun at some local AKC shows, as I’ve always wanted to learn to show.

Southsider

He's a handsome boy, lovely head on him . Fingers crossed nothing flags up on upcoming results. He certainly has time on his side to fill out.

Ariana1018

@Southsider

Not related to the post but your pup is such a cutie!!! Oh my goodness. He looks a lot like my 12 week old boy. I’m hoping he fills out nicely like yours as well. Gotta love a chunky puppy!

Southsider

@Ariana1018

Yours too, beautiful puppy and love his little mark above is eye in your photo.

Seon

I'd love him just the way he is.
If you ever think of replacing him, let me know.
I've been looking for nice solid mini but most I've replied to weren't real mini's, just short legs.

BulliesofNC

Here's some weight gain recipes that you can add to his diet. These recipes really work for adding weight and mass.
https://bulliesofnc.com/weight-gain-recipes/