Vashti had a vet visit today. In the last 4 weeks she has only gained 3 pounds? So at 16 weeks she weighs 26.6#; should I be concerned? I looked up GSD growth charts online and it shows at 4 months weight for female is 36#? Currently, she's on Honest Kitchen Embark 3 times a day - gets a little more than the recommended daily suggestion. Vet didn't seem overly concerned but yet made a note on my paperwork. I made the suggestion of adding chicken or salmon to the Embark and she agreed I could add more calories. Any thoughts? Coat is nice and shiny and stools are fine.

She also barked like crazy at all the other dogs. She really made a scene. They were looking at us like we were the biggest troublemakers ever.

I wonder also if I could ask for the vet techs to just not speak to me. Today one said ok we are doing the Rabies today and I said uh no we aren't to which she replied, its required by law! She also told me to bring back a stool sample because Vashti could have Giardia and that would be why she isn't gaining weight. Also when adding the chicken be sure to cook it because dogs can get salmonella like we do. Sorry for this last part just venting a little.

I wouldn't give my dogs raw salmon, they carry some nasty parasites that can be harmful to dogs. Check your area re:wild fish, but I feed Grayling, Smelt (not local), Trout and some other local fish.

How is her eating? Is she still eating her regular amount?

You could add in another small meal a day if you are really concerned but I would look at a few things:

How is her condition? Does she look and feel too skinny? I had someone show me this awesome thing to check a dogs condition. Take your hand and make a fist. Now compare the feel of your dog to your hand. If you run your hand along your dogs ribs, does it feel:

A) Like the back of your hand (in a fist)
B) Like your knuckles (in a fist)
C) Like the front of your fingers (in a fist)

If the dogs ribs feel like the back of your hand, they are overweight. If they feel like your knuckles, they are underweight. If they feel like the front of your fingers (where your rings would sit), they are just right.

Sorry if this post is confusing

As for the barking was it excited or aggressive. When my pup wants to go play with a dog, she will start barking out of frustration because I don't let her play with just any dogs. So I start walking backwards until she looks at me, then I call her "in" and hold the food close to me so she has to make that effort to walk into me. Then I mark and reward. You can try this, but I would also make some non-vet appt visits to the vet and do some marker training in the waiting room. I will choose the least busy times of day. So just bring her there, weigh her, maybe do a sit and a down, or a spin or something else fun, then leave. The visit should not be very long.

As for the techs and their "raw diet" fears. They can't help it. People don't know, what they don't know. Everytime I visit the vet (once in 6 years) they always go on and on about my dogs and how great they look and how healthy they are, then they ask what I am feeding them, and I tell them raw. Well for the rest of the vet visit they tell me all about how dangerous raw is and how it does not provide a balanced diet for my dogs. Sometimes I just laugh and not say anything, sometimes I just say well the proof is in the pudding!

Wow this post got really long!

Its canned salmon. And she looks great so I just didn't know if I needed to be concerned about only gaining 3 pounds. I really don't think the barking was excitement; it didnt sound like an excited bark. She was really bent out of shape.

So I wouldn't worry about her weight. If you were going by the growth chart at the vet's, a lot of times those are from dogs that are overweight. Have you seen some of the dogs that "run" around the ring? (showring of course)

About the aggressive barking, start desensitizing her to other dogs. Whether its in close quarters ( like the waiting room of the vet's office) or outside. When you do leave the waiting room at the vet's, walk straight out to the vehicle. Walk fast and with a purpose.

Lori, I forget what age they go through that lanky stage, do you think that she is just growing and needs time to fill in maybe?

I was just trying to think what else would help add a few calories.
I bet that adding some darker meats, like chicken thighs would help out, as darker meat has more fat/calories.

Good for you for telling the vet tech no about rabies.
I swear, that there is not one who has ever said anything to me that I can say I agree with.
I just let what ever they say go in one ear and out the other,as I stare off into space at most responses from them.

I know with Giardia, that a dog can be a carrier and not show symtoms. Although when my female had it, it was non-stop diarrhea that I could not control.
It would be worth a stool sample to make sure.

As for the barking in the office, she is just a pup getting used to different environments and no doubt with all the smells in a vet office, she was likely overwhelmed. I would think it is just going to take some time to get her used to and more comfortable at the vet( maybe she won't ever get used to it though.)
I really think that all those different scents from other dogs can make quite a few dogs go a little wild. But mine have learned to settle down once they are in the room by themselves.

I would not worry about her weight. Some dogs are just smaller then others. My female is 65# & my male is 78#. Both on the smaller side, both very fit & well miuscled. Unless she really starts to look skinny I wouldn't worry. My male looked like a coyote (scrawney) until he was about 2 1/2. I just couldn't get weight on him, he ran off any extra food that I gave him. He never stays still. He finally filled out more after 2 1/2 & didn't look like a malnutrition case anymore. He's just not a huge dog.

If adding additional food to the Embark, I would read the label as to what & how much you should add for fear of throwing off the nutritional 'balance' by adding the wrong kind of food, especially for a pup. I know that it is designed to add RMBs but I don't know about just meats. I feed raw & used to have it on had, just in case I forgot to traw food, but don't remember what the label says, as I don't have any here anymore. Just check to be sure.

ETA....Cudos for holding your ground with the vets.

Ok, thanks for your input. I'll check about adding just meat to Embark. And we will just have to work on the barking at other dogs. I should have had a better plan for distraction...toy and/or higher value treat than what I had.

Really frustrated again after going to the vet. We went in for the final puppy wellness exam. She's had the parvo/disptemper 3 times as per Dr. Jean Dodd's protocol however the vet office doesn't want to count the 1st round the breeder gave so they wanted to give another booster but I said no. I did go ahead with the rabies. I got a different vet this time and she actually told me Vashti was underweight and slightly emaciated. This after commenting on how white her teeth were and how great her skin and coat looked? She even checked on her "report card" that her appearance was abnormal. When I told her I was fine with her weight right now she got really defensive and said "it is my professional opinion that she is underweight and slightly emaciated." She is 5 months and weighs 36#...emaciated?

I'm going to try to put a link to some pictures of Vashti. Please offer your thoughts on how she looks. I appreciate it.

http://s423.photobucket.com/albums/pp313/lcjacobs/Vashti%202/?action=view&current=163b382d.pbw

I can't tell for sure, but she may show just a little more rib then my 13mo old. If she is, its a pretty minor amount and my vet thinks he looks great. She also advocates a raw diet. I don't think I would stay with that vet. The fact that she would note emaciated in your file is too much for me.

I think she looks fine. My 5 1/2 month old pup has been going through little stages as she grows. Some weeks she shows a little more rib and others a little less.

Just keep track of her weight over several weeks to track any gains. I would also look for another vet, to me the dog looks well cared for and definitely not starved. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but from what I can see she is not emaciated!