I got a new puppy

Question
I just got a new boxer puppy. She is about 7months ol and was previously starved and hasnt gained all her weight back. I dont know how much she should way to help her get back to that healthy weight? And what would be the best dog food to feed her to gain the weight back quicker?

Answer
Hi Nicole and congratulations on your new puppy!!

If you could send me some photos of her (from the side, top and behind) I can tell you better how underweight she is.  

At 7 months old, Boxers are typically a bit gangly and ribby.  They spend the first year growing up and tend to be pretty thin.  The second year is spent growing out and they lose the skinny look.  :)

Ideally, you should be able to feel the ribs and see an outline of the last 2.  There should be a nice shape to the waist as well.

You don't want her to gain weight quickly.  Her system, if she was starved, is not used to eating normally and you may make her ill.  

Boxers vary greatly in size and weight, unfortunately, and that makes it hard to tell you what she 'should' weigh.  The best thing you could do would be to take her to the vet and have he/she give you a goal weight.  She should be checked over in any case to make sure her systems weren't damaged by the starvation.  

At her age, she should be switched to adult food but because she's been starved, a puppy food would be best for the next few months.  Set a goal of switching her over at about 10 months of age.

There are several good foods out there.  Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul puppy food is a good one, Solid Gold is another.  If you are on a more restricted budget, go for Purina One puppy.

The back of the bag will have feeding requirements.  (Do not buy the large breed formula).  Figure out what she should be eating a day and split that into 3 meals.  Keeping her meals small will make it easier for her system to adjust.  Stick to a feeding schedule and toss in some peanut butter sandwiches.  :)  For example:

7am - 1/3 ration of puppy food
10am - half a peanut butter sandwich
Noon - 1/3 ration of puppy food
3pm - half a peanut butter sandwich
5pm - 1/3 ration of puppy food

Don't mix anything with her food and only leave it down for 15 minutes.  If she doesn't eat, pick it up and put it back in the bag.  You don't want to create a picky eater by adding things to her food (she'll catch on and stop eating what you offer to see what else she can get) or by free-feeding.  She'll learn that her food is her food and she eats when she's supposed to.

You can send photos to Nicole@boxerdogplanet.com