The Grass Doctor

What's wrong with my 1 year old German Sheppard?

My dog is really skinny (his ribs are showing), he eats regularly and I've wormed him twice. Occasionally I find puke on the lawn from him, that is usually dog food, but this is only once or twice a week. He otherwise seems happy, and is a regular hyper 1 yr old dog. I've had someone tell me that sheppards are generaly skinny and not to worry, but I thought maybe someone out there might have an idea as to what may be wrong with him if anything? Does he need to see the vet?

Public Comments

1. Yes, he needs to see a vet...he needs his shots and a good physical. kjl
2. if i were you id take him to a vet hopefully it wont be some disease or sumthing bad
3. Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency. Common in german shepherds. Please check it out, and get him to the vets. Can be treated, but you need to get the proper meds.
4. Any active dog will be slim as a puppy. I would make sure you are feeding a high quality food (no corn or by products or fillers) His food could be the only problem. If after about a week it doesn't help, go to the vet. It could also be tapeworm.
5. Definately take him to the vets. Did you use over the counter worm med? If so it is not effective on all worms. If your dog is eating regularly it should not be skinny, esp not. with ribs showing. The vomitting could be from bloat. I assume you are feeding the dog dry food? After a dog eats dry food, if it drinks alot of water, the food expands to several times its size and can make a dog vomit. I think your dog may have some kind of parasite. The vet should be able to tell you. When you go, it might be a good idea to take a fresh stool sample with you.
6. well, he is still young and energetic (if he wasn't that would be a major bad sign) as for the part of the ribs showing if you are meaning very visible, and I'm meaning the ribcage, then something is wrong. As for the puke part, i know with my cats and my dog that sometimes outside they will eat grass and then they throw it up later (that kind of puking is normal for animals). It could also be the dog food in itself. My Cat would eat his cat food normally but would throw it up later, because his stomach couldn't take it, he then lost weight because he would only eat it in smaller amounts. If you give the same food, it could be hard on his stomach and be the food in itself. I still agree with the other two answers though, you might still want to see a vet, because you never know.