My dog, a German Shepherd named Gus(Gustoph)  is about 1.5 yrs old, according to my vet.  We have had him for almost a month now.   He is a normal 25" at the shoulder, but only weighs about 65lbs.  He is really skinny.   His ribs are clearly visible.   We let him eat as much as he likes(Iams Chunks-Green bag) but he doesn't seem to gain any weight.   He eats, as far as I can tell, about  3 cups a day, maybe a little more some days.    The vet told us not to worry, and I'm not, but I have a couple of questions.



First off, he is getting a lot of exercise.   I want to know how much is too much.  I don't want to over do it and have his hips go bad, or for him to get arthritis.  We usually go for a 2.5 mile run(ok, I run, he just trots).  He is never even panting when we get home, so I take him on a @3-3.5 mile bike ride, where he gets to stretch his legs.  He usually runs about .25 miles, and trots the rest.  I actually try to slow him down a little, so he doesn't  run the whole way.   The three miles usually takes us about 20-25min.  The "run" takes us 17min.   He is slower when we get done with the bike ride, but is still very playful.  

My question is, is this too much?  If so, how much exercise should he be getting?


My next question, is the food.   Is Iams  Adult in the green bag the high calorie stuff?  Or is the Lamb and rice stuff the "active dog" style for Iams?   We tried to get him to eat the Diamond premium stuff, which is the "active  dog" stuff, but he didn't like it and rarely ate.   He likes the green bag Iams so far, and we are just happy he eats; not that he doesn't beg for people food the rest of the time.  

Thanks for the advise.

Has he been checked for worms lately? One of our dogs had whipworms and she lost weight and appetite. The others did not have it. If he is worm free, you need to ask the vet some ??.

yep, worms

Quoted: Has he been checked for worms lately? One of our dogs had whipworms and she lost weight and appetite. The others did not have it. If he is worm free, you need to ask the vet some ??.

Yes, we wormed him the first week he came home with us.   She just said she was more concerned with over weight dogs than under weight ones.   She said he would probably fill out when he got closer to two years old, or maybe a little older.

How about the exercise?

Have a fecal worm check done again, he could have goten the worms since you brought him home. Our vet said our dog probably got whipworms from the soil.

As for the exercise, you might scale it back a bit. See how he responds, get a high protein lamb/rice food for active dogs.

You could see the ribs on my shepard mix while he was young, no worms. Gave him as much food as he wanted. As for exercise, the runs are good. Start giving him treats/meds that will help his hip health now. Don't wait until he starts getting up slow.

Beautiful dog.

Quoted: Have a fecal worm check done again, he could have goten the worms since you brought him home. Our vet said our dog probably got whipworms from the soil. As for the exercise, you might scale it back a bit. See how he responds, get a high protein lamb/rice food for active dogs.

He has actually gained a few pounds, IMO, since he came to our home.  

As for the exercise, I can do that, but on days that we don't go very far, he seems more hyper than normal.   Would you recommend just the bike ride, or just the run, but not both? Or should I shorten the bike trip to around 1.5-2miles?

Quoted: Start giving him treats/meds that will help his hip health now.

Can you tell me what kind(brand)?  Can I get them at my vet, or somewhere else?

Seeing and feeling ribs is normal, most dogs are overweight but I never heard of over excersizing a dog.
I feed my dog twice a day Iams active maturity but he is a couch potato. He's a bottomless pit and always hungry but no worms and healthy. A little on the overweight side but that's the wifes fault and mine. We like giving him people food snacks.
Check with the vet but I believe they are fine on human Glucosamine. Nice looking do too..

could be worms, but my guess is a1 1/2 year german sheherd might not be filled out yet, and combined with a lot of excercise is going to be a lean dog. My german shepherd is just over 2 years olf and I've just started noticing that he's finally filled out.
As the milege shouldn't be to much but on what, pavement? grass is much better for bigger dogs and running. Whenever I ran with the german shepherd I had before this he would be on my left side and I'd force him to run in the grass as much as possible, with me on the sidewalk.
Also a rest day here and there is good, and vitamin c tablets.

Quoted: Quoted: Have a fecal worm check done again, he could have goten the worms since you brought him home. Our vet said our dog probably got whipworms from the soil. As for the exercise, you might scale it back a bit. See how he responds, get a high protein lamb/rice food for active dogs. He has actually gained a few pounds, IMO, since he came to our home.   As for the exercise, I can do that, but on days that we don't go very far, he seems more hyper than normal.   Would you recommend just the bike ride, or just the run, but not both? Or should I shorten the bike trip to around 1.5-2miles?

Large breed dogs REQUIRE 30-45 minutes of excersize.

If they DON'T get it you WILL start to see behavioral issues.

95% of people who own dogs DON'T excersize them enough.

German Shepherds are some of the most intelligent of dogs and also require excersize as mental stimulation or they get bored.

They are called a WORKING breed for a reason.

Quoted: Quoted: Start giving him treats/meds that will help his hip health now. Can you tell me what kind(brand)?  Can I get them at my vet, or somewhere else?

Check out PetSmart if there is one near you. My wife picks up Ol Roy treats that are supposed to help the hips, "Daily Smart Bites." The dog loves 'em.

Quoted: Large breed dogs REQUIRE 45 minutes of excersize. If they DON'T get it you WILL start to see behavioral issues. 95% of people who own dogs DON'T excersize them enough.

My dog has been depressed as soon as the weather turned cold. We used to go on walks every day, for an hour or more. We stopped due to the dark and the cold and you could see his attitude change. We try to play with him indoors, but it's just not the same. Tried to get him on the treadmill, but he just doesn't understand it.

Quoted: Seeing and feeling ribs is normal, most dogs are overweight but I never heard of over excersizing a dog.I]

The vet said that feeling them is quite normal, but seeing them means he is under weight.  

A reputable breeder said that too much exercise before he is one year old can hurt his hips.   My mom thinks that her Springer Spanial got arthritis from the 5mile daily horseback rides he would go along with.

I know my knees don't like going running every day, but I'm 35.   I run 3-4days a week, and bike the rest.  Even though I know he loves getting out for the runs/bikerides, I don't want to hurt him.

Quoted: [ Tried to get him on the treadmill, but he just doesn't understand it.

ROFLMAO
  Dang that had to be funny to watch.

Gus always runs on my left, so when I am on the bike, we go on the left side of the road, so he is on the dirt, and I am between him and oncoming cars.   I figured the dirt would be better than the pavement.    

Quoted: Large breed dogs REQUIRE 30-45 minutes of excersize.

So, then our program is about right then?

It sounds like he is eating normally so you shouldn't worry about him being skinny. They tend to fill out after about age two or three. Dogs that like to run a lot are often skinny. For them, it is a sign of good health. You don't want an overweight dog, anyway.

Hip problems are mostly a problem of genetics. Diet and moderating exercise can help for dogs that are vulnerable, but it is primarily built-in. If you are worried about it, you can get his hips evaluated for between $400 and $1,000. If you don't want to do that, you just have to wait and watch. I have met lots of people who had problems with hips in GSDs. From my own observations, it seems to start about age five in the ones that have it.

Unless there are real hip problems, it is unlikely that you will over-exercise a typical GSD. Don't lose any sleep over that. As others have mentioned, under-exercise is more likely to be a problem.

Quoted: Quoted: [ Tried to get him on the treadmill, but he just doesn't understand it. ROFLMAO   Dang that had to be funny to watch. Gus always runs on my left, so when I am on the bike, we go on the left side of the road, so he is on the dirt, and I am between him and oncoming cars.   I figured the dirt would be better than the pavement.

Let me explain a little. He sees me on the treadmill and gets excited. So I put him on the treadmill and set it for a low speed. He froze up and I had to stop it before he went off the treadmill.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: [ Tried to get him on the treadmill, but he just doesn't understand it. ROFLMAO   Dang that had to be funny to watch. Gus always runs on my left, so when I am on the bike, we go on the left side of the road, so he is on the dirt, and I am between him and oncoming cars.   I figured the dirt would be better than the pavement.     Let me explain a little. He sees me on the treadmill and gets excited. So I put him on the treadmill and set it for a low speed. He froze up and I had to stop it before he went off the treadmill.

The fun part for dogs is not the running, but everything they see along the way. You running reminds him of it. Then you put him up there and he goes. "Oh, bummer, doesn't this guy get it?" (Or words to that effect.)

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: [ Tried to get him on the treadmill, but he just doesn't understand it. ROFLMAO   Dang that had to be funny to watch. Gus always runs on my left, so when I am on the bike, we go on the left side of the road, so he is on the dirt, and I am between him and oncoming cars.   I figured the dirt would be better than the pavement.     Let me explain a little. He sees me on the treadmill and gets excited. So I put him on the treadmill and set it for a low speed. He froze up and I had to stop it before he went off the treadmill. The fun part for dogs is not the running, but everything they see along the way. You running reminds him of it. Then you put him up there and he goes. "Oh, bummer, doesn't this guy get it?" (Or words to that effect.)

We call him a life-support system for a sniffer, so I understand he loves the sights and smells.

Hamsters like their wheels, so I figured it was worth a shot.

Rechecking for worms is a good idea.

When I used to drive sled dogs we had some dogs that wouldn't
put on weight no matter how much you fed them. They were called "hard keepers"

Then we also had dogs that would too easily gain weight. "Easy keepers" (low food cost)

I always liked to keep my dogs at a weight that the ribs would barely show or slightly
hidden.

At this running weight they would live a good long life. some still pulling after 10 years old

and living untill 15.

How much exercise is too much ?

These guys after training were doing 50 miles in 4.5 hours or averaging about 11mph three

times a week.




GM

ETA: guns762, I think that your dog looks great

It is true that most will fill out by two years old and keep that weight through life.

Don't make him fat if you want your buddy to stay fun and active.

Quoted: Quoted: Large breed dogs REQUIRE 45 minutes of excersize. If they DON'T get it you WILL start to see behavioral issues. 95% of people who own dogs DON'T excersize them enough. My dog has been depressed as soon as the weather turned cold. We used to go on walks every day, for an hour or more. We stopped due to the dark and the cold and you could see his attitude change. We try to play with him indoors, but it's just not the same. Tried to get him on the treadmill, but he just doesn't understand it.

Start taking him for walks again and he'll be back to normal in no time! Most dogs don't give a hoot about dark or cold.

Quoted: Start taking him for walks again and he'll be back to normal in no time! Most dogs don't give a hoot about dark or cold.

But I do!

Quoted: Quoted: Large breed dogs REQUIRE 30-45 minutes of excersize. So, then our program is about right then?

I'd say so, yes....although sherpherds ARE prone to Hip Displaysia...so I'd start giving him some ground up chondroitin in his dog food NOW to compensate and help his joints.

Quoted: Quoted: Start taking him for walks again and he'll be back to normal in no time! Most dogs don't give a hoot about dark or cold. But I do!

Exaclty, and he sees YOU as the pack leader.....when you don't go out it's troubling to him.

Dog packs bond by TRAVELING together, walking/ hunting together...etc.

My Rott and shep mix:



The Rott lost about 5 pounds when I took this pic and I feel her bodyweight is PERFECT. You can JUST see the ribs.

Guns:

The workout looks good for a dog that size.  Free feed him all the dry kibble he wants.

As far as supplements go, I recomend "Synovi G3".  Not usually available at places like Petco, but worth buying online.  Most dogs take the soft chews like treats.

I have a 4 yr old 54 pound mixed breed, with TPLO surgeries on both back knees.  She blew one out at 2 yrs, the second one at 3 years.  The surgeon told me to start using Synovi G3, and that it would speed recovery.   It does work.  She has no pain, and runs just like she always did.   We walk 2.5 miles a day - minumum.

This surgery requires a specialist, and the same day het second surgery was done, a good friend's dog had the same surgery (since the specialist was in town with an OR available).

The friend's dog still limps.  She called "bullshit" on the pricy vitamins & supplements.  Recovery took twice as long, and after a long nap he dog limps for a few minutes.  


Your pup will fill out, but it may take untill the third birthday. Be patient.   Feed good joint supplements now, and you may never need other (and more drastic) measures.

You can bulk him up a bit quicker by feeding meat protien (read 1 hot dog) about an hour after the workout.



Lem

Our 18 mnth. old GS Dog had weight problems and she ate lots of food and we took her to the vet and after having a blood test done (TLI panel) she was diagnosed with Exocrine Pancreatic Insuffiency(EPI). It is more common then one thinks and more so in Shepherds.  Basically they lack an enzyme that digests their food(fats,etc) so they do not abosorb nutrients which in the long run is fatal without treatment. Which is powdered enzymes soaked with water on their food.  There is a yahoo group for EPI dogs that I belong to and get bulk rate$ enzymes.  From a vet's office it would be too expensive - I would ask the vet about doing a blood test for TLI as well as folate blood test;  -------------------
-----------------------------------  
                   Epi        Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

                       Ped        Pancreatic Enzyme Deficiency

                           Pi           Pancreatic Insufficiency

No matter what title your dogs been given the fact is that your dog has a Pancreatic Disorder & no doubt your in a panic wondering what the future holds, so the idea of this article is to try and put your mind at ease.

If your dog hasn't been diagnosed but you think you recognize the following symptoms, please contact your vet.
If your dog has Pancreatits, this article is about a totally different
condition but please do feel free to read on as the diet is roughly the same.

Firstly, I am not a vet, I have nothing to do with the medical world but I have had dealings with Epi dogs (12 to date) and I am now the proud mum to one and when I say "proud" I mean proud as Freya is a happy, healthy pup with a condition.  
I don't call it an illness as she's anything but ill.
I too was in shock, thought my world had ended and there was no hope for us but I was wrong as I have one of the fittest, healthiest pups around who to look at is anything but Epi!
Freya was a really bad case to begin with, very hard to stabilize but that's all in the past now, hence this article.


Epi/Ped or Pi is an Auto Immune Disease.
Put simply the Pancreas produces what are known as Enzymes, which break down the food in order to What Is Epi/Ped or Pi?
get all the goodness and nutrients out of it.
When the Pancreas either stops or reduces the production of these Enzymes this is known as Epi/Ped or Pi.
This means that the dog isn't getting enough of these Enzymes to break down the food resulting in the dog loosing weight, frequently passing loose, rancid stools and can appear nervous or highly strung in temperament.

At this point you'd be forgiven for thinking "he'll starve to death", wrong as with the right diet and medication there is no reason to think this, as this condition can be controlled.
It is true that a small minority of dogs don't respond as well as they could, some even have further complications but it has to be remembered that these dogs are in the minority so there is no reason to think that your dog is one of them besides, most of the complications can also be controlled.

What Causes It?

Up until recently it was thought to be solely hereditary but studies are now revealing that it could be down to diet, vaccinations or other outside influences such as pesticides etc as this condition is no longer the sole domain of the GSD, it has been seen to affect various other breeds (as well as the odd cross breed) so your not alone!  A couple of interesting points have been noted such as small breeds don't seem to be affected, only medium to large breeds and the main breeds seem to be working dogs i.e. Gsd's, Spaniel's, Collie's & Lab's.
On going studies are being carried out as we speak so the results should make interesting reading.
There is a strong line of thought that stress or a shock to the system can trigger it off, things like a major trauma such as an accident, surgery or the stress of a season in a young dog as hormones are thought

Symptoms

Epi can strike at any time but the dog is usually very young when symptoms occur, indeed puppies can be born with this condition but not show any signs until they reach the juvenile stage. Epi is also beginning to show up in the middle aged dog.
Symptoms include loss of weight/failure to gain weight, constant hunger, loose rancid stools, frequent visits to the toilet, watery diarrhoea, excessive flatulence (wind), noisy tummy and in some cases vomiting.
They can develop a nervous, highly-strung character as well as being hyper active as these dogs have never ending energy and don't know when to stop!

As you can see, most of these symptoms can also be put down to normal doggie ailments so if in doubt, please contact your vet for further investigations i.e. a clinical examination which may include blood and faeces tests in order to establish if there is indeed anything to worry about.

Treatment

Along with the relevant medication, a good quality low fat, low protein, low fibre easily digestible diet is a must i.e. chicken & rice, lamb & rice kibble.  It is essential that you stick to the diet rigidly especially in the early days until your dog is stabilized. Understandably, this is a bland diet but hopefully you'll be able to find something appetising to sprinkle in with the food that's low fat/protein etc.  
We sprinkle liver cake in Freya's food as both the smell of the liver and garlic add that extra *taste* factor.
If your dog is used to treats, why not give him bits of his dried food or small bits of carrot as he'll be none the wiser.

It is important to try and cut down on the amount of air he swallows whilst eating his food in order to combat the flatulence (wind).
If your dog is greedy and rushes his food why not put clean, scrubbed stones in his dish so he has to move them about in order to eat his meal, thus slowing him down and minimizing gulping.

                   (make sure the stones are too big for him to swallow)

Raising his food and water dish may also help.
What we do is feed Freya some of her dried food in an activity ball, that way she has to manipulate the ball in order to tease the food out.  The rest we put in a dish, sprinkle her medication in to it, add water and let it soak.
Doing this cuts down on the flatulence to a great extent.
You may find that your vet may want you to give twice the amounts of food in order to get the weight on the dog depending how under-weight he is.  The best way to do this is to feed him 4 feeds a day in order to avoid overloading his stomach.
The dog, indeed any dog must not be exercised for at least two hours after any feed.

Through time, once the dog is stabilized, you'll be able to slip in the odd treat here and there so long as it's low in fat/protein and fibre.  Should the dog take a downward turn you just up the medication for a couple of days and remember not to feed him that particular treat again.

-----
Hope this article helps.
Pogo's wife

Your vet could be wrong, your dog could be closwer to 1 year old. It doesn't look that lean to me. Our 14 month GSD is only about 75 pounds.

I think you are exercising him too much however. I've been told to run mine no more than 1.5 miles three times per week until the dog is 1.5 years old. Then gradually increase activity.

YMMV

Quoted: Your vet could be wrong, your dog could be closwer to 1 year old. It doesn't look that lean to me. Our 14 month GSD is only about 75 pounds. I think you are exercising him too much however. I've been told to run mine no more than 1.5 miles three times per week until the dog is 1.5 years old. Then gradually increase activity. YMMV

We were told that he was close to two by the person, who got him from the pound, who knew the original owners.   My vet looked at his teeth and said, no way he was two, closer to 1.5.    

He is still pretty puppish in his behavior, but we are pretty sure he will be two around July 06

Too light is better than too heavy in Sheps or you risk aggravating potential hip issues.

My female shepherd was about 65 lbs. for the first five or six years I had her and I was always hoping she'd gain a little weight.  She was just skinny enough to see ribs and feel her spine, but she was always healthy.  She finally gained some weight and the vet immediately suggested we get her weight back down.  For the past couple years she's been about 75 lbs. and as she's gotten older (ten now) the extra weight holds her back.  A little light is better than heavy.
Tonk

Dog looks good
No worms No worries.

Wow you got a lot of advise!  First off your dog looks great!  He doesn't look thin to me at all.  Second I don't think you're giving him to much exercise at all, but if you reduce the exercise he will show a change in attitude.  If he's used to that level of exercise keep it up.  As far as hips, your breeder should guarantee his hips until he's 2 or 3.  You can have his hips tested after 2 years old and if they are good you should be all set.  As far as food and suppliments, puppy food usually has more protien and fat, large breed food can have glucosamine (sp?) and chondrotin (sp?), however they are in very low dose.  Those two suppliment are suppose to be really good for joint and cartilage health.  There are a lot of people that use them and swear by them.  Someone earlier mentioned vit. C, that's another good one and you can't screw up and give to much, the dog will just pass the extra when they pee.  I personally like nutro natural choise large breed adult dog food it's more expensive than some others but it's a very good quality food that is consistent.  Cheaper dog food varies quite a bit in content from lot to lot.  If you're worried about the worms it isn't to expensive to test for them and they're easy to wipe out.  Good luck

Quoted: As far as hips, your breeder should guarantee his hips until he's 2 or 3.

LOL,  He's a "rescue/pound shepherd"  He did origianlly come from a breeder, but that was two owners ago.  I have no idea how the first owner could have given him up.  He is the best behaved dog I've ever been around.  

Where do you live and walk?  With regards to worms , this could have an effect.  We have a lot of dear and wildlife and a yard full of chickens.  Are dogs gets worms from time to time and we have to treat him.  I have been told that is due to his propensity to sample variuos crap piles other than his own.  We just keep an ongoing watch on his poop.

Dan

I don't think you're feeding him enough.  I have a 13 week old puppy that eats 6 SIX cups of food a day, and would eat more if I let him.  He is already 40lbs and he is still skinny.  His ribs stick out, but I want to limit him to the 6 cups a day still.  

I would recommend in addition to the dog food, to toss him some table scraps.  Our last dog was a lab, who lived to be 16.  When my mom would cook a sunday breakfast we'd have about 2-3 pounds of eggs,bacon,sausage,potatoes, etc.. left over and I'd feed him that.  He also cleaned up everyone's plates after dinner.  He was slightly overweight a majority of his life but lived to that old age on regular dog food and the crap we didn't eat.  

Quoted: I don't think you're feeding him enough.

He won't eat any more food.   We fill his bowl everymorning, and evening trying to get him to eat more.  He isn't interested.   I've got 120lbs of dog food in the garage right now, because we tried different brands to find something he likes and will eat   We really are trying not to do the table scrap thing too much, but I do give him stuff almost every day.

Guns:

Just keep free-feeding him, that is a great thing to establish.  

Some dogs are just skinny, sorta like people eh?

All of my dogs are rescue animals, and it takes time for them to settle.  

I have a basenji that was 36 hours from the needle.  She was 8 months old, and had been returned to the shelter by two adoptive families.  The shelter was reluctant to place her again, based on the history.   She turned out to be a great, loyal and SMART dog - after chewing everything in sight, several trips to the vet, unexplained vomiting,...  Basically she was just anxious!
It took almost a year for her to believe there were no more trips to the shelter.  As she began to relax, we realized that any big changes in her surroundings brought on the "bad" behavior.  A new couch induced a spell of wild chewing (her toys, not the couch).   What we though was motion sickness was not at all.  She loves to ride in the car now - but five years ago a car ride meant something bad.

Give it time.  Have an annual check-up at the vet.  Feed him high quality food, and joint supplements like Synovi.  When he is three , you will look back at this and laugh - he will be a different dog.


Lem

First, nice looking dog.  

Second, as long as your dog is over a year and a half, I wouldn't worry too much about over exercising him.  In Germany, for a GS to be considered breed worthy he has to have a Schutzhund 1 title and (I think) something called an AD.  AD is a 20K timed run.  So a healthy adult shepherd should have no problem running 5-6 miles a day.  In fact, exercise is the best thing in the world for him, and will defintely help you bond with your dog.

Third, you should be able to feel your dog's ribs fairly easily.  Most dogs are too fat.  65 pounds is on the light side, but a lot of GS's don't fully mature until they're at least 3.

Fourth, I wouldn't worry about your dog's failure to gain weight.  I feed my shepherd about 3.5 cups of a high calorie super premium dog food each day.  He weighs about 78 pounds, but is very lean.  I also try to give him a lot of exercise.  We run together between 4-5 miles, 2 to 3 times a week.  Go on 2 mile walks 2-3 times a week.  When we go on walks/runs, will also spend about 15 minutes throwing frisbee or a ball for him to chase.  He's about 4.5 now and has had no hip problems.  Only time he seems unhappy is when he misses a walk/run/play session.  

Oops, sorry for the digression.   As I was saying, if your dog is basically running 5-6 miles a day, it's no surprise he's not gaining weight eating 3 cups of food.  You can't really rely on the guidelines for feeding printed on the side of the bag, since they're prepared with the average dog in mind.  Unfortunately, the average dog is lucky if he gets a .25 mile walk once a day.  If you're guy is running (at what sounds like a >7 min./mile pace) he's going to be burning a lot more calories than the average dog.

Here are some current photos.   The others were taken by the German Shepherd Rescue and emailed to me.

It is snowing today, so the light isn't great....




Ribs are pretty obvious here....

Looks to me like you've got a perfectly happy and healthy GSD.

Quoted: Looks to me like you've got a perfectly happy and healthy GSD.

Yeah, but where are the Picts??  All I see is a dog.

Great looking German Shepherd...ours passed away right before New Years...

He will be an excellent friend to you and your family...

beatifull GSD

gratuitous GSD pic.

Quoted: Seeing and feeling ribs is normal, most dogs are overweight but I never heard of over excersizing a dog. I feed my dog twice a day Iams active maturity but he is a couch potato. He's a bottomless pit and always hungry but no worms and healthy. A little on the overweight side but that's the wifes fault and mine. We like giving him people food snacks.heck

+1,000,000,087

So many dogs today are overweight that when people see a dog at a healthy weight they think "oh shit that dogs starving".  I have 6 ADBA registered champion bred american pitbull terriers. These dogs are not meant to be 80+ pound slobber machines. According to the breed standard males are supposed to be 40-60 pounds and females 35-55 pounds. I couldnt count the number of times morons have tried to tell me my dogs are too skinny. An optimum weight is where the dog has a nice hourglass shape(when viewing from above) and can easily feel the last couple ribs. From the pics you posted your dog looks very very good. You say you wormed him so he should be ok. However theres more than 1 type of stomach worm and not all wormers will kill all species. Keep feeding your dog good food and let him get lots of exercise you will enjoy it , he will enjoy it, and its good for him.