Today I found a little white boxer pup, she's microchipped, and she had a tag with a number and a mesage saying she was deaf.
I called the number and a lady came round to collect her.

So I have two questions, firstly I brought her home, and allowed her to meet my Heidi, a bouncey Springer, she was very very wary but soon settled down to play, should I have allowed them to play together? Heidi is up to date with her jabs.

secondly, I'm no expert , but she looked underweight to me, and made a beeline for Heidi's food dish, which as usual was empty, so I gave her a small handful of dry food which she wolfed down. The lady who her collected her said she had only been missing for an hour, so would she get so hungry after an hour? should I say something to some one about her weight? I would hate to be seen to be interfering if she is being looked after properly.

I took some pictures of her, so if any one who knows what a boxer puppy should look like weight wise I could send them to you.

Robert

Hi Robert,
First, well done for being a good Samaritan!
About how old was the pup? They often go through a very leggy, bony stage at about 14 weeks or so, and look dreadful!
My dogs will all eat anything available - food dishes are always empty! If they've just had their dinner they will act as if they've never been fed, if they think anyone will believe them! Re her weight - were her ribs and spine easily visible? Remember, smooth-coated breeds like this always look leaner than coated breeds.

hello Robert first off well done. I have a 4 month old boxer who does look thin he seems to fill out and the the legs get really long so he looks very lanky a bit like a whippet. You can see his ribs a little but the vets says this is a healthy sign. He looks a little like bambie

Hi,
I have 3 springers that I think are very thin, you can feel their ribs etc but my vet and other dog owners tell me they look perfect so maybe this little pup was ok.

You certainly should be able to feel their ribs, Sandie, and probably see them when the dog is panting after a run. But you shouldn't be able to see them from across the room when the dog is breathing normally. And a smooth-coated dog will show its ribs more than a thicker/longer coated dog. Better slightly too thin than too fat.
:)

You can definately see her ribs from across the room and her spine, also her hips are quite noticable. I wouldn't say her condition was a real cause for concern, but I wouldn't keep my dog so thin. Heidi is thin but her ribs don't show, but you can see she's not carrying any excess weight (wish I could say the same for myself).
I didn't even give fleas a thought, I'll try and remember that next time ;)
Thinking about it today, maybe I was over worried because I've never seen a boxer puppy before (I've lived a sheltered life), she was the cutest little sweetie ever ( don't tell Heidi I said that, Springer puppies are little angels) and finding out she was deaf, my heart went out to her.
Thanks every one for your replies.

Robert

P.S when I say Springer pups are little angels, I mean only in the visual sense :D

Then she certainly sounds too thin. I wonder if she was wormy?

Hi Robert

I've found and brought a couple of stray dogs home temporarily. I have kept them away from my own dogs (mine are vaccinated too). One stray I would not even bring home because of severe hair loss and an awful sweet smell from the skin - that one went straight to the vets and stayed there! Its just personal choice - I tend to be cautious.
I wouldn't worry too much about the puppy being on the thin side. The owner has shown some responsibility like microchipping and putting her number and a message about the deafness on her collar.
One of my own greedy dogs would have wolfed down any bowl of food in seconds regardless of whether I had just fed her moments before. She was just like that!
Well done for taking her in :)
Lara x

Hi Robert. If your dog's jabs are up to date then it's very unlikely that there would be the remotest chance of anything serious happening. Obviously Fleas are a possibility and if the dog defecated then worms is another possible source of problems but of course these are no more likely than meeting another dog in the park. The big risks are covered by the jabs.

Regards, John