Need to put weight on?? with what

[tinker88]

We got a GSD rescue dog that was very thin. Ive had her 8 weeks now shes settled fine and has put weight on.

She is fully vaccinated/wormed and health checked but still needs that extra weight. her ribs are covering up but not her spine as much if you strike her you can clearly feel it.

shes on Chappie and chicken mince cos she easily gets runny stools.
I also give her a vitimin supplement becuase she was so underweight when we got her,

i give her milk the odd day and sometimes eggs.

Shes fed her main meal at night but also has a small breakfast.

anything else i could try?

 

[BigRed]

The main thing is to take is slowly because you don't want to stuff her. You could give her baby rice cereal and milk and eggs for breakfast, I used to give my puppies that. You could also try tripe, it ought to be OK on her tummy, you can buy it in frozen packs from pet shops, or get some from your butchers. It smells discgusting but dogs seem to thrive on it.

You can also buy fatty beef mince from the butcher, and breasts of lamb - I know this sounds extravagant, but they are actually quite cheap. They are fatty and can help to put weight on a dog.

If she has a sensitive tummy, why not try buying frozen turkey drumsticks, they are incredibly cheap. Roast them for her. Someone like Iceland probably have them, but any supermarket will sell them. I saw them in Sainsburys once for 99p each. They were the size of a leg of lamb !

 

[JillyB]

I would give her pasta cooked and mixed with the chappie add a tablespoon of veg or olive oil in the water when you cook the pasta use the cheapest one you can find own label it really bulks them up.

 

[ginadrummond]

Hello

My rescue great dane was so thin when I got him that I could get my hands to meet round his abdomen - he is now 80kg. Totally agree that slow is best as too much food can cause bloat in all big dogs which is very quickly fatal. I used a good feed James wellbeloved for optimum absorbtion and chicken and rice. Sorry but most dogs are allergic to wheat so pasta usually does more harm than good - I made that mistake in the early days and ended up at vets with severe dehydration. Same goes with Milk as they cannot produce lactose Fatty mince is a great hit and lke tracey I tried tripe but really disgusting. Can I suggest that you be careful with some foods as things like raisins are seriously toxic (I made that mistake too). Hope he gets better soon - Mine did but never lost the mental problems associated with starvation and still rips doors off cupboards to get at food. Hope this helps

 

[BigRed]

It is true some dogs have problems with milk and pasta, but my own dogs regularly get cows milk and leftover pasta with no problems whatsoever. If you know your dog has a sensitive stomach try new foods in moderation. And lots of small meals is better than one huge bowl.

 

[tinker88]

thats great thanks,

she some times has raw chicken thighs which she loves.

luckily she hasnt been too starved to cause her any mental eating probs she eats steady and dosnt snatch.

i used to give my luchers tripe.... yuk! lol but i found it hard to get the benefical green tripe - the rest was all bleached which dosnt hold much nutritiional value.

she was having mince but it gave her the runs? do u recon i should try again adding it slowly?

i might try the turkey legs/lamb

 

[Foxyfilly]

Lamb breast..raw with bone in

 

[CAYLA]

Echo, everyone else, whatever u add, take it slowly as this tole on her digestion, I as suggested already have added vegie oil for my older dogs and 1 younf lurcher, it's piled the weight on them

Maybe try a breed specific diet like Royal Canin German Shepherd, developed to suit the digestive system of specific breeds.
Is she carries on loosing or not gaining, have her allergy testedr as suggested(insure her now)

if not already done so, Gsd's commonly suffer pancreatic/digestive problems, but it could be a case of finding the right diet or indeed a naturally slender dog.

 

[GinaGem]

I can second that and also tripe again if you can stand it (i use gloves to handle it as it makes your hands stink!)- our lurcher was a thin when we got him and he has steadily gained weight over the last year and now is about right.