anyone ever rehabilitate a bag of bones of a dog?

[mopinko]

this dog that i got from the pound is the skinniest thing i have ever seen. she was picked up in mid february, either pregnant or already with pups. she did manage to raise them, but they were unable to add an ounce to her. they were feeding her 3 times a day, but all they have to give them is purina.
i have a friend that gets me pet food from a wholesaler, and she gets good stuff. she got me some stuff that is almost a powder, but almost all meat. no corn or anything. she is going to get me some buffalo for her. treats around here means dried lamb lungs. so we are being generous with that, also. the regular food i feed is pretty good, but i think i will get a bag or 2 of abady. not that big on feeding my pets better than the kids, but a it won't hurt for a little while.
she is pretty weak, after the spay yesterday. mostly just lolling on the couch. we are keeping her covered up, and have her crate heavily covered.
she seems to be tolerating the richer food pretty well. her appetite is pretty good. another day or so, when i am sure she can handle it, i will shovel a little more in.
so, any tips?

[radfringe]

1. chicken and rice

when we get a greyhound in for fostering they are usually at what's considered a "racing weight" -- means you can see their ribs and other bones

we buy a big package or two of chicken thighs or whatever chicken parts are on sale - boil it up, de-bone it and throw in some cooked rice. this is mixed with the regular food (we use pedigree because greyhounds sometimes have tender stomachs). We make up the batch all at once and keep it in the fridge -- easier than cooking it one meal at a time.

a month or so on this mix puts the weight on them.

don't be afraid of free-feeding her - by this I mean keep the food bowl filled and let her decided when she wants to eat. If she's a "woofer" ( gobbles down the food ) - give her smaller portions several times a day - over eating can cause bloating (especially in large dogs) and this can lead to twisted intestines and other serious conditions.

----

meanwhile - has she been checked for worms? hyper-thyroid?

[mopinko]

2. she had tapeworms that they treated at the pound

and i can't leave a bowl out cuz we have 3 other dogs.
she looks better already. she was worse when i picked her up than when i first saw her, since she was spayed and not fed for a day. she didn't have any stores for that.
we did start her off with some rice. my friend that gets me the food is a long time breeder, pet shop owner, and pet food nazi. she says rice is not nutritious enough. i don't know what this stuff she sold me is, but it has no cereal. she can only eat about 1 cup at a time. it's like doggy rocket fuel. she is really fattening up already. we are just pumping food into her as fast as she will eat it. she is finally getting caught up to her appetite this morning, and not woofing her breakfast.
she will see my vet in 2 weeks, after her "warranty" expires. we'll see then if she seems to have a metabolic problem.
i swear, tho, when i picker her up, you could not only see her ribs, you could see her entire rib, including the inward curve at the underside.

still no name, tho.

[BrklynLiberal]

3. Since she cannot eat a lot at a time, I would say that what you do give

her should be the most nutritious. Boiled Chicken- deboned- and brown rice with cooked carrots and shredded apples would be a great start.
Include the liquid that you cooked with.

Not sure what you can afford, but Merricks is a great food. Wellness is also great food. I would start with a holistic canned food if you cannot cook for her.
If you can get some Lecithin and Flax seed oil to put in the food that would also be helpful for her skin and coat. Small amts only once a day.
Several small helpings during the day is the best idea.
Since she had tape worm, some Acidophilus and PROZYME might also be hlepful to get her digestive system back in shape.


EDIT: The rice may not be "nutritious" but it is filling and has carbs that will fill her up and increase her appetite. The brown rice cooked in the chicken broth is your best best. Small portions.

[radfringe]

8. rice

full of carbs so she can put on some weight, chicken is for protein for energy

once she is back on her feet and healthier you can stop the chicken and rice as a supplement

[Lorien]

4. See this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=243&topic_id=4388&mesg_id=4388

Also, you might want to PM Duer InvisableTouch; she has a number of good recipes for healthy homemade meals for dogs.

Good luck! Your a wonderful soul for taking her on. :hi:

[mopinko]

5. i barely cook at all

hubby does most of the cooking, and my kids are finally learning as well. so, i don't think i'll be cooking for the dog. but my friend gets me the best stuff on the market. she feeds her own dogs human grade foods. i don't go quite that far, but i don't buy that cheap stuff either.
that said, in all honesty, i think a lot of the stuff in that thread is exaggerated. pets are in better health than ever in this country. my dogs have all lived to be very, very old. and most had few health problems along the way. mutts and purebreds alike. there is crap in there, but we live on a crap filled planet these days. i just can't worry about everything.

[China_cat]

10. Then you might find

Nature's recipe Venison and Rice a good kibble for her. We finally had to take the dogs off it because it put too much weight on them at 1 cup a day. And these are dogs that weigh in at a healthy 85-100 lbs.

[Princess Turandot]

6. Is she interested in eating?..

right now my cat is on a course of cyproheptadine, which is a human antihistamine that can stimulate appetites in certain animals, including dogs.

My vet gave a me a transdermal preparation of it where I can just rub some inside of his ear, although it also comes in small pills. Yuri had a traumatic event (aka vet malpratice) after a routine operation for the removal of bladder stones which resulted in his completely losing his appetite for over a week. (He was hospitalized, and first force fed, then tube fed.) Now that he is home, he needs to be on a special diet to prevent a re-occurence of the stones, and he isn't too thrilled about it.

[mopinko]

7. aw, poor kitty

her appetite is pretty good. not quite what it ought to be, but she is also not very active yet either. (still recovering from the spay.)
she is actually coming around very well. really high octane food, and good treats- dried lamb lung, and a nice piece of beef neckbone when she goes in her cage at night.
she was also pretty dehydrated. she looks better just from getting enough fluids.
really sweet dog.

[MidwestMomma]

9. Take a stool sample to the vets and have them recheck for worms

I adopted from a shelter and my dog had been 'wormed' but my vet told me that when they worm at the shelter, it sometimes doesn't treat all the types they can have.

Sure enough, she still had some type of parasite and had to have additional medication.

Good luck! Sounds like that's a lucky dog to have found you.

[InvisibleTouch]

11. Add some cottage cheese to her diet...

...just a few spoonfuls at breakfast. It's good for her, and will help her put on some weight. Though adult dogs and cats are usually lactose-intolerant, processed dairy products such as cottage cheese and plain (preferably organic) yogurt are fine in moderate amounts.

As Lorien mentioned, I've got some recipes for raw/homecooked food that I use. I've sworn off most commercial food entirely (with a rare occasion of canned food or Newman's kibble for lazy/busy occasions) but I realize not everyone wants to go that route. You can still supplement her diet with extras, though. Raw meat is preferable to cooked, if you're going to be adding meat anyway. I'd stay away from raw pork (trichinosis), but beef and poultry are fine.

[mopinko]

12. my friend the pet food nazi

gets me the best, seriously. right now the kibble i use is hundenflaken (sp???) which is good stuff. but i am feeding this one abady for now. over $2/lb wholesale, but i swear this stuff is like instant dog. 5 days, and you can barely see her ribs, she doesn't smell, her dandruff is gone, her coat is shiny. like a miracle.

and what a great dog. a fine example of her breed. (which is the best, anyway.)

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

13. The Magic Recipe

Firstly, take her to a non-shelter affiliated vet and have a complete work up done on her. If everything comes back normal, start feeding the following recipe: http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs.html

This recipe is the "secret" of many dog show exhibitors for putting weight on a dog. I've used it myself several times with great results. You will begin to see results within one week of feeding Satin Balls. Alternately, you can also start feeding frozen Bil-Jac food, if you can find it in your area.

[mopinko]

15. don't really cook for my kids

i am pretty much a retired cook. have a chronic illness and can't afford to spend my energy on something like cooking for a dog.
this abady stuff is all human grade, great stuff. she is not a bag of bones any more. in fact, in just a week, you can barely see her ribs.

she will see my regular vet next week.

[LibertyLover]

14. Thin dog

You might want to have her thyroid checked. One of my family's German Shepherds developed a thyroid problem and we had a heck of a time keeping weight on him.