How do you keep weight ON?!

[Kat's Dogs]

Dazzle is super skinny. If I put her in the shower and keep her 100% wet and slick her fur down (so she looks like a smooth coat) you can see about half of her ribs, and feel every single one. She just feels skinny all over, hip bones stick out, spine sticks out all the way to her shoulders, and the rib thing. She doesn't seem to have worms or any other problem, and has been this weight for about 6 months or more. It just seems that no matter how much I feed her, she pretty much maintains her very skinny figure.

 

Her vet doesn't like her weight. Breeder (when we went to see her last year) says she is a perfect weight, although she has thinned out a little bit since then. Her trainer thinks she OK, but maybe a little too thin. She is on the Canidae now, and loves it (coat improved, teeth improved, more muscle, I am very happy with that ) but I can't keep one more pound on her little tiny body!!

 

I would be much happier if I could see another few pounds on her put can't seem to keep it on. There is nothing pysically wrong, except that she is just skinny! Plus the fact that everyone who sees her says "OMG, do you feed her? She is way underweight!".

 

Suggestions? Reassurance? Anything?

[BayouBC]

All three of my boys lost weight when I put them on Canidae. Their normal weights are 35, 38, & 43, and at those weights they don't have any extra fat as is. On the Canidae, each one lost at least 3-5 lbs and were just -obviously- too skinny, even when dry. Wet them down and I felt like I was going to be arrested for animal neglect.

 

The weight problem on Canidae doesn't seem to be a universal problem, though I've heard of it with one or two other people. My boys for some reason just didn't thrive on it. They liked it just fine (they'll eat anything though) and everything else was good...just not their weight. At the end I was feeding them about 4 cups a day each...and that's a LOT in my opinion. On EVO, they're eating about 1.5-2 cups a day (depending on activity).

 

Another thing is how old is Dazzle? Kodah, my youngest, turned 3 in August. He's always been on the light side at 38 lbs, but he never wanted to gain more than that. In the last 6 months, I've noticed that he's suddenly filled out a bit more so he's not as scrawny and his coat also grew in a lot thicker this year. Apparently he just finally decided to become an "adult".

 

You might consider trying her on a different food to see if that has any effect. Every dog responds differently to foods, so even the best food might not be the right choice with a specific dog. Like I said, I had no complaints about the Canidae except that I just couldn't keep weight on my guys.

 

You could also try supplementing her dry food with some canned on occasion. I know my dogs and cats all loved the Canidae/Felidae canned food.

 

Also you might watch for tapeworm segments on her poop. They won't show up on a regular fecal check at the vet.

[Liz P]

How old is she?

[Kat's Dogs]

She is 2 years this month.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

I like Satin Balls for putting on weight in a reasonably healthy way. I play with the recipe a bit, adding canned fish for some of the meat and salmon oil for some of the oil, and barley instead of wheat germ. Plus I add fruits and veggies, whatever I've got lying around. I use this when the dogs just don't seem to be keeping their weight up, and when puppies hit that stage where the vet's thinking of calling AC on me.

 

We're redoing the fence between us and the cattle pasture next door and the sheep are slipping through over there. The neighbor doesn't care, but I still don't want to get out of his good graces - and the guard dogs will get antsy about the cattle and sheep mixing. So I don't want them over there - but the sheep are bound and determined - the grass is always greener as you know!

 

So poor Cord did the 600 yard gather about half a dozen times today, fetching them from down by the neighbor's pond, trying to "break" the sheep to respect the old fenceline. Not to mention the couple times I just needed the sheep closer and he did the normal gather from our two ponds. It was eighty degrees, today, too, and none of us are quite acclimated yet. It was nice to pop a Satin Ball cupcake out of the freezer for him a couple times today! And it doesn't play havoc with his system like giving him extra kibble would, even if he'd eat it, which he wouldn't have today.

 

Just Google "satin balls" and you'll get some recipes.

[Kat's Dogs]

The Satin Ball thing sounds cool! That might help...

We sort of recently started going to more Agility practices (on full equipment) and trials so that is probably contributing to the loss in weight as well. It would be cool to be able to just give her something quick - that isn't more kibble - on a hard exercise-wise day.

 

I hate being afraid to go to the vet, but I seriously wouldn't put it past them to call AC if she got any skinnier!! *sigh*. I guess that is part of life with a fit dog.

[ShoresDog]

Something that worked for Daisy is the Canidae Snap-Biscuits as a crate treat. They have really healthy ingredients but are calorie rich. Now when she hears me open the jar they're in, she runs down to her crate!

[Beth G]

I would advise worming for all worms anyhow. Vet out here was adament my dog didn't have worms but he kept losing weight until I wormed him for hooks and whip worms. Now he has gained over 7 lbs!!

 

Also try other foods too. Sometimes they do better on some than others.

 

Good luck!

[Maralynn]

Missy is also a skinny dog. She looks totally pathetic when wet - you can see her ribs and hips without any problem. But her energy is great and she is very fit. And she only eats when she's hungry - even on raw. I'm sure most folks would think she was under fed if she was a smooth coated dog. She turns 8 this month, and I think her metabolism is slowing down a little - every so often I can feel she has a little more fat over those ribs. But after a day of hard exercise it'll all be gone.

 

Another idea is to add a teaspoon of salmon oil to her kibble every day, gradually working it up to a tablespoon or so. It'll add extra calories without extra bulk.

 

And keep reminding yourself that slim dogs live longer

[RaisingRiver]

River is also on Canidae and around 14 mos she started loosing weight in the torso but gained much muscle in the thighs (little rocks!). She is now VERY lean and looks like Dazzle does in the photo you posted of Dazzle on what a BC should look like (from the top view). Prior to that she wasn't as lean. She eats 3 cups total of Canidae a day (2 feedings). She will be 17 months on Saturday.

 

I can feel all her ribs when touching and her top hip bones but they don't pertrude from her fur just looking at her. Her coat is super shiney and I can tell she feels great. Considering the activity level of Dazzle & River, I'd say they are fine. She was also recently wormed last month so we're good there.

 

I wouldn't worry about trying to add weight but maybe just don't worry about if you give her extra snacks that might be fattening and tasty

 

I'd rather have a skinny dog then an overweight one. Now I have a one of each since my other dog can't seem to shake her excess weight.

 

So here's to reassurances! Make sure you check what other agility folk think about her weight... that's probably your best group of advisors.

[Kat's Dogs]

Good advise (or reassurance! ) all!

At trials, because she is just so dang cute , people pet her all the time and most BC people don't comment on her weight (which I take as a good thing). However the more "couch potato that does agility" people do say stuff because you just touch her and feel bones sticking out everywhere! She is probably OK really, although about 10 pounds at least thinner then her vet would like. Maybe I was just second guessing myself on what a fit dog is.

 

We got some of the Canidae snap thingies quite awhile go - but as I just don't give out treats much they had stayed up-opened. If she gets some of those, plus the occasional bit of Satin Ball stuff after trial weekends, and maybe a bit more kibble she should gain a couple pounds hopefully that will stay just to take the edge off.

 

She will have to officially go to the vet (we do stuff on the phone more than visits) soon if we travel later this spring for a health check and if no change by then I will definitely have her checked for every kind of worm or critter on this planet!

 

Thanks again - if anyone else had anything else to add it is still appreciated.

 

ETA: For reference, here was the picture Raising River was talking about:

Imagine this, but a wee bit thinner and that is what she looks like now.

[silhouettestable]

My dogs eat Nutro Natural Choice large breed (I don't have any purebred BC's, and mine are all larger than a typical BC), and they keep their weight on, have really nice coats and they love it. I do some dogsledding with them and so when I started working some of them more I switched those ones over to Nutram Active dog to maintain their weight It's fed by some of the mushers, or another popular food with the mushers is Eagle Pack Power. With the amount of miles the sled dogs run they can also have trouble keeping the weight on, but those two formulas both have 30% protein and 20% fat. I'm sure you'll get lots of good information here, but you might also want to go to www.sleddogcentral.com and then go to their discussion forums. They actually have a couple of their forums dedicated just to foods and feeding, and there's lots of discussion about brands and keeping weight on working dogs.

[BayouBC]

With my boys, it wasn't just feeling bones. You could see their ribs even when they were dry. The real kicker was when my sister, who hadn't seen my dogs in a few weeks, commented on Pith's obvious weight loss within about two minutes of seeing him, "Wow, has he lost a lot of weight?" Until then, I wasn't sure how much I was just imagining and how much it was really an issue. When I took them in to be weighed and realized just how much they'd lost, I felt horrible.

 

I like my dogs to have an obvious waist, and I'm fine with being able to easily feel their ribs and hips. But I think when you're -seeing- ribs on a dry dog that they're getting too thin.

 

Really, I think you're safe so long as you're not hearing "wow, they're really thin" from -everyone-. If you're getting half and half, you're probably about where you should be. I'm lucky to have a vet that knows what a BC should look and feel like. When I had Jack, a foster that came in at 72 lbs and left at 52, her comment was, "Now this is how they're -supposed- to look" when I brought him in right before his adoption.

[Allie Oop]

Kat, how much does Dazzle weigh? From her pics, she looks like she and Allie are approx. the same size and build, although Dazzle might look a little thinner. Allie (who will be 2 next month sometime) is also quite skinny -- you can see ribs even when she is dry and her normal weight is around 29-30 lbs. We had a little episiode with pancreatitis several weeks ago and she lost weight, which she didn't really have to lose, and the vet did a full blood panel on her to check for pancreatic issues which was very high. We did a round with antibiotics and then redid the blood tests 10 days later and fortunately things seem to have resolved themselves, no continuing high pancreatic levels, but she dropped weight really fast during that period (coat still looked great, etc.). I would have Dazzle checked just to be safe, especially if the weight loss continues. Dazzle is such an active dog and she may just have a very high metabolism. Good luck - she is a gorgeous girl!

 

ETA - Allie maintains her weight (29-30 lbs.) very well with Blue Buffalo Chicken and a supplement of some cooked veggies/meat a couple of times a week.

[juliepoudrier]

Kat,

One thing I do to add weight to a dog is add a second meal of oatmeal. When I had Boy on Timberwolf Organics he lost weight and I put it back on by feeding him oatmeal (not the instant kind, but the regular kind). I have also used satin balls and they work, but they're a lot more work to create than a bowl of oatmeal. I don't know why the oatmeal works, but I have used it on several occasions to increase Boy's weight.

 

I second those who suggested adding fat as well. I add at least a tablespoon of fat (generally in the form of safflower oil) to my dogs' daily meal. They all get a 1000 mg fish oil capsule too. Added fat is always good for a dog who gets a lot of exercise. You can also add other healthy things like cottage cheese (4% milk fat) and other similar items that will increase the fat and protein in her diet without adding a lot of bulk.

 

On Canidae: I actually had my hard keeper gain weight while on Canidae. But all my dogs had huge poops too. When I put Boy on Timberwolf Organics Ocean Blue (premium of the premium), I was surprised that he lost weight and I couldn't get it back on, even feeding him extra (well, the oatmeal put it back on). He's now on Prairie Naturals and keeping weight on just fine. Sometimes individual dogs just don't do well on particular foods. Try some of the other good foods out there and you might find one she does better on.

 

I don't mind a thin dog, but if you think she's too thin (and you know her best), then she probably is.

 

J.

[Root Beer]

Dean looks very similar to her in that picture and I worry about him a little. Over the winter, he gained a little bit of weight. He was still very lean, but he was looking more athletic than emaciated. Now that the weather has been nice and our activity levels have skyrocketed, he dropped the weight he had gained quickly.

 

I like my dogs thin. I keep them way thinner than most people keep theirs, but this jumping bean string bean is going to be tough to keep from looking like I starve him! I might make him some satin balls, too. He eats very well, but he will need more calories for the summer.

[BustopherJones]

As some on this board know, Missy (my older dog) has been battling cancer for some time. It was imperative that she not lose weight, so the vet put her on a mixture that includes Merrick canned food (1/4 can per meal, twice a day); the Merrick is intended to keep weight on, while the other foods (IDV Intestinal HE and Innova Senior) are intended to help her fight the disease. The Merrick is VERY rich (it looks and smells good enough for a human to eat), and might be an answer; but it is not cheap (roughly $2 per can). Your vet might prescribe a diet that will build up bulk; the main thing you need to worry about is loss of muscle and muscle tone.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Oh, I have another one if you want to increase protein and fat in a food you like already: Canine Cavier Beaver. Yup, you heard me, beaver. It is spendy with a capital SPEND, but I only use a quarter of a can a day for Ben. I use this a few times a week and do a little can of grain and chicken-free cat food and I haven't had problems keeping weight on Ben since I started this - and I've reduced his kibble from three and a half cups to two. I'd like to use this stuff for Cord too but he's going to have to get an outside job before I can afford that!

 

HEre's the link to the CC Beaver: http://www.caninecaviar.com/beaver.html

[Kelliwic Border Collies]

I have met of a couple of Border Collies (from two different homes) who had serious weight issues and it turned out they needed some digestive enzyme or something added to their food. As far as I recall, the dogs' poops were normal consistency, but they still were not processing the food right. Each was really skinny. Once these dogs had this Rx powdered enzyme(s?) added to their food, they did much better; stayed fit and healthy, but were no longer washboard-ribby. I really don't know what tests were done (if any) to determine that each of the dogs needed this enzyme stuff, but I had met the dogs before and after, and I know the difference it made in each of their weights.

 

These dogs were owned by friends-of-a-friends, so I'm sorry that my information is vague. But maybe someone who has the same problem will post, or perhaps you could run the idea past your vet.

[Kat's Dogs]

I might switch her food around a little for sure.

As for the picture, that is what she was, she is skinnier now by a few more pounds. About 28 instead of 32-33. I gotta say, I keep all three of the dogs super skinny anyway (I must have the most fit Shih Tzus on the planet! ) but Dazzle's weight just dropped a little too low out of my comfort zone this time...

oh, and as far as I can tell....no loss of muscle mass (actually a gain after switching off the SD, YAY!).

 

I love getting so much good advice!! More is always better!

I will give it another few weeks (unless something else changes) before going to the vet on this. And see how she does on other foods/various added stuff. But it is nice to know some things that they should test/look for if we do need to go...

[Rosanne]

I'm glad you're concerned that she's too skinny - I see waaaay too many agility people who think skinny/ribs poking out all over is the same as 'fit'. Olympic athletes don't have ribs sticking out so far you can lay fingers between them, and neither should dogs! I like to feel the ribs, but not see them. A very slim layer is nice.

 

Anyway, I have a dog who won't eat more than a certain amount in a day, so I've found some kibbles that have a real high caloric content: EVO of course, at 500+, or EVO Red Meat is only slightly less if she has a chicken allergy; Canine Caviar kibble - same place as the beaver cans that were mentioned, is also over 500 calories per cup; and most of the Naturie's Variety/Prairie stuff is at least 430 or so per cup. You can also get digestive enzymes to add in, that might help. And just buy big packs of the fattiest hamburger you can find and add it in! (cooked or raw - I usually cook my meat cuz I'm a baby about worrying about my dogs).

 

Good luck! I would definitely try switching foods before going to the vet. If you change foods and she STILL won't put weight on. . .then it's a problem. (EVO is my best bet for a situation like this. And it comes in big bags - expensive big bags, but it works great)