Recon's looking scrawny...

[Aerie]

Recon's been going through heartworm treatment, so I'm sure that has her feeling a bit off. But...she's eating normally, now.

 

I was feeding Chicken Soup dog food, but with a lack of a local source, I had to switch to Wellness. That's the only higher quality kibble I could find within a reasonable driving distance and for a price I could afford. (starving college student, remember)

 

(whoops, pushed enter too soon!)

 

Anyway. She's dropped off on the Wellness and nothing I seem to do is making her increase the weight. She's not overly active (in fact, she's not active at all because of the crate rest).

 

I'm switching back to Chicken Soup, but I need to find a way to get some weight on her. I'm beginning to get concerned.

 

I give her one cup of kibble in the morning and one in the evening. For the last few weeks she's been getting a half of a can of chicken soup canned food each evening. she gets a raw egg in the mornings and cottage cheese.

 

I've tried those meaty ball things that are supposed to put weight on them, but she refuses to eat them after about a day. She's strange, what can I say.

 

Any ideas on what I can entice her with? Do I just need to up the food amount? If I put much more kibble in there, she doesn't eat it.

 

As a side note - she's been tested for worms and all that. She's otherwise healthy, just the heartworm stuff that we're in the process of kicking. Bleh.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Root Beer]

What about trying to add an additional small meal at another time of the day? She might be willing to eat more after she has digested some.

 

You could also try adding a raw egg to her food every couple of days. I do that with Dean, who also dropped some weight when I switched him to Wellness. You can crush it up shell and all, or just give the whites and yolks mixed in with her food.

[bcnewe2]

More treats? I would think anything would be ok that is high in fat and would increase her weight. I have an old girl here who is far from under weight, she doesn't get that much kibble but she's got my DH convinced they need to share cereal every night and she gets the milk out of the bottom of the bowl. No one but her, so it makes it all that more special. What about feeding some human food with the kibble that is high in calories? Hotdogs, hamburgers, or anything you're eating for dinner?

 

I don't think table scraps are bad, I think begging for them is. So I never feed from my plate till I'm finished eating. Then I make them do tricks for their treats. They all get a bit, fat ones get less but still get a turn. Since she's your only partner right now, she probably already feels pretty special.

 

Good luck, and hope you find the Chickensoup dog food close to home. Check local feed mills or at least ones that are close enough you can make a trip to. I know I used to see chickensoup dog food at all the feed mills in MO.

 

They also all love to go get ice cream with the family, the skinny unfood motivated ones usually won't eat it till we get home, but they still enjoy the melted stuff as soon as we pull into the driveway.

Good luck and hope things are going ok for you right now. I think about you often.

Kristen

[Maralynn]

What about adding some extra fat (like salmon oil) to her kibble? It will add extra concentrated calories. You can start out at a teaspoon and gradually increase it to a tablespoon over a week or so.

[Root Beer]

I just thought of something else - plain yogurt. Try to get the regular, not the low fat, but even the low fat can help. You can give her 1/4 to 1/2 cup a day either with her meal, or as a separate snack.

[Guest pax]

I am having a hard time keeping a comfy weight on my Rosie, too, because of her teeth. She's not a big eater, either.

 

If she doesn't like the plain yoghurt, you could also mix in a teeny bit of "Better Than Bullion". You could also just add some Probiotics in a tube but if the goal is to get calories into her, not just help her gut, then the yoghurt is easy.

 

Add a meal of a different type, the same thing gets boring. My girls get kibble in the morning and whatever green veggies are left over after dinner.

 

I also keep a bag of cubed cheese in all the refrigerators we might visit during the course of the day for her.

 

Pet stores sells something called...oh jeez I'm drawing a blank. NutriCal or something. It's basically the dog version of the human drink "Ensure". It comes in a tube. I squeeze out a couple of tablesoon of that, too, a day, usually right into her bowl and she spends a while licking it all up.

 

My own experience with weight and blood sugar, and the way I've learnt to manage the horses, compels me for better or worse to feed small amounts constantly. I don't know if it's better for everybody but I've managed to get Rosie back up to par.