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Putting weight on a small eater

5K views 34 replies 12 participants last post by  Maren Bell Jones 
#1 ·
My male dog is not a big eater. He will eat just enough to fill his stomach and then turns his nose up. I have been trying to put lots of high energy into smaller packages (like oils and fats) to put a bit of condition on him. So far I haven't had any improvement. My bitch was the same as him at this age and has now come around and started to eat heartily and fill out. Should I let natural processes play out or is there some other way I can get my dog to look less like a supermodel?
 
#3 ·
20 months except it's not really a matter of filling out - he's skinny, waif-like, anorexic... to the point where people approach me and ask if I am feeding him. I'm not REALLY worried about it as my older bitch did the same thing but it's a little upsetting when ppl ask me if I'm starving my dog especially when they eat better than I do :lol: ! He's still full of energy and healthy I was just wondering if there's anyway of increasing his energy intake without increasing the amount of food he is having safely, without upsetting his natural balance. Is it possible to give them too much fats and oils?

He has no problem eating meat and bones (he gets these 2-3 times a week), I also have him on a high quality dry food that I mix with a dash of fish oils and occasionally sardines. He will only eat about a half a cup of dry food a day (a full cup if I'm lucky). Some vets have told me to feed him on cooked rice and chicken mince to encourage him to eat more but this doesn't seem like the best balance for him when he is in a growth period. Only one vet has said don't worry about it, he'll eat when he wants to (my opinion too if we weren't in public eye with busy bodies sticking there noses in where it's not necessary).
 
#4 ·
Some dogs are naturally thin and very energetic so they burn all their fat.

If you can´t clearly see his spine, hipbones and all of his ribs, I won´t worry :wink: Can you put a photo here?

You can add some sheep or cow fat (fresh, not commercial brand ´cause they add all kinds of stuff to keep it well for years), next to your fish oils (good omega-3 fats).

Maybe you can add some more meat and some green tripe. But if he isn´t hungry, why force him to eat :wink:
 
#5 ·
You can see his spine, hipbones and most of his ribs :oops: not for want of trying though!

Can you tell me what green tripe is?

Also, I'm not sure where I'd get a hold of fresh sheep and cow fat - I suppose I should start at my local butcher.

I will try to up his protein intake - that shouldn't be hard as it's a breeze to get him to eat meat. He won't eat his dinner before desert so to speak... Likes the goodies but won't eat his dry food.

He is the troublesome child! :roll:
 
#8 ·
I have had some success in the past with dogs like this by purchasing the canned mackeral. Smells horrible in the morning but the dogs love it. :D
Depending on the time you have, have you ever tried feeding the dog small meals, say 3 x times a day?
 
#10 ·
I'd go the opposite way.. "if you don't wanna eat what I give you then you don't eat at all". The dog won't die, just spend a month making him realize that if he doesn't wanna eat, he doesn't get to eat.

My GSD was the most annoying underfed pup ever. When I got Lyka, she has incredible food drive, so after mealtime if Cujo didn't eat his food or finish it, I'd open both crates n send her in there to eat what he didn't eat. I'd purposely feed Lyka less knowing that she was gonna get her full meal by stealing Cujo's :lol: After a month or so Cujo started to get more competitive for his food n now they both slam into their crates simultaneously when I bring food into the room n both of them lick out their bowl regardless of how much food I give them.

Your dog knows there is always gonna be food around so he'll kinda pick at it when he feels like it. Make him believe that if he doesn't have enthusiasm for his food he ain't gonna get it. If you put it down n he doesn't eat it immediately, take it away from him. If he eats 1/3 of it n walks away, as soon as he stops eating then take it away. 1 meal a day... try skipping a day every 3 days or so, it won't hurt the dog n it'll make him think about his food a little more.
 
#11 ·
Bree McQuilty said:
... He has no problem eating meat and bones (he gets these 2-3 times a week), I also have him on a high quality dry food that I mix with a dash of fish oils and occasionally sardines. He will only eat about a half a cup of dry food a day (a full cup if I'm lucky)....
He's on part raw and part kibble?

Any reason not to have him on all raw? Maybe he's trying to tell you something. :wink:
 
#12 ·
Agreed with Mike. If the dog thinks it's like an all you can eat buffet, some dogs chow down and some dogs get really fussy. Are you doing anything to make the dog work for it? Mine typically have to do down stays for at least two minutes before they get to eat and if they break the down, the bowl goes away until the next meal.

Green tripe is the intestines of cattle, sheep, goats, whatever with the mostly digested grasses and such still in it. If you get tripe at the grocery store, it's usually already cleaned out and nutritionally not that helpful. I haven't tried it on my dogs (looking for a source), but I've heard it's both quite smelly and very delicious to the dogs. Perhaps instead of the dry kibble, supplement with a little canned food? High quality canned seems to have less grains in it than the complementary dry. I feed Innova EVO 95% rabbit or venison once a week as an additional protein source (it is expensive though!) and Chicken Soup canned as a frozen Kong stuffer.
 
#13 ·
when I fed kiddle I would take the pork fat that I purchased fresh at the local carneceria (meat market) and blend it into like a paste with salmon oil kelp powder and some vit and mins suplements and then pour it over the dry food my male who is a very picky eater and was very thin would eat it up very quickly and put on a more healthly weight. Greg
 
#14 ·
if you don't wanna eat what I give you then you don't eat at all".
We do this at home. He has 15 mins to eat and then it gets lifted. He just never touches it... He doesn't care. I have even tried to starve him for a week to see if he would finish a bowl of food next time I fed him... Same as normal, a few mouthfuls and no more.

I am keeping him separated from the other dogs so I can't let him get competitive. I did have a break through last night however, he's mad over braised steak and onions of all things! I mixed 2 tablespoons (aussie size ones) with water and poured it over his dry food and he ate the whole bowl!!! The only problem with this is, don't onions cause liver problems in dogs?

Any reason not to have him on all raw? Maybe he's trying to tell you something
I've been told all raw diets aren't fully balanced??? They need grains and stuff too. But here's logic rearing it's ugly head... Something has gotta be better than nothing.
 
#16 ·
Bree McQuilty said:
Any reason not to have him on all raw? Maybe he's trying to tell you something
I've been told all raw diets aren't fully balanced??? They need grains and stuff too. But here's logic rearing it's ugly head... Something has gotta be better than nothing.
Who told you that?

You live where the raw vet wave started!

Here's something to consider: Where would a wolf get grains? (He wouldn't, which is why dogs don't produce the dietary enzymes needed to digest grains.)

If you are interested, we can supply you with links galore. :D
 
#17 ·
Just wanted to comment on this. Consuming onions can cause hemolytic anemia in dogs. This is when the red blood cells burst. Onion poisoning can also cause liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, & urine discoloration (due to the burst blood cells). This is due to thiosulphate, which is found in both onions and garlic.

I think that feeding dogs meat that has been cooked with onions is
pretty safe but you might want to avoid giving them the broth from around something like pot-roast if there were a lot of onions used in the cooking, just to be safe. - Mike Richards, DVM
 
#19 ·
Kristen Cabe said:
Just wanted to comment on this. Consuming onions can cause hemolytic anemia in dogs. This is when the red blood cells burst. Onion poisoning can also cause liver damage, vomiting, diarrhea, & urine discoloration (due to the burst blood cells). This is due to thiosulphate, which is found in both onions and garlic.

I think that feeding dogs meat that has been cooked with onions is
pretty safe but you might want to avoid giving them the broth from around something like pot-roast if there were a lot of onions used in the cooking, just to be safe. - Mike Richards, DVM
I've read that it takes quite a bit, but I'm with Kristen. Why create a hankering? :lol:

P.S. Even though Mike Richards doesn't do Q & A on that site now (I think he quit doing it in 2002), it's still a terrific site. www.vetinfo.com
 
#20 ·
I always heard that feeding a dog a bit of minced garlic with their food is a natural flea repellent (heard the same of brewers yeast, but I know that can be an allergen). I had known about the onion thing, but forgot that onions and garlic were related. I have given the dogs like the equivalent of about a 1/4 of a clove of garlic in their food before. Any opinions either way on this?
 
#21 ·
Who told you that?

You live where the raw vet wave started!

Here's something to consider: Where would a wolf get grains? (He wouldn't, which is why dogs don't produce the dietary enzymes needed to digest grains.)
A vet told me that! Actually a few vets... I had been told that in the wild they would eat the entire animal including the masticated and partially digested stomach contents which is where they get their grains and grasses. I'm at a loss as to where I'd get a full stomach of a cow. But I'm going to attempt the raw diet with him. A friend of mine had great success with raw diet with his GSD but I thought the dog wasn't getting all it needed. I only need some encouragement :wink:
 
#23 ·
Bree McQuilty said:
Who told you that?

You live where the raw vet wave started!

Here's something to consider: Where would a wolf get grains? (He wouldn't, which is why dogs don't produce the dietary enzymes needed to digest grains.)
A vet told me that! Actually a few vets... I had been told that in the wild they would eat the entire animal including the masticated and partially digested stomach contents which is where they get their grains and grasses. I'm at a loss as to where I'd get a full stomach of a cow. But I'm going to attempt the raw diet with him. A friend of mine had great success with raw diet with his GSD but I thought the dog wasn't getting all it needed. I only need some encouragement :wink:
Grasses, yes. Grains, not likely.

But I would read up, if you're really interested. Selena's right that all the great raw feeding vet pioneers came from Australia, and then Schultze, carrying the banner, from the UK.

I'll give you some links.
 
#25 ·
In fact, ruminants like cows, goats, sheep, etc don't really eat much in the way of grains like wheat. They eat grasses. Here's an interesting American site and it has links to local places to get grass fed beef, lamb, chicken, etc. Perhaps there is a similar Australian site around? http://www.eatwild.com/basics.html
 
#26 ·
Bree McQuilty said:
My male dog is not a big eater. He will eat just enough to fill his stomach and then turns his nose up. I have been trying to put lots of high energy into smaller packages (like oils and fats) to put a bit of condition on him. So far I haven't had any improvement. My bitch was the same as him at this age and has now come around and started to eat heartily and fill out. Should I let natural processes play out or is there some other way I can get my dog to look less like a supermodel?
Canine Caviar (www.caninecaviar.com) produces a very high calorie canned beaver, something like 1300 or more calories per can. Their kibble uses millet as a grain source and is calorie dense at 600 calories a cup. Good luck.
 
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