Rescue needs to put on weight

[Sue Bisaga]

On Friday I rescued a pitmix from the pound as our newest foster dog.
He was there 3 weeks as a stray. He's a little over a year old.
He is very under weight. He has a few health issue I am addressing.
Generalized mange (poor nutrition??), A bad case of Kennel cough, a prostate infection(he is intact but soon to be neutered). He is on antibiotics for all the above with daily baths with Batadin for his mange.
He isn't eating well at all and he was wormed and is heartworm negative.
I am feeding him small meals through out the day I use Canidia dry and have been mixing in Merrick can and Tripe and even scrambled eggs. He just picks.
He needs about 10 pounds put back on and about 5 before I feel comfortable putting under for surgery. He is very playful and enjoys alot of exercise. Other then the kennel cough which maybe causing his decressed appitite since his sniffer is all snotted up I am not sure why he doesn't want to eat more.
Any ideas to increase his appitite?

Thanks,
Sue and Tiger

[Grace Erick]

Sue, I'm not possitive, but Innova may have a more calorie dense food. I know their canned food is high in calories. Plus if you are trying to entice your dog to eat more, I see some people put a little diluted chicken broth on the food. The broth or bouillion is salty, so that's why you dilute it. Innova is very good hard food, but Canidae is good too, so I don't know if you should switch right now since you may be very correct about if his sniffer isn't working, that is why he is not eating as much. You have to mix some old with the new or your dog can get diarreah which some dogs do anyway with Innova for some reason. Each bag of food and the dog food sites should tell you what the kcal/cups are for their food which is how many calories are in the food. I think it may be good to stick with what he's eating and assess his situation when he can breathe better, so you don't have to try different foods.

Switching foods can make them eat more if they don't like their present food. It helps to get trial pkgs since you can buy a bag and your dog will leave it, even if it's good quality food.

I don't know if it's a good idea to fix him while he has mange. It may not be good to have him put under anesthesia right now. I can be wrong, but I think the less you do to him right now the better until his mange issue is over. A vet may not say that to you since they just want to get the money from fixing your dog. It sounds harsh, but some vets are very money orientated. I would check with a lot vets if fixing a dog with mange is good to do right now.

Bye, Grace

[Sue Bisaga]

I feed Canidia to my other 4 dogs and one gets wellness fish and sweet potato. I don't think it's the food, but maybe. I will try some samples of Merrick dry and innova as well.
He needs to be neutered to help with his prostate problems.
So I am waiting a week from now to have it done but it needs to be done.
The mange isn't so bad since I started the baths. He doesn't itch any more.

I don't want to use ivermectin (cattle wormer) for the mange since it is poision and can't possibly help his immune system. It is a daily very high dose for 4 to 6 weeks.

Thanks,
Sue

[heathea]

oh man, poor puppy.
does he have demodectic or sarcopic mange?

It sounds like you are doing all of the "right" things. You mentioned he was wormed, are they all gone? As soon as he is rid of those beasties he should start putting on weight pretty quickly. I am glad he is not as itchy anymore, however I would still start giving him some omega 3 fatty acids/fish oil, I think it will help.

Before you see any big improvement in appetite, wait for the antibiotics to do their work. Once he is less sniffly and feels a little better I bet he will wolf down the food.

When a dog is that sick, it is a hard decision to put him under anesthesia. However, you are not doing it as an elective at this point, but as a treatment in one of his health conditions. I agree with you waiting a week, but I think the benefits (in this instance) outweigh the risks.
I applaud you greatly for taking in this poor poor puppy. I am sure it will all work out okay.
Good luck!
-Heather

[Grace Erick]

Sue, you are right about having the neuting done to cut down on his chances of having prostate and cancer problems, so that is why people do it by 1 year old, and with females, before their first heat to lessen their chances of getting mammary tumors that can be cancerous.

A lot of sites use ivermectin for some reason for mange. It's not that I agree. I don't know anything about it except that there are alternative heartworm meds that can be used if it were necessary.

Some types of mange require that as you treat the dog, you wash the bedding which includes the collar and harness.

Bye, Grace

[Kathryn Thorne]

This is a recipe I used to positively pack weight on a literally bone thin pit mix I fostered a while back. She put on about 7 lbs in one week. Jesse was so thin you could see her facial bones. She too was wracked with infection, and so anemic that her gums would still turn white weeks later if she over exerted herself. This recipe, along with some probiotics (to counter the antibiotics killing off her gut), and a canine multi-vitamin helped her loads. I've since fed it to nearly every thin foster that comes here. I understand there is some controversy regarding feeding anything raw, but I can only tell you I've had enormous luck with it, and no problems.

Satin Balls

Ingredients

10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
1 lg. box of Total cereal [or comparable natural brand]
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil (I use canola)
1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs
10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.

Divide into 10 quart freezer bags and freeze.

Thaw as needed.

I usually use far less unsulfured molasses or none at all. It's very strong!

I also don't put it in a bowl and feed it like regular kibble. I dole it out throughout the day and hand feed it. This helps to establish a bond as well.

I have also used parmesan on kibble to spark interest. It has worked well here.

[Sue Bisaga]

Thank you so much. I do feed some raw as well. So have no issue there.
My problem is he won't eat much at all. He picks some but never finishes his food.
I have tried raw ground beef and chicken. Cooked beef and chicken. Eggs raw and fried. Tripe raw and cooked. He just picks.
My family and I are vegaterians so all the eggs and meat are being bought just for him.
I will give your recipe a try. If he won't eat it my other dogs will. They'd give there right paw for all the other goodies he's been getting.

Thanks,
Sue and Tiger

[Deb Rompen]

Hi Sue and Tiger.

When Molly (my 10 yrs young Mastiff-X) went through the "I'm not eating that" routine I put a little garlic powder (not garlic salt) on her food - just about the same amount I would put on for a human. Gives them something else to taste and it can't hurt Tiger's nose either. Good Luck

Deb and Molly