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7 month old - no weight gain in 6 weeks

3K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  WVGSD 
#1 ·
I'm reaching out to see if anyone has any ideas or similiar experience. I've been doing this 30 years and have not had this issue come up.

I have a 7.5 month old that has not put on an ounce in 6 weeks. He is VERY thin. He gets raw in the am kibble (Earthborn/Fromm) in the pm. He is on probiotics, prozyme, fish oil, vit c, glucosamine. Active, alert, eats fine, normal puppy except he has had loose stool the last 2.5 weeks.

Fecal parasite/coccidia/giardia negative. I did a 10 cycle on metronidazole, no improvement. Xrays showed fair amount of gas, no claring blockage but a possible small area of something...intestines inflamed. Question being is the loose stool causing the inflamtion or the inflmation causing the loose stool.

Full gut blood panel, all negative (no IBD, EPI, pancreatitis). B12 and folate both in range. Next step is fecal occult which I will take in tomorrow. If it's inconclusive, intestinal scope will follow.

Anyone have any ideas???
 
#3 ·
Pretty useless I know but I did not want to read and ignore your post... I am not educated enough to offer any advice but i will pray for the best for you and your pup... :confused:
 
#4 ·
He has been to the vet. :) That is where all the tests have been run. We go back tomorrow for more tests. I was just hoping someone might have a shared experience.
For as many dogs as I have had and as long as I've been doing this, this is one I have not encountered before.
 
#7 ·
Perhaps he has developed a sensitivity to something. Between raw, kibble, and supplements he is eating a lot of different things during the day. It could be that one of those no longer works for him.

If it were me and the vet ruled everything medical out, I would cut everything out. No supplements. And just pick raw or kibble and stick to it for a week or two, that way you can pin point exactly where the problem lies.

I wouldn't be so quick to brush off the simpler possibility. Dogs can be very sensitive, what works one day may not work the next.
 
#8 ·
I have stopped the supplements (except probiotics and enzymes) and eliminated everything but a single source diet. This isn't my first rodeo.
I have 5 other gsd's and they are not having any issues. As I've stated twice we have done several tests and have more to go. The vet has not ruled everything medical out yet. I've been doing this over 30 years, I am looking for anyone that has a similiar experience.
 
#13 ·
We are all just offering our advise as you asked. I understand you have experience, but no one knows what you have and have not tried. We are just offering options.

I do not have a dog that has been through this. I'm assuming that's the only insight you are seeking.

I would contact the raw food supplier, see if the mix has been altered. Though the only way only one dog is reacting would again be a sensitivity...


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#10 ·
He gets raw in the mornings from Texas Tripe Texas Tripe - Raw Foods for Dogs and Cats in North Texas, usually the bully blend or chicken blend (organ/muscle/fat/bone are mixed in) along with a raw chicken neck. All other dogs are on same diet, no issues.

In the evening he gets kibble (I do not mix kibble and raw into one meal). A mix of earthborn and fromm. He's been on this diet for months with no issue. Problem started 2.5 weeks ago when the loose stool began. He has been thin all along so I didn't think too much of it as he is tall and lanky which is nothing like his parents (both healthy no gut issues).

I took him in after I couldn't get his stool issue resolved. Vet commented first thing about how thin he is and we ran the tests listed above. He has also become cow hocked which he was not until the this last month. I started thinking he wasn't absorbing nutrients. I'm at a loss at this point. I will obviously learn more with the occult and then scope if we do that (pending the occult results).
 
#11 ·
Do you get his kibble locally or have it shipped? I know I've gotten a couple of bags of Fromm from two different online stores and my pup has been reluctant to eat them. On the first bag, I'm slow and didn't notice that his loose stools coincided with his sudden reluctance to finish his food. I've given up after this last bag (local supplier was out of his food) and am transitioning to Fromm grain free since there will be 4 choices at the local store instead of just one for his food.
 
#12 ·
It's shipped and I would suspect the food if the other dogs had issues but he is the only one. I've had no luck with pumpkin, it just dawned on me I have some Honest Kitchen Perform Form I will use. The loose stool and lack of weight gain are related I'm sure.
 
#15 ·
He has not had a solid stool in 2.5 weeks. Yes complete mush, zero form, sometimes more liquid than mush. We aren't completely through ruling out all suspects quite yet. We are doing one at a time, next one tomorrow....and then there is a suspect small area on xray that could possibly be a partial blockage which will entail a scope but we won't go there until after the occult test/results. I will check out the link. Thanks!
 
#17 ·
How about cutting everything out that is pre-made like the raw mix and kibble and just get all your raw ingredients locally so you know exactly what he gets. Did you try kefir, yoghurt, apple cider vinegar? I had one dog who had bouts of this for days and the only thing that worked was raw tripe, at that time from greentripe.com.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Yes no issues until 2.5 weeks ago. He is 7.5 months. This is beyond just a thin pup. Vet noticed it first thing. I wouldn't call him emaciated yet to the extent hips are showing but a 7.5 month old should have gained something in 6 weeks and he obviously very thin at first glance. He is 10-12 lbs under weight.

I cut the raw out a week ago along with supplements so I'm down to a single source, and one he has been eating since he arrived (with solid stool). I'm happy the gut blood test were negative. I'm actually hoping they find a bacteria in the occult test that is the culprit (one that is treatable).

Wolfy I do use applie cidar vinegar in their water. THe raw is some what local...it's here in texas. This is not pre made raw from a store. Tripe is something I feed routinely. I suspended the raw a week ago to see if there was improvement on just kibble. None. I'm considering switching that now and just feeding him raw and cutting out the kibble and see what happens. I started the Honest Kitchen Perfect Form tonight. It has slippery elm and pumpkin.
 
#20 ·
I don't have any advice, but wanted to send my best for your little man. I hope you and your vet figure everything out soon! :hugs:
 
#23 ·
My boy had really liquid stool like that and wasn't gaining weight as he should have been really itchy as well. Took him off all the good stuff and just gave him pumpkin and science diet. It worked. He started gaining weight and has had firm poops ever since. Several times I've tried to switch him back to the good stuff and every kind I've tried has caused him to slip backward and start getting itchy again. He has got to be allergic to something in the grain free's but I can't figure out what it is. :crazy: the only thing they all seem to have in common is rice and I didn't know you could be allergic to rice...
 
#24 ·
For what it is worth, my rescued GSD was 30 inches tall and weighed 70 pounds when seized by animal control for neglect. He had mushy soupy stool and metronidazole did nothing. Tylan powder worked and worked like a charm. I switched his kibble to the high calorie Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, gave him a raw turkey neck with each meal and hid the Tylan powder in a gelatin capsule in a meatball of canned food. He gained weight, stabilized his gut function and weighed 92 pounds when I lost him suddenly to a tumor on his spinal cord.

The "diagnosis" by default was small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
 
#25 ·
THe culture results are not in yet. He's on boiled chicken and rice for now and it has helped but he is getting tired of it and is turning his nose up at it. At least that rules out a partial blockage. Moms suggested a bovine probiotic that helps with nutrient absorbtion. Most are plant based (which is what he has been on all along). It came in this morning so I'm going to start it today.

Sorry about your boy Shannon. Was your boy tested for EPI?
He has been on his food for months with no issues but maybe he has developed something. The other dogs are the kibble with no issues so it's not the food but I am leaning toward it being the food and him. I'm waiting on the culture results before making any decisions. I will probably re-introduce raw and cross all my fingers, toes, legs, arms and anything else I can.
 
#26 ·
My boy was not tested for EPI. We were ruling out one thing at a time and I joined this forum in search of help. Like you, he was not my first GSD or my first rescue. Metronidazole did not help, he had loud gut gurgling noises and diarrhea. My vet suggested an endoscopy and I agreed if we could not get the diarrhea under control otherwise. I read threads about inflammatory bowel disease and Tylan. With my vet's blessing, I tried it. It worked wonders for him and he was able to be maintained on a very small dose daily. He could only tolerate the salmon-based kibble and loved a raw turkey neck with each meal. He gained 24 pounds and looked superb when I lost him just one year later.
 
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