[JanH]

OK I have a question...again...unrelated to the other thread. My skinny dog is eating much better on BARF (I suppose no surprise there). He's a border collie and should be about 40#.
What I've read/figured is:
12 oz RMB
5 oz muscle
.7 oz organ

I've been feeding him at this level even though he's not at his ideal weight. My question is - is there any harm in giving extra? For example, this morning they got pork neck bones with meat on it of course, ground turkey and a little liver. Because of his weight (this is the one nothing showed out of weight on a blood test as far as liver/pancreas etc) I'm wondering if this too was the food - but if I gave him a chicken leg quarter this afternoon in addition to that is that too much? It changes the proportions of food slightly. The others are slicking up and looking good and I do see (or think I see) changes in him but of course would like to get him up to weight ASAP.

Another change - the sheltie has more energy than he's had since I've owned him - over a year! He's bouncing around the yard playing with anyone who will chase him or run and being a sheltie he can't do so quietly. Neighbor got irritated with him last night...didn't say anything which is good 'cause I'd just say "well you know it's just what dogs do...oh and btw at least he's barking from his yard unlike the pitbull in our garden!" But a difference in a short amount of time - would just like to get weight on this BC and not sure if it'd be better to leave it as is, add an occasional quarter in the afternoon, use extra ground meat or ??

 

[Amaruq]

Most chicken quarters are roughly a pound which will be more than doubling his daily intake. This approach might be ok once or twice a week but I would think for the gradual weight gain just try giving him a little more MM each day as long as it doesnt throw off his system. Maybe a meatball or two size wise or you could just use higher fat food a little more frequently.

 

[BrennasMom]

Sometimes to add calories I will just throw an egg in for good measure. I'm not sure if it counts as a mm or what, I don't give the shell only because she will crunch it up but not eat it, leaving crushed shell all over the crate.

 

[JanH]

yea I was wondering about throwing off the % because of that...not necessarily every day but a couple times per week. Can try some eggs and calorie stuff too...just didn't want to create more problems than I'm trying to solve.

 

[JanH]

OK I hate to bump this up again but have some more questions.

sorry.

I've been anally watching and probably over-evaluating my 'pack' and this boy in particular. Everyone is *REALLY* taking to the real stuff and in a week my other half is seeing the difference in the other dogs. Those who were a little rough looking have slicked up and filled out. They weren't skinny but definitely look better now!!

However, this skinny boy is the big test. I think he's filling in along the back - MUCH needed. However, he's still got kind of pasty stool. Everyone else has, for lack of a better description smallish dark poop. His is light colored and no shape to it. I ran bloodwork on him in late February and it showed nothing wrong with thyroid, etc. I'm calling tomorrow to get a hard copy of that report. The only thing the vet found was he was "loaded" with hookworms and whipworms and was on a 3 day treatment of Safeguard (as was everyone else). Roughly a month later he got another dose to get any that came on after the first dose. Now it's a month later - he's still skinny. He feels good - he's alert and active and other than his physical weight there's not a thing wrong with him. He is put in a crate so he can eat without being bothered - so I *know* what he's eating. I do feed him a little more because of his weight, but not excessively so. For example today he got a leg quarter, about 5oz of ground turkey with a little garlic in it. I was out of liver and didn't have the van so will have to balance that in tomorrow.

I got a couple more books to read but am trying to figure it out. Surely he doesn't still have worms? (I am on the hunt for DE to use without chemicals). He eats great now that he's on BARF - he'd pick at food before. Maybe some yogurt for the "good bugs" of the digestive tract? I do see (or maybe it's wishful thinking) some improvement but the manure gets me - why it's sooo much different than the rest of them. I should add his gum color is good and healthy, and he's not sickly....just skinny.

He really is getting fed; and I don't think vets in this area are big on BARF/raw so I really want this to work...I want to take him back in as he should look...partly to verify it works, that the dog food *was* an issue and that he truly is getting fed.

Can I be missing anything else?

 

[3K9Mom]

Does his stool still look the same as before? Improved at all? Did you run his stool to ensure the worms are gone? When I worm a dog I always do a follow-up check just to be sure. I'd start there. A fecal is usually a quick and easy test that they can do while you wait. That will give you a quick answer.

Also, since you're bringing poop in, you can ask for a giardia antigen test to be run.(Sometimes, vets have to send this out to an outside lab). Be sure you ask for the *antigen* test. Usually giardia poop is runny, urgent, and smells awful. But sometimes, it can lay low and just cause ongoing distress. I don't think that a giardia test is a bad idea either at this stage.

Beneficial bacteria in yogurt can be helpful as long as you're sure that your pup isn't lactose-intolerant. If he is, then you may be making the situation worse. If you're not sure, most holistic pet stores sell supplements separately that while they're still milk products, they don't have nearly as much actual "dairy." That could be helpful, and probably worth a try.

Canned pumpkin can help sooth the GI tract. This isn't a solution nor a cure, but it can help manage things til you figure out what's going on.

 

[JanH]

It's slightly better than before...several shades darker but still a tan color. I haven't had a follow up fecal run, figuring two three day doses of safeguard should get anything. I'm wondering about giardia though as that describes it - and the others want to eat it.

I hadn't thought of the canned pumpkin - may ration a can out over a few days and see if that helps at all. Had gotten a couple more books to read too - seems my dogs a piece of that and a piece of this one seems to work the best. Thanks.