Gaining weight

1596 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Lilly Pad, Apr 18, 2008

shepsmum

Discussion Starter · Apr 10, 2008

There was already a topic started, but I didn't want to hijack it.

Shep is on a limited diet, no beef, wheat or dairy in search of an allergy.

Since he was young, we've had a problem getting weight on him. Vet says he's about 30lbs underweight for his structure. Back when we first noticed this problem, they'd run almost every test and xray possible to make sure it wasn't health related.

We'd ended up moving to raw diet, actually thanks to this forum, and he's eating decently. 1lb mm, 1.8lb rmb. We give a frozen mackeral or 2 frozen sardines every other day. We've been gradually increasing the amount every 3 weeks, trying to increase his mass. He bounces between 60 and 70 lbs since he was 6 months old, however his bones and muscles keep growing. He's a huge boy structurally, and with his long hair, can't really tell he's underweight until you pet him. Can easily feel all his backbone and ribs.

As far as we know it's not health related, no more tests can be done, so we need "french fries" for dogs, that's not beef, dairy or wheat related.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

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IsisUnselke

· #2 · Apr 10, 2008

Have you tried some different canned foods that don't have any of the ingeredients you have to avoid? Some of them have a pretty high protein and fat content. I like Merricks and Evangers canned foods. Also, I know it's probably not a permanent solution...but have you heard of NutriCal? It is a high calorie nutrirional "paste" that comes in a tube. It can be used for animals that aren't eating properly due to surgery or certain health problems.

Getting him to eat more seems like the logical solution, but that can be more complicated than it sounds.

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EastGSD

· #3 · Apr 10, 2008

Just so I understand, you want to keep him on Barf and are looking for some type of addition that is carb related to add bulk to the dog?

Cherri

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3K9Mom

· #4 · Apr 11, 2008

What meats are you feeding?

I like elk. Bison (which is a different protein than beef, although you'll have to introduce individually to ensure there is no reaction.) Venison. Lamb is great. Even though I cut off the thick layer of fat that I tend to find on the lamb I buy, there is still a lot of fat within the meat itself to add fat calories in balance with the protein. Dark poultry meat (legs, thighs) over white meat (breasts, wings) for more calories per pound.

Eggs. Gotta love eggs, and they're not dairy either!

One of the simplest ways I add calories to my guy's diet is by drizzling Extra Virgin Olive Oil over his RMB. It adds calories. My dog loves it. But also, the essential fatty acids are great for fighting inflammation, which all dogs with allergies need help with. The oil helps with dry skin and coat as well. I alternate Olive Oil with Fish oil every other day, but it looks like you're feeding plenty of fish already.

Speaking of fish, you can get more caloric bang if you feed more oily fish instead of dry fish. This website should help you determine which is which.

Think about sweet potatoes as a nice way to add in some extra calories. (I toss mine in the microwave on "potato" setting or in the oven when I'm cooking dinner). These orange jewels are also highly anti-inflammatory. For kids like ours, with allergies, anything I can feed that is anti-inflammatory, I do try to feed. Anything to turn off the overactive immune system!

Finally, raw local honey is supposed to be the bee's knees

when it comes to fighting allergies, according to Whole Dog Journal. And honey, of course, has calories. A spoonful of this would almost certainly make your pup a happy camper.

Ready to go shopping yet? I just made myself extremely hungry! (Honey and sweet potatoes. Mmmm!

)

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MikeB06

· #5 · Apr 11, 2008

More than 20 years ago, I learned from a great GSD breeder / handler that most every GSD can benefit from a digestive enzyme supplement for better digestion. I had a big male at the time that was very thin no matter what he ate. This breeder handler recommended PROZYME. Over time using Prozyme he put on the needed weight and never had anymore problems. I have seen this many time with GSD's and other breeds too. I have fed it to every dog I have owned since. There are several "over the counter" products that work very well. I have tried them all over time.

Prozyme - http://www.prozymeproducts.com/
NZYMES - http://www.nzymes.com/
TOTAL-ZMYES - http://www.petenzymes.com/

I also use Animal Naturals Show Stopper http://www.k9power.com/

Hope this helps,

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Lilly Pad

· #6 · Apr 17, 2008

I have started my dog on Prozyme to see if I can put weight on her. She is is great shape but I can still see her ribs and I would like her to put on about 5 pounds. She eats the recommened amouts of Orijen and Honest Kitchen with meat added. but her poops are large and I thought they should be smaller. I am wondering if she is getting as much of the food goodness as she should. Anyone had experience with this product and if she starts it will she need it for life?

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3K9Mom

· #7 · Apr 18, 2008

Originally Posted By: MikeB06More than 20 years ago, I learned from a great GSD breeder / handler that most every GSD can benefit from a digestive enzyme supplement for better digestion. I had a big male at the time that was very thin no matter what he ate. This breeder handler recommended PROZYME. Over time using Prozyme he put on the needed weight and never had anymore problems. I have seen this many time with GSD's and other breeds too. I have fed it to every dog I have owned since. There are several "over the counter" products that work very well. I have tried them all over time.

Prozyme - http://www.prozymeproducts.com/
NZYMES - http://www.nzymes.com/
TOTAL-ZMYES - http://www.petenzymes.com/

I also use Animal Naturals Show Stopper http://www.k9power.com/

Hope this helps,

I've read, and I hope someone here will fill in the blanks for me, that giving a dog with a well functioning system extra enzymes is NOT a good idea because it throws the dog's system off.

In other words, if it's not broken, don't fix it. If a dog needs extra helps, then sure, give it to him. But not automatically when all systems are operating smoothly.

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Lilly Pad

· #8 · Apr 18, 2008

I have given the Prozyme for 2 days now and her poop this morning was only half the size of yesterdays. I hope this means that she is digesting more of the goodness in her food. This would have been the Orijen that she passed this morning. She is a shelter dog that I have had for 3 and a half months now. We have had lots of health issues but for the past month she has been showing steady improvement. I agree if it`s not broke don`t fix, but she might benefit from this product.

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