[oregongsdr111]

I am not sure where this should go but will start here. I took in a dog from a County Shelter last year. She was starved and weighed in at 34 lbs at intake. She was just shy of two years old. Over the next 7 months we got her weight up to 65 lbs. At 65 lbs she was very lean, but looked healthy. Since then I have been battling her weight non stop. She is currently down to 55 lbs with ribs and hip bones exposed. She no longer looks healthy. My vet has been working hard with us trying to figure out what the cause is. We have run many fecals, and done lab work several times. She is on very expensive dog food and a powder that is used for pigs to fatten them up before market. Our next step is exploritory, which I hate to do. I have called and e-mailed her breeder but have not heard back from them. I was trying to see what the dogs of their lines are built like. I am wondering if there are many working line female GSD's that are in the 60-65 lb range? She is a product of the Vom Ruff Kennels if any of you have knowledge of their dogs. She has a short small stature in comparison to my dogs. I have been thinking that if it is common for females of these lines to run in the 60-65 lb range we are about 7 lbs off. She is off the charts in energy and spends 12 hours a day with me at my doggie day care running her buns off. I know alot depends on genetics, but do any of you see an average? My hope is to hear that working line dogs are smaller and tend to be in the lower weight range. (she will be three in June). Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[curedba]

60-65 pounds for a female is quite normal I believe even for working lines but obviously at 55 if her bones are showing she is too thin I would do what I could to get her back up to the 65 mark

 

[Jax08]

60-65 is a normal size. Fighting to keep weight on her despite all efforts is a sign of something else going on. I would have your vet check for EPI, SIBO, IBD.

 

[BahCan]

What specifically are you feeding now and how much. Can you post pics, side shots and shots from above. Everybodys idea of skinny can be different.

 

[oregongsdr111]

It is hard to condence a year of battle, so I hope I was making sense. In my mind I had set a target goal of 70-75 lbs as a healthy weight. When we made it to 65 lbs she was looking thin but no longer getting stared at. When I got Zoe she was terrified, and behaved like a feral cat. She was dog aggressive, and would not accept human attention. She only felt safe in a crate. Even with the door open she would not come out. Her activity level was none. As she became heathy and became adjusted to dogs, her activity level increased a 1000 fold. Currently she is on the go from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. I have been trying to figure out if the weight loss is due to her non stop movement, a health issue, or both. If it is not uncommon for a female to be in the 60-65 lbs range I feel better about the weight. Needing 5-7 lbs vs 15-20. She was on 5 cups orijen per day, then we switched to Royal Canin High energy so her body did not have to work so hard to break the food down. She is now on the Hypoallergenic version, and Tylan powder, 4 cups per day. I will take her in for weight check next week. I can see she has put on a pound or two since the switch which was 3 weeks ago. I have seen many posts online about working dogs having issues with maintaining weight, but it seemed like none of those owners had ruled out health issues, and we have ruled out most. I will ask the vet if he has checked into the above mentioned conditions. I will also get some pictures of her.

 

[oregongsdr111]

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This is Zoe at 34 lbs when I got her. I will post her at 60 lbs and currently.

 

[curedba]

Here is a chart that may help you I have seen better ones but not sure where to find them

 

[curedba]

She is beautiful

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This is Zoe at 34 lbs when I got her. I will post her at 60 lbs and currently.

 

[onyx'girl]

So the vet has checked thyroid, ruled out EPI, SIBO? I would look at a raw or home prepared diet. Monica Segal or Carmen here(Carmspack) would be worth contacting for advice. If the coat and skin condition is bad, there is more going on than a weight issue.

 

[JackandMattie]

My Jack was underweight when I brought him home. Not as much, but it disturbed me. I tried everything I could think of, with no success... he just wasn't motivated to eat. Finally, I hit on a raw diet. Worked wonders!! Trainer told me last week upon meeting him the first time that he's a little overweight. I looked at the trainer like he was crazy, and then looked down at my dog, and saw Success, lol!!!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App

 

[oregongsdr111]

[URL=http://s39.photobucket.com/user/oregongsdr/media/Zoe1557083_425639167475466_136639808_n.jpg.html]

[/URL]
Zoe at 60 lbs.

 

[curedba]

She looks to be a healthy weight in this picture

Zoe at 60 lbs.

 

[oregongsdr111]

She looks worse in person than this photo shows. It was the only photo I had to pull off of our facebook. For those in the know, would you consider the 60 lbs photo acceptable?

 

[curedba]

looks underweight in this one was this 60 pounds as well?

She looks worse in person than this photo shows. It was the only photo I had to pull off of our facebook. For those in the know, would you consider the 60 lbs photo acceptable?

 

[oregongsdr111]

Last picture is at 55 lbs.

 

[curedba]

Wow what a difference 5 pounds can make

 

[Magwart]

First, THANK YOU for saving this beautiful dog! She's magnificent, and she's very lucky.

Are you currently feeding any digestive enzyme product? I've used Prozyme for years on my own dogs, and I've lately been seeing it help fosters who are fresh from the shelter. It's very economical too, if you order it online.

Also, what are you currently feeding? (I know you mentioned it was "expensive" but if you don't mind sharing the brand, someone here may some thoughts on something else about it as a weight-gain food).

 

[onyx'girl]

I like to see a rib or two, as long as the dog is muscled and the coat is in good shape. Active dogs need more food, and don't go by the kibble bag suggestions. Go by your individual dogs needs.
I feed raw and adjust portion size often depending on each dogs condition.

 

[oregongsdr111]

She is now on the Hypoallergenic version of Royal Canin, and Tylan powder. We are looking at invasive vet stuff soon, so I am trying to gather as much info as possible. Lets say 60-65 lbs is ideal for weight. This girl is off the charts energy, would if be reasonable to think she is just burning off the calories due to crazy activity? I have not tried kenneling her for periods during the day. Thoughts on that? She is at my Doggie Day Care full on play with 15 other large breed dogs for 12 hours a day five days a week? I am going to add an additional feeding during the day starting tomorrow. How does one get good info on the raw diets?

 

[curedba]

Is it at all possible to switch her to a RAW diet it is better for her usually they love it and it helps them gain weight too.

She is now on the Hypoallergenic version of Royal Canin, and Tylan powder. We are looking at invasive vet stuff soon, so I am trying to gather as much info as possible. Lets say 60-65 lbs is ideal for weight. This girl is off the charts energy, would if be reasonable to think she is just burning off the calories due to crazy activity? I have not tried kenneling her for periods during the day. Thoughts on that? She is at my Doggie Day Care full on play with 15 other large breed dogs for 12 hours a day five days a week? I am going to add an additional feeding during the day starting tomorrow. How does one get good info on the raw diets?