Will Not Gain Weight

[jaym1]

the sa really isnt an issue for him at this point, as he is kept company by another greyhound i borrow a few days a week, and is in daycare for the remainder of the week with dogs and people he absolutely loves. and next weekend im bringing home a second dog to keep with him.

 

it sounds like the consensus here is to just wait and see, which is what i will do. its just frustrating because he had that brief interlude of what seemed like perfect digestion.

 

while those photos i posted arent misleading, i feel like they dont really do his thinness justice. here is a photo of him a week after he came home. his coat was still ratty then, but, in terms of body size and thinness, he is more or less the same, with maybe a pound or two gained since.

 

Edited April 8, 2012 by jaym1

[BauersMom]

IMO - he probably needs 3-5 lbs from that photo. The hip "points" should be showing with his build, but not the entire hip bone like that.

 

I personally would not wait and see with weight loss and diarrhea but that's just me.

[jaym1]

he doesnt have diarrhea, just soft stools.

[Batmom]

If the stools are formed, don't worry about it so.

 

Hard to tell from the pics if he currently *needs* to gain weight or not -- some dogs tend to be lean and that is the way they are. If you feel he really does need to gain a little, try adding a cooked egg or a 4 oz hamburger to each meal.

[TwiggysMom]

OK, that last photo looks substantially different from the previous ones. I would say if that is truer to form, then he could use some additional weight.

 

My suggestion would still be to first try to make sure he doesn't still have some type of worms, use a bland diet (with or without digestive enzymes) for a week or so to get his stool back on track, and then transition back to a fully-balanced diet you know he does well on (in his case, that sounds like green bag Iams).

 

One other thing I just thought of - when they are fresh off the track (even up to a year), the higher protein and/or grain-free diets seem to be too rich for some of them. This may well change with time, but for now Iams, ProPlan (do they still make this??), or similar may be better tolerated than some of the fancier foods. I don't think anyone has suggested a raw diet yet, but this also helps many dogs. Although, when my own girl was new to home life, I gave her a turkey neck with resulted in 2 days of liquid poo. A year or two later, these resulted in the firmest, smallest, driest poop you ever saw. (I can't give her raw anymore b/c chemo, but otherwise, she would be getting about 1/3 to 1/2 raw diet). This is my long way of saying that their systems and tolerances do change over time, so taking it slow and steady is a good approach.

[sweetdogs]

Oooh, Twiggysmom beat me to it - I'm a raw feeder & that's almost always my suggestion.

 

It's so hard to tell without being able to put our hands on your (gorgeous ) boy (do we know his name?). I've had 2 hounds (both girls) who I had lots of trouble putting weight on. One would self-regulate (skip a meal here & there) & the other just poops out any additional food. Since she's raw fed, it's not soft, just more frequent. I've put a couple of pounds on her in the year I've had her but even today I thought she looked too thin for a 4 year old. Interestingly, she also had a raging case of hookworm when I first got her. Took a couple of rounds to get rid of them.

 

Since your boy is acting completely healthy & all his tests are normal, he just maybe a skinny malink. But maybe he's sensitive to some ingredient in the foods you're feeding. And here comes the raw pitch - with a raw or home-cooked diet, you're controlling exactly what goes into him. Cause you may not be able to determine what is bothering him from reading the labels.

 

Lots of good ideas in this thread - I hope you find something that works for him. And keep posting pictures of him so we can see more of his beautiful self.

[cleptogrey]

If the stools are formed, don't worry about it so.

 

Hard to tell from the pics if he currently *needs* to gain weight or not -- some dogs tend to be lean and that is the way they are. If you feel he really does need to gain a little, try adding a cooked egg or a 4 oz hamburger to each meal.

excellent suggestion(as usual, i like the way you think).

Edited April 8, 2012 by cleptogrey

[Burpdog]

Again, with the needed weight gain & soft stools I suggest you try the BilJac frozen.

[Guest zombrie]

If the stools are formed, don't worry about it so.

 

Hard to tell from the pics if he currently *needs* to gain weight or not -- some dogs tend to be lean and that is the way they are. If you feel he really does need to gain a little, try adding a cooked egg or a 4 oz hamburger to each meal.

excellent suggestion(as usual, i like the way you think).

 

Ditto!! Some dogs are just naturally leaner than others. My littermates are like that as well. Can't get weight on them if I tried. From what pictures you posted and he feels good, I wouldn't sweat it. He looks perfect to me in the first photos you posted. And if he's an active dog like you say he is, you want to keep him leaner. Then again, I'm also one of those people that want my dogs at or around their racing weight.

[jaym1]

actually, these are two photos i just took of him this morning. comparing them with that older photo, i realize that he is not as skinny as he was when i got him.

 

[cleptogrey]

actually, these are two photos i just took of him this morning. comparing them with that older photo, i realize that he is not as skinny as he was when i got him.

 

 

perfect! go compare this pic to felix's- the same! don't worry

[silverfish]

Stop worrying!

 

Your dog, in that last pair of pictures - particularly the last one - looks absolutely perfect and the picture of health. If you put much more weight on him, he'll be fat!

 

The 'when he first came home picture' is exactly what Jeffie was like, minus the scars (he collected some a short while later, though ) Now, he's still skinny, but has muscle and a bit more weight. Being settled helped him. More exercise helped him. But he'll probably never look as good as that last pic of yours, because he was already nine when we got him. Enjoy your healthy fella!

[greyhead]

That pup is so far from fat that there is no danger whatsoever of his achieving fatness any time soon.

 

You know your dog better than we do and have made good observations about his changes in function. Changes always mean something. It is sensible to wonder what. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise. (This is coming from one who was deterred by two vets from finding out why my first grey had a growling stomach and was biting at his sides. They said the fecal was negative and it was probably from treats or emotional problems. It was hookworm and by the time it was discovered by the third vet, he was set up for a lifetime of GI problems.)

[silverfish]

That pup is so far from fat that there is no danger whatsoever of his achieving fatness any time soon.

 

 

I don't mean to be argumentative, but are you looking at the last picture, which is as he is now, or at the one where all his bones are showing and he was at his thinnest, which was actually taken just after adoption?

 

Just to clarify, I'm not talking about a couple of pounds making him fat, but several pounds. Again looking at that last picture of him by the window, if he were mine, I'd put that line at about five extra pounds, and after that, I think he'd be too well-covered for his size of frame, remembering that you are supposed to be able to see some ribs on a greyhound. But it does depend on whether the extra poundage is muscle or fat. Muscle weighs heavy but is healthy, fat is just baggage.

 

But these are retired dogs we're talking about and everyone has their preference as to what makes a comfortable weight. A few pounds over really doesn't matter too much, but after that it's detrimental to their overall wellbeing. Again, these are just my own personal opinions, and it's true that we never get the full picture over the internet. The OP has had a good number of opinions, and if he is still worried, then his vet would be the one to check with first, and if he can find one, a true greyhound expert - someone who works their dogs.

[BauersMom]

That pup is so far from fat that there is no danger whatsoever of his achieving fatness any time soon.

 

 

I don't mean to be argumentative, but are you looking at the last picture, which is as he is now, or at the one where all his bones are showing and he was at his thinnest, which was actually taken just after adoption?

 

Just to clarify, I'm not talking about a couple of pounds making him fat, but several pounds. Again looking at that last picture of him by the window, if he were mine, I'd put that line at about five extra pounds, and after that, I think he'd be too well-covered for his size of frame, remembering that you are supposed to be able to see some ribs on a greyhound. But it does depend on whether the extra poundage is muscle or fat. Muscle weighs heavy but is healthy, fat is just baggage.

 

 

Even in the last photo, you can see all the ribs - that's still on the skinny side. Regardless of whether or not people "prefer" their dogs on the skinny side or not, I don't think the OP has any reason to believe her dog will be fat any time soon.

 

While it's true that there is only so much you can determine from a photo on the web, the combination of unexplained weight loss with changes in stools means that something is going on. A healthy dog doesn't lose weight and have lose stools for no reason - even if it's something minor, it will be good for the OP to know what's going on so they can avoid further weight loss, etc.

 

The suggestions to try either the BilJac frozen or some sort of home-prepared/raw diet are an easy thing to try, and certainly less expensive than an ultrasound or other diagnostics.

[greyhead]

BauersMom, that's what I meant too. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Silverfish, I don't mean to be argumentative either, but I do mean to support the OP in taking all the wisdom here and sorting through it, giving great weight to his own instincts and observations. Indeed, I was looking at the last picture. While he looks better than he did at first, and I can see where you're coming from, he still has way more rib, backbone, and hips protruding than he needs to for fitness, IMHO. Given his vascillating with the weight gain/loss and stools, I just didn't want the OP to let the tastes and possible optimism of others overrule his own best judgment. Most of us usually want to believe that everything is fine.

 

I don't know if raw feeding is the answer, but I will share that our skinny IBD dog gets half of his diet in raw form. The opinions were mostly against feeding raw to an IBD dog, from the vets and several knowledgeable GT people, and the theoretical reasons for those opinions were certainly understandable. But we tried it in desperation (not because he was skinny so much as because he was very ill), it works for him, so even the vets said to keep doing it. My experiences are only my experiences, but I share them for what an owner may decide they're worth to their situation. No disrespect is intended to anyone who disagrees with me.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

In the today shots, I think he's thin, but not awful. In the very first photo in the thread, I think he looks perfect and the brindle sleeping in the background looks overweight.

 

Hard to say... I was worried my broodie, who was super underweight after a difficult spay, would not gain, but in 16 days she's completely turned normal looking and I am almost ready to reduce her down to maintaining. I hope you find a good solution!

[Brandiandwe]

Another to chime in that maybe it's nothing. One of ours puts on weight as soon as she sniffs some food, the other one could be fed all day every day and still shows most of her ribs and vertebrae. We were worried, but then looked at her - lots of energy, beautiful coat and when I contacted her breeder, found out that her mother was a skinny little thing who never put on any fat no matter what.

[greyhead]

Suddenly I'm remembering that after Spencer lost his 20 lbs through illness, I posted a picture here. Some people said he didn't look awfully bad. And in the picture, he didn't look as bad as he did in real life. Maybe the camera adds weight to greyhounds as it does with photograph models.

[jaym1]

i mean, he is thinner than a greyhound needs to be. not hugely -- and his thinness alone wouldnt be a cause for real concern. he's definitely put on some muscle since i got him, and like i said, he has a great appetite, and is active for a greyhound, with lots of energy to spare. where you really notice it is in the rump, which feels like a box of bones when you rest a hand on him. as mentioned above, he doesnt have diarrhea, and his stools are formed. theyre just soft, and i know that on the food that he is on, he is capable of gaining weight and producing perfect stools, since i have seen him do both. he is on heartguard monthly, and has been dewormed several times, and has passed two fecal tests (which obviously mean nothing -- he passed his first while he had a raging tape worm infection).

 

perhaps i will try the biljac. i gave him a turkey neck once, and though he loved it, it looked even worse going out than coming in (which is saying a lot -- have you guys seen a raw turkey neck?). i'd be perfectly willing to do a raw diet, but after switching so many times in his first few months, i'd like to just keep him on a single food for a while.

 

here is is this afternoon. he JUST started playing fetch like a real dog. this is something like the 50th fetch of the day.

 

tempo playing

Edited April 8, 2012 by jaym1

[jaym1]

i got a second gray one week ago. in the last two days, he has suddenly become very finicky about eating, to the point where he isnt finishing his meals, which, until now, has been totally unheard of, as he normally inhales any food thats anywhere near him. ive also seen him nipping at grass stems for the past fews days. strangely, his stools have undergone a significant improvement over the past week or so. i am trying to get an appointment with the vet asap, but im not sure she will have the answer either. he has noticeably dropped a few lbs, and has been a little lethargic. it was hard to notice at first, because we had a streak of unseasonably warm weather, and i thought that that was what had been slowing him down (and undoubtedly it was), but thats no longer the case.

 

most noticeable is the eating, though. he wont touch anything that has his medicine in it (tylan, fluoxetine, probiotic), and when he does eat, he chews piece by piece, whereas before he just vacuumed it all up. i dont know if this is some sort of weird reaction to the new dog or what.

[turbotaina]

Wonder if you might try a round of Panacur. If he picked up hooks, they can be notoriously hard to expel and can cause the problems you're seeing. Not sure which pro-biotic you're using, but the brand I used for my boy set his stools right immediately (his system got out of whack after a round of antibiotics). Of course, now I'm totally forgetting the name of the stuff!

 

Hope you can get his issues figured out

[jaym1]

proviable dc

 

he's been wormed several times. his stool improved a lot over the last week, to the point where theyre getting back to normal. but the sudden loss of apetite and noticeable lethargy is really troubling. as is the beginning of another weight loss.

[Guest zombrie]

proviable dc

 

he's been wormed several times. his stool improved a lot over the last week, to the point where theyre getting back to normal. but the sudden loss of apetite and noticeable lethargy is really troubling. as is the beginning of another weight loss.

 

 

I see you live in MA (I do as well)... Doolin woke up this morning lethargic and not wanting to eat. We took him to the vet and found out he has Anaplasmosis... It couldn't hurt to have your vet do a TBD test on him.

[jaym1]

proviable dc

 

he's been wormed several times. his stool improved a lot over the last week, to the point where theyre getting back to normal. but the sudden loss of apetite and noticeable lethargy is really troubling. as is the beginning of another weight loss.

 

 

I see you live in MA (I do as well)... Doolin woke up this morning lethargic and not wanting to eat. We took him to the vet and found out he has Anaplasmosis... It couldn't hurt to have your vet do a TBD test on him.

 

i specifically asked thet vet* about TBDs today, and she said they wouldnt cause those symptoms. i know he's never been tested, and he came from west virginia last fall, so i was curious. i think that, given his history, she thinks its an extension of his digestive issues.

 

*the woman i spoke to was a consulting dr. my vet was out of the office today.