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Ruby has been losing weight and at her last vet visit, she had lost another 6 lbs. She had been eating her food really well. The last few days she has started picking at her breakfast but eating her dinner well. I tried adding extra food to her dinner meal, but she seems to stop at the 1.5 cup amount. I have been giving her a couple of Happy Hips chicken treats a day, along with some other little treats here and there.

I was wondering if maybe her food is too lean, but I love it and feel that it is a good choice for her. She has been on Fromm Chicken A La Veg. I was wondering about adding a 1/2 cup of the green bag to see if she would gain a bit. I had tried the green bag a while ago and she loved it, but the amount of poop was too much.

Any other ideas on how to get some much needed weight back on her ? I can see all her ribs now.

Karen

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I had the girls weighed the other day. Paige has dropped about five kilos, Brandi three since going on raw. I can see all of Paige's ribs, her spine is sometimes visible and hips definitely there. BUT she is muscled, fit as a fiddle, her coat is glossy and soft, she's never still, her eyes are clear, breath is good, teeth clean. I would check with the vet and consider the other health indicators. Then see.

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I think 6 pounds is a lot, especially on top of what she has lost. Is the vet concerned? Did he suggest a supplement? I can't remember what others have said they use to put weight back on (I assume she is too skinny??), but I think one of them was a liquid. Was it Ensure? If Annie lost 6 pounds, she'd be below her racing weight and would, IMO, be too thin. I'd be scrambling to determine the cause and a remedy.

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Although many have an aversion to raw, Satin Balls is a fabulous way for greys to gain weight. Have you tried that?

 

Other ways I can think of to sneak in some weight is pasta or rice - good carbs! Adding the rice/pasta might just encourage her to finish all of the meal you are giving her as well.

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I have not tried the Satin Balls. They are made with beef aren't they ? She is highly allergic to beef. Might be able to make them with ground turkey.

Yes, the vet is concerned but did not recommend a supplement. I have to go get her more food today and am going to ask if there is a Fromm formula that has more calories in it other than the chicken one she has been on. Going to look for sprinkles too. I used to put some warm water on her food but even that doesn't work.

All her ribs show but her coat, eyes, etc. are bright and shiny. We are starting to think there might be some dementia issues so are looking into that.

Karen

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Check to see if they have a puppy formula. They usually have more calories than adult food, along with added vitamins and minerals.

 

However, if she is losing weight AND not finishing her food, I would be looking into other physical - specifically GI - issues. Has her bloodwork been normal? Have you considered an abdominal ultrasound?

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how old is ruby? age often factors into weight loss.

 

also you might consider adding white rice and broth- boil some chicken or ground beef to her kibble. the carbs will help and the flavor of the meat should get her going. i have sautéed either proteins in a tasty garlic/soy combo w/ some broth to add some zing to help stimulate some appetite. but i always consult w/ my vet(he's a fan of home cooked goodies to stimulate eating). there might be some other issues cooking.

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Ruby has recently been to the vet and had a ton of bloodwork done and all was well. I went to the store today to see about a new flavor of food from Fromm that had more calories, and the change was minimal. I did end up getting her a higher calorie food by Canidae (sp?). It has 100 calories more a cup and you feed the same amount. I will try it and see if there are any tummy issues. I have been using parmesan cheese to help with her appetite but even that isn't working much any more. She had a 1/4 cup of the new food with the old today and ate it all up. We'll see if it continues. She HATES to walk in the rain and cold so exercise is not the problem. We pull her around a few blocks each day and she is always happy to see the house.

Ruby is 7 1/2 and her racing weight was 69 lbs and she now weighs 59.

Karen

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i know everyone here swears by bloodwork, but i know from personal experience that it doesn't always show everything. a good friend who is a vet was really diligent on doing bloodwork and her own dog who just wan't right. the results showed nothing what so ever. when she decided to do exploratory surgery the worst showed up- his gut was loaded w/ the big C.

 

can you take the test results and stool samples to another vet and opt for a second opinion? you are doing the right thing,, but if she's not pooping regularly(other posts). has your vet suggested any anti-inflammatories for her gut? i.e. tylan powder? if they feel everything is o.k., then it seems like there could be a parasite, has that option been considered? i hate to think of the worst, but giardia or the parasite from birds(coxisomethingoranother)are much better options than a costly MRI and the worst. parasites can do weird things. when felix has had his bouts of giardia- occasional flare-ups he just doesn't feel like eating or doing anything else.

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Guest FosterMom2014

I had one that just seemed to not gain weight. I did the satin balls for about two weeks, still nothing. Then I read on here about iams green bag, viola! Now he is at a great weight and ribs look good and hip bones are barely showing. And he is very active, runs every chance he gets and that is about 4 times a day. So I would suggest the iams if nothing else you are trying is working. Took about 10 days to start showing a difference, and I had him at 3 cups, now back down to 2 and is maintaining so far, but has only been about 3 days. Good luck!

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Ruby has recently been to the vet and had a ton of bloodwork done and all was well. I went to the store today to see about a new flavor of food from Fromm that had more calories, and the change was minimal. I did end up getting her a higher calorie food by Canidae (sp?). It has 100 calories more a cup and you feed the same amount. I will try it and see if there are any tummy issues. I have been using parmesan cheese to help with her appetite but even that isn't working much any more. She had a 1/4 cup of the new food with the old today and ate it all up. We'll see if it continues. She HATES to walk in the rain and cold so exercise is not the problem. We pull her around a few blocks each day and she is always happy to see the house.

Ruby is 7 1/2 and her racing weight was 69 lbs and she now weighs 59.

 

Wow, Ruby girl you're way too thin. Maybe it was mentioned above but if not, my suggestion is to add pasta as another way to get her to eat. Ruby seems to like "this" today but not next week. Maybe if you switched what additives you give her she wouldn't be so picky. About the only time I give Annie people food is when I've done a pasta/macaroni thing. She's very fond of my mac & cheese and loves my Alfredo. If Annie ever needed to gain weight I'd start with those two things as an additive.

Edited by Feisty49
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Thanks everyone. The mention of the BIG C scares me to death and I don't even want to allow my head to go there. She does poop but was holding it in until I told her to go. That was part of my dementia question. That seems to be under control now that I am telling her to go after dinner. She was just tested for parasites and there are none. She also gets treated monthly so the vet was not worried about that.

I have a bag of Iams in the car that I bought the other day out of desparation but haven't opened it yet because I bought the Canidae Duck and she has eaten that all up for both meals now. It is 100 calories more per cup than the Fromm that I was feeding her. Hopefully she will continue to eat this for a while. She does like things to be switched up, but her tummy is so sensitive that I hate to switch her all the time.

I will try the Iams if she doesn't put some weight on with the duck food. She likes the Iams Green bag but the amount of poop she had was incredible. I have never tried pasta. Does that tend to give gas ? We don't need more of that around here.

I also give her a turkey neck twice a week and chicken jerky a couple times a day when she has eaten her food. I hate to fill her up with snack things if she isn't eating her regular food, but lately have been handing them out more.

Karen

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Don't know if pasta gives gas because almost nothing gives Annie gas.

 

Another suggestion to tantalize Ruby's palate is to try canned cat food. Just mixing a tablespoon in with the kibble and water can change a dog's whole attitude about eating. I hate canned cat food and always used kibble, but my cat was recently put on canned food because of a health issue and I use the spoon I served the cat food to mix up Annie's kibble and water and she really likes the slight flavor.

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Another suggestion to tantalize Ruby's palate is to try canned cat food. Just mixing a tablespoon in with the kibble and water can change a dog's whole attitude about eating. I hate canned cat food and always used kibble, but my cat was recently put on canned food because of a health issue and I use the spoon I served the cat food to mix up Annie's kibble and water and she really likes the slight flavor.

yes, either that or crappy mighty dog- the critters seem to love that. pasta is a good substitute for rice. a friend i know swears by kraft macaroni and cheese to fatten up her dogs. anything goes when a dog is really under weight. also, older older dogs do drop in weight.why are you concerned about kibble? lots of dogs eat things other than kibble. why not wet food? high in calories and just add a vitamin pill.

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So far so good on the new Canidae duck food. We are using half and half with the Fromm and I may be hallucinating, but she seems to have more energy. Could it be ? She comes in now after eating and immediately grabs her stuffed bunny and throws it around a while. She hasn't done that in a long time. Poo's look good so am going to switch her over completely by tomorrow. Maybe she has just been slowly starving on the Fromm. Hoping it is just this simple.

Karen

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So far so good on the new Canidae duck food. We are using half and half with the Fromm and I may be hallucinating, but she seems to have more energy. Could it be ? She comes in now after eating and immediately grabs her stuffed bunny and throws it around a while. She hasn't done that in a long time. Poo's look good so am going to switch her over completely by tomorrow. Maybe she has just been slowly starving on the Fromm. Hoping it is just this simple.

 

Good news! Keeping fingers crossed. Certainly more calories in will be more energy to expend. Keep us in the loop as to how she does.

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