# Won't gain weight



## MyAnniegirl (Aug 17, 2011)

Here's a picture of her hip bone, it isn't a great one, but it's hard to get her standing still!


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

How old is she? Youngsters (under say 18 months) often lack muscle tone - my 14 month old also has prominent hip bones but his weight is fine. His rear legs and chest are developing as expected and he will most likely be fully developed by 26-30 months; his lines mature late. As a rescue, you may not know her lines and how they mature. As long as her ribs are not visible from a distance she is probably fine 

Lean is far better for their long term health than being overweight, and she does look young to me.


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## 4goldengirls (Jun 10, 2014)

It's wonderful that you rescued this poor girl. What is her age?

Maybe you could add some protein, such as boiled chicken to her meals. When we took in Chloe at 6 months, she was definitely underweight (vet said she was malnourished) and lacked a lot of muscle tone although her hip bones did not protrude. Vet had us give her chicken along with her diet. 

You said you haven't weighed her since the first weigh in at 45 lbs. I'd be curious as to how much weight she has gained in the past month.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Did your Vet tell you how much he/she thought Ellie would weigh?
I have a friend with a very small petite field girl, she's absolutely adorable, I think she weighs 50-55 lbs. 

How old is Ellie, she looks fairly young. As long as she's healthy and has completed her HW treatments, it may take awhile for her to gain weight. It's better for her to gain it gradually or slowly vs. all at once. Keeping her lean is also beneficial for her hips and joints, overall health too. 

Congratulations on your adoption of her, she's adorable.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

It's going to take a while to recover the muscle mass she had lost. She'll need a good diet designed to build muscle and a low impact exercise program (swimming). There are quite a few good performance diets available.


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## MyAnniegirl (Aug 17, 2011)

Thanks everyone! Believe it or not, they think she is 3 yrs old! I would have guessed 18 months. It's hard to tell because she has no social skills or training. She is going back to the vet tomorrow, because I'm so concerned, so I will let you know what she says.


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## MyAnniegirl (Aug 17, 2011)

Ellie got a clean bill of health from the vet! The lumps on her back are from her heart worm injections. She is on anti inflammitories to see if they shrink. My vet recommends very limited exercise for a month after the shots, the rescue just limited it to 10 min a day. I'm not sure if that made a difference or not, but everyone there just fell in love with her sweet personality! Here is a great picture of her, the puppy in my signature pic is Riley, she lives with my XHB.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

She's a pretty girl. 

I would follow your Vet's instructions to limit her activity/exercise for awhile until she's fully recovered. HW is rough on them, when I did an adopt to foster of my girl, she had Stage 3 HW and underwent treatment. She made a full recovery but it took time before she started looking better. 

Was Ella weighed at the Vet's? She'll gradually gain weight, build muscle in her legs and will fill out. You'll see a difference in her coat too.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Ellie*



CAROLINA MOM said:


> She's a pretty girl.
> 
> I would follow your Vet's instructions to limit her activity/exercise for awhile until she's fully recovered. HW is rough on them, when I did an adopt to foster of my girl, she had Stage 3 HW and underwent treatment. She made a full recovery but it took time before she started looking better.
> 
> Was Ella weighed at the Vet's? She'll gradually gain weight, build muscle in her legs and will fill out. You'll see a difference in her coat too.


God Bless you for adopting Ellie. What a beautiful girl!!
I would follow your vet's instructions to the letter. As far as I understand about Heartworm, I believe *I read they should be confined to a crate or small area and have no exercise for the time they were going through the treatment. *
I just googled it-

American Heartworm Society - Heartworm Positive Dogs

*www.heartwormsociety.org/heartworm-positive-dogs - 59k - Cached - Similar pages*

What happens if my dog tests positive for heartworms? No one ... Restrict exercise. ... The more severe the symptoms, the less activity your dog should have.


*https://www.heartwormsociety.org/he...ng-what-can-i-do-to-help-her-from-being-bored*


*Killing the heartworms that live in the dog’s bloodstream is essential to restoring your dog’s health, but at the same time, the death of the worms—which can grow to be a foot long or longer—poses risks. When heartworms die, pieces of the decomposing worm bodies can block blood vessels in the lungs, causing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism (blood clot). If the dog’s heart rate is increased by exercise or excitement, the worm pieces can be forced into the tiny blood vessels of the lungs, increasing the chances of complications.

Keep your dog indoors and/or in a kennel most of the time. When he needs to go outside to relieve himself, keep his leash on, so that a sudden encounter with a squirrel or other distraction doesn’t send him running.

For more ideas and tips on how to help your dog cope during recovery, see our Think 12 Fact Sheet https://www.heartwormsociety.org/images/Think_12_PDFs/6-2014-factsheet.pdf on the subject.*


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Ella looks like a sweet girl. My sons dog he adopted last year tested positive for heart worm also . They went through the treatment with her & I know she was VERY confined. Spent a lot of time in her crate or in a small room gated also no jumping or stairs allowed. Good news a year later and she is perfect . Runs, jumps and loves playing with my 5 month old puppy! Good luck with Ella .


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## MyAnniegirl (Aug 17, 2011)

Thank you all for your support. Karen, thanks for the links, I didn't realize how restricted her play time should have been, and will be for the next couple of weeks! I'm going to call DVGRR on Monday to see if they can tell me how bad she was. I have a big binder with all her info, but I'm not sure how to read it.


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