# Skinny I don't understand why



## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

others will chime in but maybe the worms arent gone? i know it can take quite a few rounds of meds to clear it..it may not show up on a fecal so you can treat just in case...TOTW doesnt have too high of calories if im correct maybe about 360kcal/cup? i feed my 17 week old strictly puppy food as it has higher cals 455kcal, higher protein and fat..he does really well on it..


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Chance*

Chance

Thank you for adopting him and saving his life!!

When was the last time he was at the vet to have his poop checked to make sure the worms were gone?
Was he tested for Heartworm, also?


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

If he was really underweight when you got him it just may take him some time to catch up and gain it back. You might consider switching to a food with higher protein and fat %, and more calories per cup, to put the weight on faster.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I wouldn't panic...

1. Get him weighed. Sometimes if you are used to seeing overweight dogs, then a dog at an ideal weight for him could look unhealthy.

2. If he's under 65 pounds, I would have a fecal test done.


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## Chance911 (Apr 20, 2011)

They told us all the worms are gone after the third treatment he was never tested again after that. I will take his poop in tomorrow for another testing. After a deworming treatment he would get horrible diahrea and the vet said it's not from the dewormer. But every time he got the treatment he was having diahrea. Could that prevent the worms from coming out? Since tow is low cal I will try and change his food. Amy sugestions? He was tested negative for heartworm. He did have a bad case of kennel cough but his cough is gone.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

you can put him on a puppy food...


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

California Natural puppy has over 500 kcals, Eukanuba puppy Pure 455kcal, ProPlan puppy has over 450kcal, then theres grain free which are high in calories as well


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Most dogs will experience loose stools when they are wormed. After the wormer works its' way through the stools should return to normal. 

Feed a food with more fat and protein, Pro Plan Performance or Eukanuba Premium Performance are both good choices to help a dog reach its' physical potential.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Check the calorie content on the bag you're feeding him and then check out some foods online to get their calorie content. It's probably not worth changing him if the new food has only 20-30 calories more per cup. You can check out Innova, EVO, Orijen, Acana, Fromm, etc. Most grain-free foods have higher calories than non-grain-free foods but it really depends on what your dog does best on. I had my guy on EVO for awhile and he thrived on it. EVO red meat has a whopping 527 cals/cup so it's best for active dogs (or dogs trying to put on weight).

How long have you had him? My only caution would be that it's safer to put on weight slowly...just like losing weight. If you get him into the vet and medically he's fine, it might be worth changing food or adding extras to his diet. Stuffed kongs are a great way to get some extra calories in, not to mention occupying a dog's time. I adopted my guy and he was skinny...took about 2 months of good food, stuffed kongs, and regular meals to get him up to where he should be weight-wise. 

Also, a big thank you for saving this boy's life!


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

Could you post a picture of him? Is he full golden or a mix breed? He could have tape worms that did not get treated was he checked of those?


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

If you are feeding him the Sierra Mountain formula, it only has 338 kcals per cup. I am feeding the Wetlands Canine formula and it has 375 kcals per cup. That adds up to 166.5 kcals a day difference based on what you're feeding him. That's pretty significant. 

If you want to stick with a grain free, you could try Wellness Core. The Original Recipe has 430 kcals per cup. California Natural's chicken grain free has 454 kcals per cup.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I had a GSD that I could not put weight on for the first 4 years of his life. My vet ran all kinds of tests on him ( more for my benefit ) and found nothing wrong.

The vet always said she would rather see him underweight than over weight.

I finally started to add Prozyme recommended by the vet to his food and he began to fill out. Not sure if it was because of his age and him settling down a little or because of the prozyme which I believe helps them digest the food more efficiently.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

I noticed the same thing with the digestive enzymes, as soon as i began using it on his food 3 times a day, he began to "fill out" and add a few extra needed pounds..i use Natures Farmacy Digestive Enzymes..its great!


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## Chance911 (Apr 20, 2011)

Thanks everyone for all the information. I had him tested again yesterday and it came up negative for parasites. He does not have tape worm or heart worm ect. I went to the store and got a new food for weight gain. The shelter told us he was a full breed golden. However they are not 100% sure since he was a stray. 

Here is a link to a pic of him
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retrievers-main-discussion/96240-wavy-hair-2.html

Thanks!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

How much did he weigh at the vet? 

Because (it's hard to see with him lying down, but) he looks pretty healthy in those pics.


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## Chance911 (Apr 20, 2011)

Megora said:


> How much did he weigh at the vet?
> 
> His weight was 52. In the photo he is the darker color golden. Dawn the lighter golden is 60 and is smaller size then him. The vet said she was perfect weight. Its hard to get a good photo of him he won't stop moving.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Beautiful*

He is beautiful!

When was the last time he was at the vet to have his poop checked to make sure the worms were gone?
Was he tested for Heartworm, also?


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## Chance911 (Apr 20, 2011)

For fun here is a photo of him the day I got him in the shelter


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

he looks great to me


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## Chance911 (Apr 20, 2011)

Karen519 said:


> He is beautiful!
> 
> When was the last time he was at the vet to have his poop checked to make sure the worms were gone?
> Was he tested for Heartworm, also?


He was checked yesterday and all the worms are gone. He was tested for heartworm and he does not have heartworm.


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

i would just put him on higher cal, fat food. and he should fill out more if thats what you feel he needs. TOTW has the lower end of calories..puppy foods have high calories


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Chance*

Chance

Did the vet think he was too skinny.
When we adopted our Tucker, who looks similar, I thought he was too thin and the vet thought he was the perfect weight!
Maybe some higher calorie dog food would be good like oakleysmommy said!!


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## oakleysmommy (Feb 20, 2011)

tucker is so cute!! he's a big boy too!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

He is gorgeous! What a beautiful color.

My Jasper weighs 59 lbs, he's a bit smaller framed. My Danny looks to be the same size as Jasper, maybe an inch to an inch and a half taller and weighs 78 lbs. A lot of it depends on his build. Are his ribs prominent? Or is there a layer of fat over them?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Your Chance is absolutely beautiful!!!!! 

I adopted a 2 yr. old male from my County Humane Society a few months ago that I've been trying to get weight on. He' currently just under 65 lbs. 

My Vet wanted him to gain 5-10 lbs. before she would neuter him and said overall, he needed to gain 10-20 lbs. due to his size-frame and height. I am still trying to get a few more pounds on him before my Vet will neuter him, he just needs a few more pounds. 
I've had to get a few extensions on the neuter deadline through the shetler. 

He was on two rounds of anti biotics as a precaution in case he had picked up something during his stay at the shelter, was dewormed again, finally got his stools firm and he is slowly gaining weight. He's got a great appetitie, but he's also very active. It's gotten hot here and he hasn't wanted to eat as much, he's been cutting himself back some. If he leaves food, I'm not forcing him to eat it. 

He is currently getting 3-4 cups of BB Lamb and Rice, protein 22%, fat 12%, 419 calories per cup. I am going to switch to the BB Chicken and Brown Rice as soon as I've finished the current bag. It's protein is 26%, fat 12%, calories 435 per cup.

Here's a pic of Remy.


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