WHY IS MY DOG EMACIATED??

This forum is for dog lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your dog.

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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 6:54am PST


	Thanks for the new photos. Did his condition go down since the photos you took off his profile were taken? He had a nice normal skinny dog tummy in the one where he was chewing on the leash upside down. I would be feeding him 3x a day at least and perhaps give him a forced nap or two if he is the busy guy he looks like in those photos. He probably will improve during the next year with loads of high protein for muscle and high fat for energy food but bet he will need several meals a day for quite a while longer. I wouldn't consider feeding fewer times a day until his body condition improves a bit. He otherwise looks so good all shiny and bright eyed, wouldn't think there were parasites involved if poop is good and all. I read here that there are some that are nearly impossible to catch unless you do weekly stool checks.

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Zoe ♥- CGC

Queen of the- Couch

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 7:04am PST


	We had the same problem with Zoe when she was younger. She was always on the skinnier side. She is now 9 and has since filled out since we had her spayed around 5. He is young but getting a second opinion is a good idea.

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Quinn Elijah

A very happy- hound indeed. :)

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 11:57am PST


	May I suggest sticking with the raw diet longer (after a second opinion from a vet), our greyhound has always been between 6 and 3 kilos underweight since we got him (which is 10-20%!!), we had all the vet checks, specialist diets, etc etc. We raw fed for 2 months with no real change, then suddenly, then in the 6 weeks after, he suddenly bulked out! He is now only 1-2 kilos underweight and is gaining weight every week. It has taken us 6 months to get to this point though, so it may also be a case of, you have only had him 15 months and if you have tried all the different types of food listed, you aren't giving them enough time each to work.

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Kodiak

The cheese ninja

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 2:08pm PST


	You may want to get a test for C. Perfringens enterotoxin, which can cause chronic diarrhea and is often antibiotic resistant. In the meantime, isn't diarrhea vastly preferable to an emaciated dog? Whatever the problem turns out to be, he isn't absorbing enough calories right now to keep him at a healthy weight.

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Kali

She's game for- anything that's- fun.

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 5:37pm PST


	Is he neutered? Sometimes, un-neutered males are painfully thin. I would try a second opinion. When we have/had trouble with Kali, our vet will not stop trying to help. I thought she had EPI, but like you, everything came up negative. Have you had him wormed? Even if the stool samples come up negative, it's my understanding that they can still have worms. Also, have you had his thyroid tested? With Kali, the only way I've been able to put weight on her, is to feed 1/2 dog food and 1/2 home cooked. Right now I feed her z/d with white rice, boiled chicken breast and sweet potatoes. I mix it together and let it soak in some water over night. I also add Prozyme digestive enzymes. It helps her digest her food more efficiently. I let it sit in her food for 1/2 to 1 hour to pre-digest her food before I give it to her. She put about 10 lbs on in two weeks. You might want to ask your vet about it. I hope that helps. Good Luck and keep us posted.

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Kali

She's game for- anything that's- fun.

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 5:41pm PST


	Oh, Kali also vomits up large meals. So, to put the weight on her, I fed her 3-4 smaller meals a day until she started gaining weight.

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Huck

GO!!!

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 5:52pm PST


	I agree, he is way to thin. I would get another opinion as well and do a full blood panel, checking all organ function. I know a friend who has a dog that looked like this and they figured it out that he is not abosrbing all the nutrients in his food. They started adding cooked hamburger to his high calorie kibble(EVO) and feeding him 3 times a day, if they fed him 2 large meals he would get runny poops or throw it up so he is finally gaining weight.

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Kaiser

Jolly Roger

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 7:48pm PST


	Skarlet: We have tried, but he gobbles up his food until he vomits. We got up to four times a day, but he wasn't putting on any weight. (That is two cups, four times a day = eight cups per day) We also place him after his meals, he has to lay in the corner. That is so he won't run around and throw up. Luna: He was on a raw diet for four weeks with zero improvement. We started cooking the meat and that didn't help either. Scooter-PAWS: We have varied the amount per day based on the food and vet recommendations. But even at eight cups of prescription intestinal formula easy-to-digest food he never gained one pound. He gets fed at least twice a day, depending on what day it is. More when we are home. He is an extremely hyper dog, but we crated him for two weeks (which must have been torture for the poor guy) to see if reducing his activity would help, but it didn't. Maxwell: His condition has been pretty stable, but he continues to get taller and longer, so part of it is just that in the photos on his back he was younger so it appears better. It was just as bad then though, but when he lays down you can't see how skinny he is. His coat is good, as are his eyes, which is why I think the vet isn't concerned. He has also been wormed several times and had weekly stool checks for two months, never saw anything. Zoe: He was neutered at 12 weeks old. No choice, we adopted him and they mandated that we neuter him. I wish they would have let us wait until he was a bit older. Quinn: He was raw fed for a month but gained no weight. Can I ask what meat you are feeding your dog? We fed chicken products with some beef sometimes. We give the foods for one month, which our vet says we should see at the minimum one pound gained if it is working, especially with how underweight he is. Kodiak: I will ask my vet about that, thank you. Kali: He is neutered. He has been dewormed several times. We had several rounds of blood tests done, and a special thyroid panel sent to Texas. Came up normal. We have not yet tried home cooked food, aside from satin balls and cooked chicken. I wondered about the rice, so that is something we could try. Huck: Any idea what they diagnosed your friend's dog with? THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR RESPONDING. We will try to find another vet in the area or a vet school. Edited by author Mon May 7, '12 7:50pm PST

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Jackson Tan

Lad about town

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 9:39pm PST


	You're right, your dog is frighteningly thin. I honestly cannot see any bodyfat on him at all. It made me think of this story, actually: World's thinnest woman No one can explain it, could be metabolism, could be genetic, but she is surviving and fine . . . but it is a very rare condition, I think she is the only person in the world like that, and never heard of it in dogs. You said he had worms as a pup in his profile and perhaps that created an absorption problem or a B12 deficiency. (I can't recall whether you checked up on these 2 things, sorry.) Hopefully the vets can find out what is wrong and he will naturally start to fill out. All I can say is good luck.

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Uno

I'm huntin'- wabbits

Barked: Mon May 7, '12 9:55pm PST


	Hmm, thats a toughie,I agree, second opinion is needed. Theres a member on another board with a boxer that was really thin, she eats 3 times the amount the average boxer would eat just to sustain the current weight. Anyways, she ended up tweaking the raw diet by adding a lot of beef heart which finally helped her gain weight. I can give you her info if you're interested in talking to her.

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