Skinny Dog

[ClareL]

Hi my partner and I just got our second dog and i got lots of help here with the first and I just have one more question for the other dog.

Our new dog is a maltese X but I dont see any maltese so i think they just said that to give him a breed he is just a little scruffy dog. Anyway he is about 18 months old and a stray, if he did have an owner he wasn't very well taken care of he had to have a lot of fur cut off and is really skinny.

When you pat him you can feel every rib so he needs to put on a fair bit of weight. What is the best way to do this he doesn't eat very much and hasn't gained any weight (only been about a week but still think he should have gained some) so is there anything I can feed him that will help?

[DeltaCharlie]

Are the ribs really visible (under the hair its hard I know) or can you just feel them?

Ideally running your fingers over a dogs ribs should feel similar to running your hand over the knuckles of a closed fist. You should definitely be able to feel the ribs, however, only the back few should be visible.

What have you been feeding him? Lack of appetite isn't unusual in a new environment but you can try experimenting with different foods to see what he likes.

Edited August 17, 2008 by DeltaCharlie

[Bully]

Here's the Satin Balls recipe for putting weight on a dog ;)

[Kissindra]

have you weighed him, could be that the weight gain is slight and not yet noticeable just from looking. Try a puppy food and feeding by hand to encourage him. The satin balls are great, you can also offer raw fatty offcuts of lamb or beef which you can get at the grocery or the butcher.

Some dogs are hesitant to eat with another dog around so see if keeping them seperate and allowing him time leads to eating more. Also up the amount of times he's fed a day a dog will usually get a bit more down with two daily feeds rather than one big one.

Hope this helps!

Edited August 17, 2008 by Kissindra