Skinny Whippet!

[jazawayaya]

Ok I have a whippet- I know they are supposed to be skinny!

Anyway she is almost 6 months old. I got her at 4 months... Once the food she came with ran out (raw) I just fed her what I was feeding my other small boy who is 18 months- Holostic Select kibble with VIP dog roll + bones, chicken necks occasionaly etc. (she gets fed twice a day)

There is always kibble left in the bowl after a meal but she doesnt eat it.

I am just worred cause she looks so skinny and she goes crazy when we are eating like she is starving to death or something...

So my questions are:

Should I feed her specific puppy food? Becuase it has more calories and if I get the tin type she will like the taste and eat it all....

Would a dog actually starve themselves when there is kibble right there? Maybe she just doesnt like the kibble?

eta- I just want to add that she shows no signs of being hungry or unwell aside from looking awfully skinny and being super excitable around us when eating.

Edited September 15, 2010 by jazawayaya

[oakway]

I would suggest you feed her minced chicken frames from Leonard's or a pet food store, along with a good quality dry food all mixed in

together.

And plenty of it. Start gradually with any new food till the dog is accepting it without any tummy upsets.

See how that goes for a while.

Has the dog been wormed recently, worms can also stop weight gain.

[jazawayaya]

thanks oakway..... Will try and find some minced chicken carcass to add in as well...

I thought Holistic select was very good quality kibble? so is that ok to use? correct me if I am wrong!

Yes wormed on the 1st as scheduled and no signs in her poos or anything...

[persephone]

If she was weaned onto raw, and was only eating that- then yes, she may not like kibble at all

[RuralPug]

If you can't see her ribs and her coat is glossy then all is well.

If it is only the kibble she leaves then she probably just doesn't like it, try soaking it in warm water for 10mins first. Kibble is not a huge part of my dogs diet but I usually soak it to minimse potential bloat issues. But do make sure she has plenty of toothbrush foods (like chicken necks) if all her kibble is soaked.

If she still won't eat it soaked, it is then up to you to decide if you want to go to more drastic measures to avoid creating a fussy eater.

[WreckitWhippet]

what's her muscle tone like ? I tend to judge a Whippet by the muscle mass, rather than the body condition ( fat ). I have a girl who is very thin, she's hard to keep covered and there's nothing medically wrong, yet she has a good amount of muscle on her.

I'm reluctant to chop and change foods but I've recently switched her to Black Hawk Holistic and everyone that knows her, has commented on her body condition and how it's improved.

[persephone]

Got any photos ?

[jazawayaya]

If she was weaned onto raw, and was only eating that- then yes, she may not like kibble at all

Well yeah she was weaned on it.... the breeder didnt say I had to stick with that though......

If I follow oakways advice and mix in heaps of chicken mince then hopefully she will learn to be ok with kibble...

If you can't see her ribs and her coat is glossy then all is well.

If it is only the kibble she leaves then she probably just doesn't like it, try soaking it in warm water for 10mins first. Kibble is not a huge part of my dogs diet but I usually soak it to minimse potential bloat issues. But do make sure she has plenty of toothbrush foods (like chicken necks) if all her kibble is soaked.

If she still won't eat it soaked, it is then up to you to decide if you want to go to more drastic measures to avoid creating a fussy eater.

You can see her ribs when she sits and turns certain ways if that makes sense? When she is standing I can very faintly see the ribs..

What do you mean go to more drastic measures to avoid a fussy eater?

[poodlefan]

How often a day is she fed? I found it impossible to keep Howie in good condition as a youngster without at least two meals a day.

Feeding a higher fat kibble like a performance or power forumla might also help. I try for around the 20% fat mark for Howie's kibble.

Mind you, a growing Whippet can be pretty ribby no matter how much you give them. Better that than having them resemble an egg on toothpicks.

Edited September 15, 2010 by poodlefan

[jazawayaya]

I dont think she has much mucel tone :-S

Here are some recent pics-

So you can see her ribs usually when she is like this-

This is the day we got her

I cant find one of her standing up recently!

Anyway what I will go is mix in the chicken mince and make her meals larger... if no improvement will try switching her kibble....

I really should just start feeding raw! *goes off to read the raw section*

[poodlefan]

She looks OK to me!

My vet reckons 3 visible vertebrae is about right for a Whippet. They are naturally far leaner than most breeds.

[Gretel]

She looks okay to me (but I'm no whippet expert ). Some dogs much prefer raw foods. I love her colour!

[Kavik]

Looks fine to me too

[jazawayaya]

Ok good I am probably over reacting then

I will still look into improving their diet anyway with more raw and less kibble!

[pixie_meg]

looks fine for a sighthound to me.

My boy if he knows even a small amount of raw food is on offer or likely that day will just not touch his kibble. much easier to keep his weight on with raw but he also does fine on kibble.

[WreckitWhippet]

Looks ok to me too. I was expecting to see every rib, back bone and pronounced pins on her. She's got more weight on than my girl LOL

[jazawayaya]

Looks ok to me too. I was expecting to see every rib, back bone and pronounced pins on her. She's got more weight on than my girl LOL

Phew! haha cant tell you how much of a relief to hear all this!

I have been feeling so guilty for starving the poor thing!

But still just out of curiosity.... If a dog was starving, kibble was available but she didnt like it- would she end up eating it? Or rather go hungry?

[RuralPug]

Looks ok to me too. I was expecting to see every rib, back bone and pronounced pins on her. She's got more weight on than my girl LOL

Phew! haha cant tell you how much of a relief to hear all this!

I have been feeling so guilty for starving the poor thing!

But still just out of curiosity.... If a dog was starving, kibble was available but she didnt like it- would she end up eating it? Or rather go hungry?

Yeah, that's what I meant about seeing ribs - she looks fine in the pics.

Drastic measures just mean play evil momma and offer her nothing but kibble until she gives in and eats it, which she will, eventually, rather than starve. I've had some fussy fosters through, in spite of what their surrendering owners say, they will always eat what they don't like within a few days.

Also assuming that her teeth are healthy because sometimes crunchy dry kibble can hurt damaged teeth, but if you offer her something she shouldn't be having, like a sweet bikkie for instance and she doesn't wince while eating it, then that is not a problem.

EFS

Edited September 15, 2010 by RuralPug

[oakway]

She looks fine to me.

Phewwwww....I was expecting to see a walking hat rack.

[jazawayaya]

Yeah, that's what I meant about seeing ribs - she looks fine in the pics.

Drastic measures just mean play evil momma and offer her nothing but kibble until she gives in and eats it, which she will, eventually, rather than starve. I've had some fussy fosters through, in spite of what their surrendering owners say, they will always eat what they don't like within a few days.

Also assuming that her teeth are healthy because sometimes crunchy dry kibble can hurt damaged teeth, but if you offer her something she shouldn't be having, like a sweet bikkie for instance and she doesn't wince while eating it, then that is not a problem.

She will happily eat anything else hard!!!

She does eat the kibble.... I have seen her eating it before.... Just hardly ever and one little peice at a time for about 5 peices...

I dont think I want to be complete evil momma! haha

She looks fine to me.

Phewwwww....I was expecting to see a walking hat rack.

From some sides she does look like a hat rack! lol

I guess you can all tell I have never had a whippet or any type of sighthound before!

So its fine that im not feeding special 'puppy' food?

Since it seems she is going ok and I am going to bring more raw in