Bubba and his ongoing weight issues..

[Lyn]

I'm still having a heck of a time putting weight on Bubba. He can lose weight at the drop of a hat, and putting it back on is difficult at best. He's 19.5 months old now and weights maybe 130. I haven't weighed him recently so it could even be less. This has been an ongoing issue since I brought him home at 9 weeks.

He's currently getting 7 cups of food daily. A total of 2492 calories a day. I even put him back up to 3 meals a day instead of 2. (3 cups in the am, 1 cup for lunch and 3 cups for dinner) He's not overly active so that amount of calories should be putting weight on him, I'd think but it doesn't seem to be. I don't want him to be 'heavy' I just can't stand seeing his bones.

When he lays flat on the floor I can visably see every rib, and his hip bones are easiy felt. I wasn't that noticable before. 

He's suppose to be going in for a neuter at 24 months. But I'm very hesitant to put him under the 'knife' unless we can straighten this out. My vet has done blood tests, numerous fecals.. even x-rays to rule out anything abnormal internally, growth/mass etc. Now he's wants to redo the blood test and has mentioned potential heart disease, cancer ect..  The stuff I didn't want to hear

I just don't get it. He has a great appetite, nice shiny coat. He's active and healthy in ever other regard.

I'll attach a side view pic. So you can kinda see what I mean.. He's wider at the shoulders and the hips and concave from the ribs to the stomach. None of his brothers have that appearance. They are thick all the way down the body and only have a slight tummy tuck. His above view is worse. I'll take a pic of that later.

Any other suggestions to give my vet or weight gaining tips in the meantime would be awesome. 

Sorry I'm rambling hopefully coherently. LOL I'm just getting worried because it might not be just an allergy, growth spurt, food intolerance issue anymore and it sucks. 

[Lyn]

Ok I guess noone has any ideas.. That's ok. 

I'm tempted to try 'Satin Balls' to add some weight to him. BUT the total cereal in it would probably leave him with hot spots. Are there any cereral free versions of Satin Balls?

Maybe these pics will give you a better idea of his body structure. I just took these ones. It's the concave hourglass shape that bothers me.

[Nina]

My Brother was having the same problem with his dane when she was under 2 years old now she looks great. He went through many different foods until he found one that worked for her. He feeds her innova evo. And that is the only thing that worked for her. So maybe Bubba's issue is his age/food. What are you feeding him now? How is his poop? Sorry I know funny question but Athena(brothers dane)her poop was kinda runny and alot of it, so that was the indication that she was not absorbing the food it was just going right through her. Also have you tried green tripe I heard that works wonders.

Nina

[aggghgmom]

I'm sorry to say I don't have ideas for Bubba - but I'm willing to give him 50 or 60 of my extra pounds!!

Does the vet want him to put on more weight?  Is he way to thin - I always figured it was best for a large or x-large dog to stay slim less pressure on his bones?

How about a dog food with more healthy fats?  Does Bubba eat biscuits like milk bone?

Bubba I wish I had your hour glass figure!!

[Lyn]

Hmmm, no I haven't tried green tripe. I know Merricks canned food 'Working dog stew' has tripe in it. But probably not enough. Um a stupid question.. lol But where can I get just plain tripe? Butcher?

Bubba is eating Eagle Pack holistic Fish and Oatmeal. He can't eat anything else without having booty blowout. My vet suggested it since I had tried quite a few foods with no improvement in his loose stools and it worked. He has the odd soft stool now. But for the most part his poop is normal.

Actually the reason for this weight loss was because I tried to switch him to California Natural (stupid me ). He dropped 7+ pounds in a week and had bloody diarrhea. So I immediately switched him back to the Eagle Pack. He's put some of that weight back on now but he's still thinner than he was prior to the switch. I was hoping that once we cured the loose stool issue that he would start to gain weight again.

I was tempted to add some EVO or other grain free kibble to the Eagle Pack but I'm not sure if he's intolerant of chicken since he had such a bad reaction to the California Natural.

I will try the tripe though it I can find it. Thanks Nina. 

[Lyn]

aggghgmom, When I took Bubba into the vet for another fecal and exam after the bloody diarrhea episode the vet did say he's about 15 pounds underweight and we talked about more testing. He wanted me to increase his daily food intake first.. which I did but it hasen't helped. I'm suppose to take Bubba back in a couple weeks for another weigh in and discuss other options. I almost don't want to know what the 'other options' are. 

Forgot to add.. nope no milk bones. I haven't found a treat yet that doesn't give him loose stool. So I generally only give him the odd veggie or piece of fruit.

[Boyle]

What about adding a meal of ground beef or something similar fatty to help him gain weight? 

You won't be able to get green tripe from a butcher's shop since it is not fit for human consumption.  I know some of the pet stores (not PetSmart) carried green tripe in a can that was nearly as smelly as the fresh stuff.  Raw food suppliers usually are able to provide the fresh stuff.  Where are you located?

Nola used to have a chronic runny bum but it got much better when we switched to raw feeding.  We still notice, however, that if he doesn't get enough bone in his meals, the next poops are going to be cowpies. 

So sorry Bubba is going through all this.

[Anakalia]

Have you tried EVO treats?  They're grain free and they're also the only treat Koby can have without getting really sick.  He loves them, and they have 14 cal. per treat, the treats are also smaller in size.  I'm also trying the Satin Balls but instead of the cereal I'm adding oatmeal, sardines, avacado, things I know Koby are not allergic too and may also help with weight gain.  Good luck! 

[Winslow 151]

Hi,

Here is a link for green tripe http://www.greentripe.com/ those that feed it say it is wonderful but the look and smell can be tough!!! If it helps Bubba just where a mask when you feed it to him.

Rich

[Lyn]

He'll be eating it outside for sure. LOL I knew it smelled bad but ewwww it looks nasty too. The one pet store that's orders me the Eagle Pack carries RAW diets. I'll have to ask them if they can get green tripe before I order anything.

Thanks Anakalia for the tips about the Satin balls. I didn't know you could just substitute the ingredients he can't have for other things. I'll have to go shopping then. I didn't know they made EVO treats.. I'll have to give them a try too.

Thanks all. Hopefully this works and Bubba will put some weight on and lose the bone bag appearance. He's known as Bubba big head because it's the only thing on him that's fat.

[GR8DAME]

If he is able to tolerate the oatmeal in the kibble, try and sub quick oats for the total cereal in the Satin Balls. It is really just a filler, and to make the balls stick together and the oatmeal should work well in that capacity.
I hated it when Merlin was younger he would not maintain weight and constantly looked like we never fed him. He leveled out at around three and has maintained easily since then.
Stella

[kathryn]

This is probably a stupid idea but can you give him peanut butter as a treat.  It packs on the pounds when I eat a whole lot of it.  You could probably also substitute it into the satin balls recipe to help hold everything together.  Sorry, I don't have anything better than that.

[Nina]

Evo has 2 types of no grain food now. We just started Harley on this one and she loves it! Is an all red meat not grain kind. Maybe he would tolerate some of that mixed in with his regular food. Also the tripe that I have is frozen so it's not that bad. Still gross looking but the smell isn't that bad.

Nina

[longshadowfarms]

Carter is another one with a sensitive tummy and is very difficult to keep weight on.  He's on prednisone right now and PACKING in the food (9 cups daily) and he is just starting to feel like he's not bony.  He won't be on the pred much longer though so all that gain will likely pass away.  I've tried satin balls, more fat on his food, entice him to eat with goodies, etc.  NOTHING seems to work.  Frankly, as long as they are active, shiny and happy, I'd not worry too much about it, esp at this young age.  Take a look at some of those skinny teenage boys you see running around.  These pups aren't that much different.  I think some of them are just naturally thin. Obviously you do what you can to add calories but don't fret too much if you can't get him to gain.  Carter is only about 100 lb and he's one of the tallest Pyrs I've ever seen.  The fluffy Pyr fur just makes him LOOK a lot bigger.

[waffles717]

;)Hello there,I have a thought for you,have they done a thoriy test yet,we mave a poodle too,she has that,it has to with under weigh and over weigh,this happen's in us too!!Im having a hard time sending pic,of molly&maggie could you help me?,try also better snack's what is his weight? mine are underweight,molly is 130 and maggie is maggie 125 but molly could be 160 easy they run so much they eat a good diet But but not Huge eater's,if the weather is just right they would be out side all the time, let me know  marylee!!