# Malnourished and thin rescue. Advice??



## Dev4000 (Oct 3, 2013)

My gsd was rescued from the okc animal shelter. She won't eat, had kennel cough, and is very thin. What can I do to help her gain weight and make her eat. She only eats like one piece of kibble, but does drink. She's only two months old. It's really sad people could abuse such a beautiful animal...


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Is her kennel cough cleared? 

I would call the vet - it is probable that she has worms and parasites that need to come out - is her belly round but she's thin?

Slow (puppies do spurts though so it won't always be slow), steady weight gain is important. 

Is she pooping normally? Peeing? Any vomiting? That's why you want to talk to a vet - they need to assess her body condition, check for fleas, etc. Be careful if you go to the vet as she probably hasn't had all her shots and you want to keep her off the ground in the waiting area. 

What I like to feed puppies that aren't hungry is their kibble mixed with Merrick brand canned Puppy Plate. I put a TBS or 2 of that in the kibble and add a little warm water, stir it into a slurry and generally that is all it takes. It adds extra calories. Sometimes a little baby food helps too (meat based, no onion - I have never seen onion in baby food but onion is bad for dogs). 

I also feed sickly puppies multiple times a day - up to 5/6 small meals - I measure out the kibble ration at the start of the day and divide it up in those meals throughout the day. Their tiny bellies are small so that helps them. You also end up taking them out to poop more!  

I like to freeze tiny pumpkin (100% pumpkin) balls and yogurt (plain mid-fat) as little treats. 

Hope this helps and she starts eating.


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