# Vet is officially worried about puppy's weight



## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Hi guys I've had my puppy since she was 8 weeks old. She weighed 6 pounds when she came home. At the time I just thought, "Well she did come from a littler of 7 and she was one of the smaller pups. She'll fill out eventually". I told the vet at her 8 week apt. that I was worried about her weight. He basically said give it time, she'll grow. Same thing happened at her 12 week apt. She was still small and he said he wasn't worried. So now at her 16 week appointment he said he is officially worried about it. She is 3 months and 3 weeks and weighs 22.5 pounds. At the 12 week apt. she had a small reaction to shots so this time, he separated her shots. Well be seeing him again in 2-3 weeks. He told me I should try really hard to make her eat as much as possible and if she doesn't gain a significant amount of weight in that time, he'll probably have her switch to a special diet.

She's always been EXTREMELY picky. I offer her food 4 times a day. She'll eat 2 of those 4 times on most days. Once in a while she'll eat 3times a day but its not often. She gets Orijen kibble and I offer her 2 cups of kibble but she only ever eats like 2/3 of a cup. I know because I measure what she doesn't eat.

Ive tried it all. Soaking the kibble for 20 minutes, soaking it and warming it up, mixing the kibble with some of our left overs, mixing it with wet food. Soaking the kibble doesn't make her eat more, and when I mix it with our left overs and wet food she picks out the good stuff and leaves the kibble. Its like she barely eats enough to not starve. She does like wet food a little more than kibble but its not a huge difference. 

I don't know what to do anymore. Im thinking about only feeding her wet food since thats what she seems to be willing to eat in a decent amount, at least until she gains a bunch of weight. I kind of feel like she's bound to get the diet switch no matter what but Id like to at least try to avoid that. 

She usually has a ton of energy so I haven't been too worried recently up until today. She had zero energy today out of no where. She didn't want breakfast or midmorning lunch and she literally laid down all day from like 9-2. Totally unlike her. 

Has anyone ever switched their dog to a wet food only diet? Id appreciate any and all tips to help get my puppy's weight up. Thank you for reading this super long post! I appreciate it.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Agaribay805 said:


> Hi guys I've had my puppy since she was 8 weeks old. She weighed 6 pounds when she came home. At the time I just thought, "Well she did come from a littler of 7 and she was one of the smaller pups. She'll fill out eventually". I told the vet at her 8 week apt. that I was worried about her weight. He basically said give it time, she'll grow. Same thing happened at her 12 week apt. She was still small and he said he wasn't worried. So now at her 16 week appointment he said he is officially worried about it. She is 3 months and 3 weeks and weighs 22.5 pounds. At the 12 week apt. she had a small reaction to shots so this time, he separated her shots. Well be seeing him again in 2-3 weeks. He told me I should try really hard to make her eat as much as possible and if she doesn't gain a significant amount of weight in that time, he'll probably have her switch to a special diet.
> 
> She's always been EXTREMELY picky. I offer her food 4 times a day. She'll eat 2 of those 4 times on most days. Once in a while she'll eat 3times a day but its not often. She gets Orijen kibble and I offer her 2 cups of kibble but she only ever eats like 2/3 of a cup. I know because I measure what she doesn't eat.
> 
> ...


Is your vet worried because your dog is small or is he worried because your dog is underweight?


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Underweight. You can see her ribs and also sort of the edges of her hips but not as much as the ribs.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Have you tried another brand of dog food?


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## viking (May 2, 2014)

A couple disclaimers first:
My boy was a lot older when he came to me - best guess maybe 10 months old or so.

He was underweight from having been out on his own for who knows how long but not dangerously so.

So our situations aren't parallel and I can't offer advice but I can tell you that my boy is an unfathomably picky eater and I really went through the wringer for awhile with it. For a time, I resorted to feeding him just the wet food because at least he would EAT IT. His stools softened up quite a bit as a result though, which was undesirable. It wasn't diarrhea or formless but it was very soft and was difficult to pick up after him. I worried too that his teeth, which tartar up easily, would really get bad without the kibble. He doesn't want bones to chew.

Anyway, bottom line was we struggled to find a kibble he'd eat. Sometimes he'd be fine with a new one until the second bag and he'd just seem to lose interest again.

What I do now is rotate a fresh, cooked protein (beef, chicken, or turkey) as a topper for his meals. This has worked pretty well for almost a year or so now. I feed a kibble that is lower in protein but still within recommended margins. 

Best of luck, hope this helps. I understand all too well the worry and frustration one feels with an extremely picky eater. Hang in there!


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

@Mineareworkinglines- she came home and she was on Iams. We then started switching her to Royal canin but quickly stopped because we learned that it's mostly corn and not worth the price. Then we switched her to Orijen. She was picky with all 3 brands. I don't know if I have enough time to switch her brand or if it's good idea in case her vet changes her diet too.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Have you tried feeding just raw food?

Mix it with a little warm/hot tap water for the aroma to arouse her!  

If she does like it, make sure you rotate the flavors to keep her interested. Maybe beef one day and lamb the next, ect!

Here are 3 products "For All Life Stages"

*Bravo:* Discover Balance Raw Diet | Beef Frozen Raw Dog Food Diet - Bravo Pet Food Find a store: Find a Bravo Retailer - Bravo Pet Food 
*Northwest Naturals: *Beef Find a store: Store Locator
*Primal: *Complete Raw Diets for Pets: Canine Beef Formula Find a store: Primal Pet Foods: Store Locator


Good Luck!
Moms


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## CFH (Feb 16, 2016)

I suggest trying different food, my pup LOVED cooked ground beef and rice. Its simple and easy on there stomach and again he loved it. Just a thought.


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## bluegirldesign (Mar 19, 2015)

We had an underweight puppy for a while. She could not process kibble no matter what kind, and we tried everything. Started feeding her cooked food which worked but after a while it became silly after researching raw rs cooked. Now she is on raw and flourishing. We buy BIG COUNTRY RAW premade frozen dinners and feed tripe, fish, apple cider vinegar, bones and other healthy things. Will never go back to kibble. She was picky too - but waits at the fridge now when it is feeding time.


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## FourIsCompany (Jan 29, 2008)

I assume your vet has tested for parasites and done fecal, blood and urine testing. 

Another good raw food is Instinct raw patties. I would definitely try a wet food (preferably raw), but even canned, as long as it's a really good food. There are also some dehydrated food like Honest Kitchen. It's not raw, but if the pup eats, it's good. 

Instinct Raw | Instinct Pet Food for Dogs and Cats
The Honest Kitchen | Homepage


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## Stonevintage (Aug 26, 2014)

I don't think your puppy can afford to go through a bunch of diet experimentation with food right now. Instead of turning to the Internet - I would suggest you call your vet and ask him what to feed. Prescription food is very expensive so you want to give any diet change now the best possible chance to work. You want to feed the right food prepared in the right way - or you could bring more problems to the table for your vet to try to deal with.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

There's a couple things to think about, one was already mentioned as far as her health. So assuming she's healthy with no parasites etc,, I wouldn't worry about her exact weight or if she's looking a little on the lean side for right now. Its pretty tough to put weight on a dog that doesn't want to eat, so I'd concentrate on quality. That's why I'd probably disregard your vets diet advice. Most, by a large margin, vets don't study much about nutrition beyond what is printed on a bag and explained by a rep. If you ever have serious diet related problems, you'll see what I mean. 

The problem with canned food is that its mostly water so to get the calories you need to gain weight, she's probably not going to eat enough. The most I would try with that is canned tripe like tripett, mixed with the kibble. if she's otherwise healthy, I'd just ride it out by feeding her twice a day, taking it away when she doesn't eat it and see if she doesn't start eating more. Also, be careful about cooked fats. If you cook ground beef, make sure you drain it really good.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

@Moms2GSDs - no I haven't actually. Im going to pick some up today and see how she likes it. Thank you for the tip.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

@ blugirldesign - Your the second person that's mentioned raw food. I have to do some more research into this. All I've really heard about it is that its complicated and most people don't have the knowledge or time to keep up with it. Im going to try this though and so she can give it a chance.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

@ FourisCompany - he did fecal testing, not blood and urine yet. Fecal came back negative. Im assuming he'll do it when we see him in two weeks. I don't know why he didn't offer to do it yesterday. Ill ask him about it when we see him next. Thank you.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Stonevintage said:


> I don't think your puppy can afford to go through a bunch of diet experimentation with food right now. Instead of turning to the Internet - I would suggest you call your vet and ask him what to feed. Prescription food is very expensive so you want to give any diet change now the best possible chance to work. You want to feed the right food prepared in the right way - or you could bring more problems to the table for your vet to try to deal with.


I saw him yesterday and I asked him what exactly he wanted me to do. He said, "she needs to eat more". Im sitting there like, "Ok, I have been trying to get her to do that for 2 months." He said mix it with wet food, switch to wet food if it works. The only thing he didn't really recommend is switching kibble. He said to do all the things I had already been doing like soaking, mixing etc… I don't know if he thinks I could be trying harder or what. I don't even want to know how much prescription food costs.

Actually I haven't tried feeding only wet food.. other than that I tried everything else he said to try.


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## bluegirldesign (Mar 19, 2015)

All I can say is it really worked for my girl who had such a difficult time with her digestion. There is a great site where a learned alot here: Dog Nutrition - K9 Instinct - Dog Nutritionist in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. K9 Instinct Blog! Dog Nutrition consultations online!

There are some great recipes for cooked and raw food. Going the high quality pre made way is a good place to start too. Wish you all the best. 

Also - we spent a fortune running fecals, vet could never find anything, it gets so frustrating...


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Agaribay805 said:


> @Moms2GSDs - no I haven't actually. Im going to pick some up today and see how she likes it. Thank you for the tip.


As long as you can afford it, purchasing a "BALANCED" raw diet from a trusted company is the way to go until you have time to research.



Agaribay805 said:


> I saw him yesterday and I asked him what exactly he wanted me to do. He said, "she needs to eat more". Im sitting there like, "Ok, I have been trying to get her to do that for 2 months." He said mix it with wet food, switch to wet food if it works. The only thing he didn't really recommend is switching kibble. He said to do all the things I had already been doing like soaking, mixing etc… I don't know if he thinks I could be trying harder or what. *I don't even want to know how much prescription food costs.*
> 
> Actually I haven't tried feeding only wet food.. other than that I tried everything else he said to try.


AND you don't want to know what it's made of either! LOL
If your dog won't eat Orijen on a regular basis, there is no way she would eat those prescription dry diets!
Don't be surprised if your vet gives you a hard time about feeding raw! You may not want to mention it to him/her until you see how she responds to it.

Glad you are going to try the raw! This may just be the answer!

Big Country Raw (a really nice product) can only be purchased in Canada, as far as I know.

Moms


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## brandydan (May 7, 2015)

Agaribay805 said:


> @ blugirldesign - Your the second person that's mentioned raw food. I have to do some more research into this. *All I've really heard about it is that its complicated and most people don't have the knowledge or time to keep up with it.* Im going to try this though and so she can give it a chance.


It can be as simple or as complicated as you make it (IMHO). I first switched my pets to raw because one cat had severe IBS...long story short, I started my shiloh puppy on straight raw at 8 weeks (8 months ago), and the second we brought home our new sheltie, he pretty much inhaled his raw meal.

For a puppy, I would start out with simple, basic chicken. Take a chicken breast, chop it up, smash a chicken neck with a few whacks from a mallet in case your puppy is hesitant to chew at first. Add a few pieces of chicken liver, some slurps of sweetbreads (not bleached tripe, though), and either chicken or beef hearts - I didn't weigh or measure at first just so that I could be sure that my pets ate. While some dogs can be sensitive to chicken, it's also an 'easier' protein. Pork is surprisingly also easy on the tummy.

Like other posters here noted, there are lots of websites geared to raw diets, some make it nice and simple (here's a chicken quarter, Fido), others break everything down so that it scares the beejeezus out of newbies (like me)

Maybe I've been lucky, but if I can keep 5 cats (which a lot sites and VETS are convinced are impossible to feed raw) healthy and three dogs that ignore kibble in favor of a few chunks of beef heart, maybe you can get your little puppy to look forward to a meal.

Perhaps finding something that will peak your puppy's attention could also help with her appetite.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

OP, sometimes people buy too large of a bag of food miscalculating how much a new puppy will eat and the bag can go rancid and a puppy/dog will refuse to eat it. Sometimes bags are rancid when you bring them home, have you checked the date?


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

I wouldn't consult with a vet about feeding or diets.

Too bad you didn't sit in to the Dogs Naturally Raw Roundup which had a diverse panel of qualified presenters who were quite articulate with what is wrong with kibbles.

I believe you can still buy the recorded series.

Feeding raw is not difficult, nor costly . It allows you fluidity in choices , blends , exclusions, inclusions , depending on likes and responses , essentially customized to your particular dog.

I wonder if the dog has a malabsorption problem.

Was the dog on a course of antibiotics?

Is he getting a lot of cooked fats , bacon grease, pan grease from heating mince beef (home-cooking for dogs) given as an aide to increase calories leading to weight gain. 

Adulterated fat is very difficult to digest and can lead to pancreatic inflammation.
Your kibble might be mid to low grade protein present in mid to low ratio, high in fiber and moderate to high in Indigestible fats - which create digestive problems . 

**Ironically prescriptive diets available at the Vets tend to be exactly that **

It should be good percentage high quality protein, highly digestible clean fats , and highly digestible carbohydrates , if any are given .

Was the dog the smallest in the litter because there was some metabolic problem from birth -- some issue with bile ducts and liver , some damage to intestines .

Go back and ask the breeder WHEN this pup was born, first, last , middle. Were they there to observe first nursing attempts. Did they assist this pup to find its way among the stronger more aggressive feeders.

This pup may not have been competitive to take up colostrum at the earliest and most immune-potent period - got on when the colostrum was already changing into a dilute composition.

Reluctance to eat could be because there is discomfort as a result of eating.

If you are feeding kibble chances are high that there are a lot of carbohydrates .

These require amylase , which the pancreas can provide , but will eventually deplete .
Especially if feeding kibble you should provide digestive enzymes that do have amylase as part of the ingredients. 

Proteins are broken down by proteolytic enzymes which include , pepsin present in the stomach , bromelain, papain, serrapeptase, "protease".

If there has been a disturbance in the mucosal lining then the dog will have a decreased surface area for nutrient absorption. 

I think digestive enzymes would be in order.

Ask your vet about Vit B shots .

just some thoughts slapped down over the course of the day and multiple disruptions.


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