# Too Thin ???



## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Hello my female GSD is 72 lbs. It sounds like a good weight but she is very tall and very very thin. She has been tested for EPI, SIBO and B12, all are good. I have her on Royal Canin German Shepherd. Up until recently we were giving her another Royal Canin but switched because she was having diaherrah, the change helped she no longer has it but she is still not putting weight on. I feed her twice a day 2 1/2 cups each time. I will try to post some pictures of her. If you notice her bones on top at the rear are really protruding. Her spine from top to bottom really sticks out a lot and you see all her ribs. She does not get any junk food at all. Can you please tell me what I should feed her to put some weight on her. I read somewhere mashed potatos with sardines, is this any good? I also thought of leaving food in her dish all the time, but she eats anything and I am afraid she will never let the food sit and just eat it all the time. I don't want this to end up going the other way and she is over weight. Thanks for any comments.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Can you visibly see her ribs? It doesn't look like you can from the pictures, so she doesn't look too thin to me.

If her ribs feel like the back of your hand than that's an ideal weight.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Sorry Lucy I guess because of her color you really can't see how thin she is in the pictures. People are asking me all the time if I am feeding her enough. She is starting to look like the dogs that the SPCA takes away from people because they are starving them. Look at her bones sticking out on the top of her back, I think they are her hip bones. Even in the pic of her sitting down you can see the 2 bumps on her lower back. And if you notice how rounded her back is, it is because of how much her spine is showing. I tried so hard to get good pics but it is just not showing up.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

I can tell fro the pics, the ribs dont show up well because of the black fur in the pic, but her hips (yup that triangle is her pelvic girdle there in pic #3-4) tell the whole story. She is WAY too thin. the sardines will help, but i would skip the potatoes for now, be careful with fish products and only get cooked stuff, there is a fluke in some pacific fish that will kill your dogs if eaten raw (kills bears a all the time) and get the sardines cooked in oil not water.

Try this; in addition to feeding your kibble (speaking of kibble what are you feeding her?) increase her food ration to all she can eat, never have an empty bowl, unless she just gorges herself, then start with three cups, feed her yogurt with whatever cooking oil you have in the kitchen (canola, veg, etc) let her drink milk (whole not 2%), and eat some meat and fat cheese is good too. If you fry bacon pour the grease over her kibble (let it cool too). Give her some dogie vitamins with brewers yeast in it, they help with digestion. Add egg's to her kibble, don't give her any veggie materials yet, she may not be able to handle them well.

I'll tell you now that you will most likely notice some diarrhea at first, this is from adding lots of fatty substances to her food that her Digestive system is not entirely ready for, but it wont hurt her so dont worry about it. Also i think that whatever your kibble is if it is not a "premium" kibble you should really take the time to decide what you want to switch to, I like Eukanuba because it is a good balance of higher end ingredients and lower cost, unlike some "premium" kibbles it is not much more than a dollar per lb there are some kibbles that cost a hundred bucks for 40 lbs. to me that just isn't necessary.

And don't worry so much about feeding her "junk food" or table scraps, that is what dogs have eaten for centuries, they have been just fine. This is the only thing to worry about for reducing their diet






that is a dog that doesn't need to get table scraps.
otherwise you will be ok to feed table scraps. There are foods you should not feed your dog, i will get a link for you


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Yeah... I do see that hip bone. Lucy has that too, but it's not as noticeable. Maybe it's the short coat though. 

What does your vet think? You say she has had a few tests done... what do they think about her weight?

Also, what's her activity level like? Does she get a lot of exercise? Maybe she needs a food with a higher amount of calories per cup. RC GSD is only 343 calories per cup which really isn't much. I feed orijen and it's like 490 per cup. I think Evo's around 520 per cup. If she's getting a lot of exercise and not getting enough calories, she's not going to put on weight.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

What to feed my dog? - Smokey German Shepherds
link here, scroll down and you will see the list of doggie dangerous foods that people eat, avoid these and she will be fine.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Thanks Joshua, you have given me a lot to try. I did just get the diarrhea under control so for a while I would like her to stay on the RC German Shepherd. But I do plan to try the sardines and feed her a little more. Instead of feeding her more twice a day maybe I will feed her 3 times a day. I am sure if I leave food in her bowl she will eat and eat and eat. We have been giving her yogurt. I have never heard of a dog drinking milk, might try that also along with the eggs in her kibble. I will be trying a lot because this has gone on too long. She need some weight and I think she needs it fast.

When the vet suggested we test her for EPI I started reading about it and I was sure this is what she had, I am very happy it is not but it sure sounded like it. The vet wants me to try a food that they sell, but this was when she had the diarrhea, he thought it might be allergies.

Paul she gets a 1/2 hour walk in the morning, then another 1/2 hour walk in the afternoon. Then she gets 2 hours at the off leash dog park and we are walking but she is running and playing for the whole time. Then another 1/2 hour walk at night. I think she is getting enough excersice but I don't think it is too much.

Thanks so much for all the input from both of you.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

Wow Glad it's not EPI, that sounds like k9 diabetes or something really bad, I think your choice of dog food is ok but i will note that when i fed Eukanuba GSD formula my dog hated it and would not eat much. If she has had diarrhea, has the vet done a stool sample culture I had a dog with chronic diarrhea that turned out to have a Giardia infection. My sister is a vet and gave him some sulfa drugs that cured it and we gave him yogurt and brewers yeast vita tabs that cured him right up. I am also assuming he has been wormed?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

why do you think she needs more weight? maybe she's
at her natural size? you could try a better food. tall
and thin is good.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> why do you think she needs more weight? maybe she's
> at her natural size? you could try a better food. tall
> and thin is good.


you must not have looked at the pictures very well, that is NOT her natural size, she is so thin that she has obviously lost muscle mass. her pelvic bones are protruding from her rump. It sounds to me like she is having some trouble with her digestion and or absorption. 2 and a half cups of food a day would seem to me to be a good ration size for an adult dog. but not when she is that thin, that is why I was recommending feeding her stuff to give her a more better calorie load. she needs fat and nutrients to put some weight back on. I think the pictures speak for themselves.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

ok looking at the pictures I'm not sure she looks so much underweight as she looks like she just hasn't filled in and needs to get some good lean muscle on her hind quarters. Seeing her last 2 ribs or so if perfectly fine.

First of all (and I mean this with all due respect Joshua Sampson) do not listen to a good portion of what he said. Some advice was perfectly good but adding all the fats does nothing but put the fat on the dog. Will she bulk up?? OF COURSE however it doesn't mean its a good bulk adding fat is just going to put fat on her and you don't want her fat you want her lean with good muscle tone. My first question (sorry if I missed it) is how old is she? Her body condition looks great she just doesn't seem to have the muscle tone in her hind quarters yet which of course could be age, nutrition, or even exercise. There are actually quite a few ways to remedy this that vary dog to dog and depends on which is the cause. I'd love to know her age because it could be playing a part. Eggs are great to give her they are a LEAN source of protein you can cook them (not in grease but if you use some spray its fine either way) sardines are fine I personally prefer raw sardines I'd worry more about giving raw salmon then sardines. If you do buy the canned sardines buy them in water not oil you don't want to pour empty calories down your dog. It's just like you if you eat fast food all day are you gonna put on weight of course but is it healthy weight like a body builder wants or like someone whos gonna show up on biggest loser?

I'd be more then happy to give you lots of suggestions and keep in touch to help you on your journey (so you know it won't happen over night and it really shouldn't its a slow steady pace) Feel free to send me a PM if you don't know how yet let me know on here I'll check back in just in case.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> you must not have looked at the pictures very well, that is NOT her natural size, she is so thin that she has obviously lost muscle mass. her pelvic bones are protruding from her rump. It sounds to me like she is having some trouble with her digestion and or absorption. 2 and a half cups of food a day would seem to me to be a good ration size for an adult dog. but not when she is that thin, that is why I was recommending feeding her stuff to give her a more better calorie load. she needs fat and nutrients to put some weight back on. I think the pictures speak for themselves.


I think we need to know her age before we can make a ruling on this. She may not have LOSS muscle mass as opposed to still being young and not formed it properly. You are right she needs some muscle put her on especially in the hind quarters however I think relatively she is in great body shape she looks young with the tall thin body just needing to fill out (like a 1-2 yr old) but adding fat is not the way to do it properly Fat does not build muscle it just puts on more fat. Granted a dog does need fat in their diet but not in the form of cooking oil and bacon grease.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

I would only put 5lbs or so on her based on what I see in the photos but she does need muscle. What types of exercise is she getting? Here is a thread about good ways to build muscle http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/health-issues/133507-best-way-build-muscle.html

You really can do better than RC for her which will help her get to a good weight. If you have a Petco near by, they have decent foods. For the same price as RC GSD, you can feed less and she will get better nutrition.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> 2 and a half cups of food a day would seem to me to be a good ration size for an adult dog. but not when she is that thin, that is why I was recommending feeding her stuff to give her a more better calorie load. she needs fat and nutrients to put some weight back on. I think the pictures speak for themselves.


Actually the OP stated 2 1/2 cups _twice_ a day. 

I was about to ask the age of the dog, but Holmeshx2 beat me to it. 
I think it's important to know whether we're giving advice to a puppy or adult.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

ah ha good point! so at 5 cups per day that is almost overfeeding, my dog wont even eat that much in a day.


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## KLCecil (Jul 1, 2010)

The dog does appear thin and this is not by just looking at the hip bones it's also looking at the face, it seems somewhat shallow but like everyone is asking age does play apart. If she is still very young then I would not worry too much but if she is an adult she does need to put a little "weight" on in the way of fat and muscle. RC is notorious for having to feed your dog a lot of food to keep weight on and giving her weight I'm thinking 5 cups is not enough somewhere around 6 cups maybe 7 split Bi-daily would be good. NEVER FREE FEED! This can lead to obesity or very thin dogs because they only eat when they absolutely need to, also if the dog has never been free fed before you are chancing Bloat on a binge feeding. Adding supplements has its benefits but is not needed. 
If you haven't already, have her Thyroid checked (If she is an adult).
Also when you can I *personally* would change foods to a no grain dry food (I suggest Orijen) or feed Raw.

Good luck with you pup!


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

I think if I had a dog that looked like thatI wold make sure she had water and food at all times, I would free feed my dog if I say bones. now when Those bones are covered wih mucsle and fat then OK I would reduce the ration but thats how management works, you must adjust.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

Curiosity got the better of me and so I looked to see if she stated her age previously.
On Jan 28, 2011 she stated the dog was 15 months.


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## Tihannah (Dec 27, 2009)

I would have to second Kimberly. Either upgrade your brand of Kibble or feed Raw. I fed my girls Wellness Core for awhile and then switched to Taste of the Wild for awhile. They are a little bit less than Orijen, but also good grain-free food. However, my GSD wasn't crazy about the dry kibble and started lookin thin. 3 weeks ago I switched all my pups to RAW and she immediately started filling out. From what I understand, RAW also helps to build muscle mass and can be cheaper than feeding the premium kibble as well. I'm going to send you a pm with a link that might interest you.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I can't tell a thing from the pictures with no coffee and no glasses on but just to add, when you buy the sardines try to find the ones without salt added. Crown Prince does have a 15 oz can with salt added that isn't much more than the salt in the Mackerel. The cans without salt are 3-4 oz cans. You could also feed her canned Mackerel.

Mashed potatoes will only add carbs to her diet. I would only add the fish to provide the fats and protein.

The diarrhea concerns me. Have allergies also been ruled out? You said that EPI, SIBO have been ruled out, correct? What about IBD?

Since she isn't an adult yet, she may just be going through that gangly growth stage also. But I would switch to a higher calorie, higher grade food.


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

If that dog is 15 months then yes, she just needs to fill out. She is still a young age. Is her poop now under control?
Personally, I would get a better type of kibble as well. Eukanuba is crap so please do not go with that. I personally love Orijen, but there are several others as well. Do not free feed! Feed her at her feeding times, but use a kibble with a higher calorie count.
Your dog does look a little thin, but she actually looks like she is in the gangly teenage stage where everything else grew and other stuff needs to catch up. It is better to keep her on the thin side at this time while she is still maturing and growing.
Most people see a GSD like this and think they are too thin. What people are used to seeing is a GSD that is severely overweight.
I personally think overall that your dog looks good. She just needs to mature.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

It's hard to tell from the photo but I personally would up the food for a bit and get a bit more weight on. Just a bit on the thin side, I like to feel the ribs/hips but your dog is actually really showing the hip bones more than I like.

What I've found with my younger dogs, is sometimes they'll go for months on one amount of food, then suddenly I notice they are either too heavy or too thin. So I then adjust for awhile until they seem to be at a better weight and I reassess the amounts.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Well thanks so much for all your comments. Koda is 17 months now and I must tell you for those of you who agree that she is too thin from the pictures, the pictures don't even show it accurately, she really is a lot thinner than you see in the pictures. I worry so much about those bones sticking out. If she were to get sick I am worried she won't have anything to fight it off. And yes sometimes I look at her little face and think it looks very thin also. Thanks a lot for all the links and recommendations. She has had her stool tested, no worms. I do plan to change from RC to something else, I live in a small Canadian city so we don't have a lot of the brands you all mentioned, but I am sure if I read the labels I can find something that might be better for her, I just don't want to do it now because she did just get rid of the diarrhea. So I think for right now I will add another feeding during the day of 1 cup, then she will be getting 6 cups a day and I will also give some sardines at that mid day feeding. I don't want to try to much at once so I will go slowly.

Again thanks so much to all of you. This really is a great site for advice when you need it.


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## webzpinner (Mar 7, 2011)

Jake was rather thin too when I got him off of craigslist (73lbs). Vet said everything was in working order, but Jake just needed more fat. He was given a prescription for adding scrambled egg to the diet, or bacon or hamburger grease, also recommended plain yogurt, etc. 

8 months later, he's nice and filled out. We've cut him down to scraps twice a week instead of every feeding (as instructed by vet), but he's doing so very well!


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> I think if I had a dog that looked like thatI wold make sure she had water and food at all times, I would free feed my dog if I say bones. now when Those bones are covered wih mucsle and fat then OK I would reduce the ration but thats how management works, you must adjust.


Free feeding can cause a loss of weight, due to the dog losing interest in the food when its available at all times. And the issues with binge eating are even more concerning. Plus you have NO idea exactly how much the dog is eating to know if there may be a medical problem going on. 

Even though she tested negative for EPI, I would try some enzymes. You can buy human grade pancreatin enzymes (porcine) and see if that helps. Especially since you've had issues with diarrhea. I've done that with my girl Emma and its really made a huge difference and now my vet and I say she has sub-EPI. I use Jarrow brand Jarro-Zymes Plus. 

I would absolutely NOT be feeding the dog milk. Especially on a dog that has weight and possibly digestive issues. Dogs and cats lack the ability to digest lactose in milk. Feeding yogurt is great because the bacteria cultures break down the lactose. 

Feeding bacon grease and cooking oil is not a good idea either. And again especially on a dog that might have digestive issues, imo you're just asking for pancreatitis. 

If you want to add oil and fat content to the food, I would add small amounts of olive oil but NOT canola, corn, etc. But I would concentrate on adding enzymes, probiotics, possibly upping the feedings, or switching to a higher quality (and higher calorie) food. You can also look into adding satin balls to her diet. But make any changes in the food very slowly, such as increases or switches. You can add pumpkin to help keep things firm during a change.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Lin said:


> Feeding bacon grease and cooking oil is not a good idea either. And again especially on a dog that might have digestive issues, imo you're just asking for pancreatitis.


Absolutely, that is a very bad idea. If you do want to add some fat to her diet, organic virgin coconut oil is a good choice. It's highly digestible, which makes it ideal for dogs that have trouble digesting fats in general. The amount to give is 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight per day, but it's best to work up to that slowly. Dogs love the taste, so getting her to eat it shouldn't be difficult.


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## vat (Jul 23, 2010)

koda girl I just sent you a PM.


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## vicky2200 (Oct 29, 2010)

My husky looks like that too ( the hip bones) I wouldnt be too concerned as long as she is eating and not vomiting of having consistent diarrhea


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

I agree....way too skinny. How about satin balls for initial weight gain while you get things sorted out with the kibble?


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

She could also do a 30 day Tylan treatment just in case it is SIBO. The blood tests only show up positive in 40% of cases.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would work on building muscle(along with the diet suggestions (better oils, nutrition) You can do perchwork and other exercises to tone her up. Walks aren't working all areas, swimming would be great if you can do that. Stretching, crawling games are great muscle builders.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

She is a young dog. I know that young males often take time for the ribs to spring and to start putting on weight, I don't know if the females have as much trouble. Sometimes they do go through a very thin period. I would make sure that you are feeding enough of a high quality food, or add a small meal in between, or additional healthy treats.

For any chronically underweight dog, I would also rule out tick diseaeses, particularly ehrlichia and/or anaplasmosa. Sometimes a blood test to check blood counts and platelets can help.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Well the sardines went right through her and 1/2 hour later they came out like water. Yuk. I am not sure but maybe I better not give her any more of them. I have upped her food, she is now getting 6 cups a day. Thinking about trying satin balls or a raw diet. But she gets diarrhea so easily.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

digestive enzymes and probiotics work wonders. I would add that to her diet.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Onyx is it okay to give enzymes when she does not have EPI? Can you tell me where to get these? I know you can buy them on line but if I can find them somewhere here it would be faster, then if I want to continue them I can order them on line.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

Lin said:


> Even though she tested negative for EPI, I would try some enzymes. You can buy human grade pancreatin enzymes (porcine) and see if that helps. Especially since you've had issues with diarrhea. I've done that with my girl Emma and its really made a huge difference and now my vet and I say she has sub-EPI. I use Jarrow brand Jarro-Zymes Plus.



Yes, digestive enzymes are helpful for many digestive problems and not just EPI. I use Jarrow brand Jarro-Zymes Plus which can be purchased locally for me at Vitamin Shoppe. You can also find human grade pancreatin enzymes (porcine ones, dont get the vegetarian ones) at other vitamin/nutrition shops such as GNC etc.


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## Jgk2383 (Aug 5, 2009)

These really helped my dog. I took him in as a rescue in August. He was 28 inches tall and weighed 54lbs. He could barely stand. After much trial and error I threw away all hopes of kibble and dove into a raw diet, now 7 months later he weighs in at a nice 81 lbs. These enzymes helped us out alot--

Amazon.com: Prozyme 454gm: Kitchen & Dining


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## Zoeys mom (Jan 23, 2010)

Get some digestive enzymes ASAP to curb this diarrhea because thats not going to help weight gain at all as I'm sure you know. To answer your question yes your dog is too thin. Seeing a rib or two is fine, but hip bones should never protrude like that. RC is total crap food so switching SLOWLY to Orijen or some other higher calorie food would be helpful....like really helpful,lol You can buy canned pumpkin for dogs from most specialty dog food stores which is great to add for diarrhea as well as brown rice to firm things up with the probiotics.

Has your vet ruled out worms and other parasites? Sometimes it takes multiple fecals to show up. If she gets more than 2 hours of exercise a day I have a hard time believing lack of muscle is her issue- more like lack of fat. What about IBD or colitis- her symptoms surely match. Chronic diarrhea leads to loss of nutrients and fats so looking into that is probably a good idea. Satin balls are also great for dogs who need to put on some weight in the short term, but if you don't find the reason for her diarrhea and nip it in the butt she won't be able to keep the weight on. Best of luck to you!!!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Jgk2383 said:


> These really helped my dog. I took him in as a rescue in August. He was 28 inches tall and weighed 54lbs. He could barely stand. After much trial and error I threw away all hopes of kibble and dove into a raw diet, now 7 months later he weighs in at a nice 81 lbs. These enzymes helped us out alot--
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Just a warning, many dogs don't do well with Prozyme.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

onyx'girl said:


> digestive enzymes and probiotics work wonders. I would add that to her diet.


They really do. Lisa actually made some recommendations for some probiotics when Lucy was having some stomach issues and I couldn't be happier with the difference they've made. 

I'll admit that I was a little skeptical at first, but since she started on the probiotics, it's made a world of a difference.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

Holmeshx2 said:


> ok looking at the pictures I'm not sure she looks so much underweight as she looks like she just hasn't filled in and needs to get some good lean muscle on her hind quarters. Seeing her last 2 ribs or so if perfectly fine.
> 
> First of all (and I mean this with all due respect Joshua Sampson) do not listen to a good portion of what he said. Some advice was perfectly good but adding all the fats does nothing but put the fat on the dog. Will she bulk up?? OF COURSE however it doesn't mean its a good bulk adding fat is just going to put fat on her and you don't want her fat you want her lean with good muscle tone. My first question (sorry if I missed it) is how old is she? Her body condition looks great she just doesn't seem to have the muscle tone in her hind quarters yet which of course could be age, nutrition, or even exercise. There are actually quite a few ways to remedy this that vary dog to dog and depends on which is the cause. I'd love to know her age because it could be playing a part. Eggs are great to give her they are a LEAN source of protein you can cook them (not in grease but if you use some spray its fine either way) sardines are fine I personally prefer raw sardines I'd worry more about giving raw salmon then sardines. If you do buy the canned sardines buy them in water not oil you don't want to pour empty calories down your dog. It's just like you if you eat fast food all day are you gonna put on weight of course but is it healthy weight like a body builder wants or like someone whos gonna show up on biggest loser?
> 
> I'd be more then happy to give you lots of suggestions and keep in touch to help you on your journey (so you know it won't happen over night and it really shouldn't its a slow steady pace) Feel free to send me a PM if you don't know how yet let me know on here I'll check back in just in case.


It's funny how "with all due respect" you didnt say anything I didnt already say, and feeding fat content in a dogs diet can be EXTREMELY nutritional as long as you're not gobbing on the extra weight. it is something to treat as a supplement, not feed straight, plus it makes the kibble taste great and they eat it happily. Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Pork, bacon, rendered fat, cooked [bacon drippings]
1 oz animal fat
251 calories
Fats & Fatty Acids​ AmountsPer SelectedServing%DV​ TotalFat27.9g43%

SaturatedFat9.0g45%

Totaltransfattyacids0.0g

Total trans-monoenoic fatty acids

Total trans-polyenoic fatty acids

TotalOmega3fattyacids133mg

 TotalOmega6fattyacids2764mg

Phosphorus2.5mg

Potassium4.2mg

Sodium7.6mg


You cannot feed your dog like they are people. dogs need to eat things that are not good for people. Take a collegiate animal health class. And when a dog is that low on body weight (possibly dangerously low) they are going to need additional food content. And dogs do great on milk (as a supplement). and you can keep track of how much food your dog eats by free feeding out of the bowl. If you can get a low body weight dog to eat 4 cups of food in a day by filling that bowl up 4 times then do it, obviously dont give him enough to engorge him (citing common sense here). I stand by what I said, again this is not how you would normally feed, but when you want to add weight to your dog because they are too thin, then these techniques work great, and adding fat mass to your dog is ok when they are going to be exercising a lot anyway. their bodies will convert the fat to muscle (if they even get the chance to store body fat). just look at how eating raw works. You can feed a dog a side of raw pork spare ribs if you dont like bacon grease but even feeding some veggie oil on the kibble can benefit your dog.
​


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> What to feed my dog? - Smokey German Shepherds
> link here, scroll down and you will see the list of doggie dangerous foods that people eat, avoid these and she will be fine.


That list has potato's listed as a dangerous food. Do you think he meant white potatoes as opposed to sweet potatoes?


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

Whiteshepherds said:


> That list has potato's listed as a dangerous food. Do you think he meant white potatoes as opposed to sweet potatoes?


read it again It list potato LEAVES not potatoes

*Potato, Rhubarb and Tomato Leaves; Potato and Tomato Stems*: Contain oxalates which can affect digestive, nervous and urinary systems


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## webzpinner (Mar 7, 2011)

JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> You cannot feed your dog like they are people. dogs need to eat things that are not good for people. Take a collegiate animal health class. And when a dog is that low on body weight (possibly dangerously low) they are going to need additional food content. And dogs do great on milk (as a supplement). and you can keep track of how much food your dog eats by free feeding out of the bowl. If you can get a low body weight dog to eat 4 cups of food in a day by filling that bowl up 4 times then do it, obviously dont give him enough to engorge him (citing common sense here). I stand by what I said, again this is not how you would normally feed, but when you want to add weight to your dog because they are too thin, then these techniques work great, and adding fat mass to your dog is ok when they are going to be exercising a lot anyway. their bodies will convert the fat to muscle (if they even get the chance to store body fat). just look at how eating raw works. You can feed a dog a side of raw pork spare ribs if you dont like bacon grease but even feeding some veggie oil on the kibble can benefit your dog.
> ​


We free-fed Jake for a few weeks when we first got him (he was 71lbs, pretty thin, and fed kibbles N bits by previous owner- brittle hair, slept ALOT, no energy). Took him to the vet, got the list of what to supplement his diet with, and switched him from kibbles to Kirkland, and he ate FANTASTICALLY. Just a tbsp of bacon grease with his morning feedings went a LOOOONG way. The scrambled egg helped his fur, and once a week a can of tuna for the vitamins. We saw noticeable improvements in a week. Now, one year later, Jake is 87lbs, and weaned of most of the human food except as an occasional treat. His coat feels smooth and has a slight sheen to it. And finally, he's got as much energy as my 6 and 4 year old! :help:


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

webzpinner said:


> We free-fed Jake for a few weeks when we first got him (he was 71lbs, pretty thin, and fed kibbles N bits by previous owner- brittle hair, slept ALOT, no energy). Took him to the vet, got the list of what to supplement his diet with, and switched him from kibbles to Kirkland, and he ate FANTASTICALLY. Just a tbsp of bacon grease with his morning feedings went a LOOOONG way. The scrambled egg helped his fur, and once a week a can of tuna for the vitamins. We saw noticeable improvements in a week. Now, one year later, Jake is 87lbs, and weaned of most of the human food except as an occasional treat. His coat feels smooth and has a slight sheen to it. And finally, he's got as much energy as my 6 and 4 year old! :help:


that is my point exactly. it is a supplement and it sounds like in this case it worked wonders. I prefer to feed my dogs raw eggs, sometimes i even let them eat the shells, (excellent source of calcium). Thanks!


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> You cannot feed your dog like they are people. dogs need to eat things that are not good for people. Take a collegiate animal health class. And when a dog is that low on body weight (possibly dangerously low) they are going to need additional food content. And dogs do great on milk (as a supplement). and you can keep track of how much food your dog eats by free feeding out of the bowl. If you can get a low body weight dog to eat 4 cups of food in a day by filling that bowl up 4 times then do it, obviously dont give him enough to engorge him (citing common sense here). I stand by what I said, again this is not how you would normally feed, but when you want to add weight to your dog because they are too thin, then these techniques work great, and adding fat mass to your dog is ok when they are going to be exercising a lot anyway. their bodies will convert the fat to muscle (if they even get the chance to store body fat). just look at how eating raw works. You can feed a dog a side of raw pork spare ribs if you dont like bacon grease but even feeding some veggie oil on the kibble can benefit your dog.
> ​


People have already explained why free feeding is bad. Out of curiosity, how many underweight dogs have you nursed back to health? 

Adding large amounts of straight fat to the diet as you recommend is dangerous period. You're just asking for pancreatitis. ESPECIALLY in a dog that possibly already has digestive issues and may not be digesting fats property. You don't know if the diarrhea is steatorrhea. And if you're going to add some straight fat to the diet, you're recommending the WRONG KIND. You state how dogs don't eat like us. Correct, they don't. Dogs aren't meant to be downing corn or other vegetables, so why would you recommend pouring cooking oil over the food? 

Both my dogs Logan and Emma were very hard to keep weight on, as well as my cats Piper and Lorelai. Same with my fosters Abbie, Chaos, Lance, Simon, and Tobi. Chaos, Pharoah, and Simon were emaciated when they came to me, and Molly was nearly there. A few of these dogs were free fed before coming to me. None of them were fed cooking oil or bacon grease by me. With proper nutrition and the right supplements all improved. Pancreatitis can KILL a dog, and many of your suggestions could cause it. 

Eggs are very different from pure fats, and are the most easily digestible protein. However being fed raw in large amounts can cause a biotin deficiency, due to the avidin in the white binding with all of the biotin in the yolk and then some. So if they're being fed in excess of one a day its best to cook the whites.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

I guess with some people you just cant tell em nothin!


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> I guess with some people you just cant tell em nothin!


These "people" have been thru it personally and know what works. So have I. If I fed my dog the way you are explaining, it would have torn the crap out of his digestive system. In just a standard, underweight dog, yes what you say may help. Not in an instance with a dog most likely inflicted with digestive absorbtion issues.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

when my dog gets egg shells they're grinded. the
shell becomes granulated.



JOSHUA SAMPSON said:


> that is my point exactly. it is a supplement and it sounds like in this case it worked wonders. I prefer to feed my dogs raw eggs, sometimes i even let them eat the shells, (excellent source of calcium). Thanks!


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Dogs and cats cannot digest whole milk after a certain age. The body lacks the ability to digest the lactose and most adult dogs/cats will get digestive upsets from drinking milk


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

wyominggrandma said:


> Dogs and cats cannot digest whole milk after a certain age. The body lacks the ability to digest the lactose and most adult dogs/cats will get digestive upsets from drinking milk


I've already pointed that out, Joshua knows better than everyone else


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

sorry, I didn't see that. 
Yea,I kinda got that idea that Joshua knows better than everyone else.:laugh:


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## Jgk2383 (Aug 5, 2009)

Yes lisa some dogs do not do well on it but they now offer a lactose free one as well .


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## KLCecil (Jul 1, 2010)

Measuring out food and "filling the bowl" with that measured amount is NOT free feeding........You are still giving small rationed meals but frequently throughout the day which I also believe is a weight loss technique for humans.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Wow again thanks so much to all of you. As you know the sardines did not work. I thought about switching to Raw but because we just got her stools back to normal I really don't want to change her food right now. I plan to go out tomorrow and find some enzymes to give her. Then at some point this week I will try some scrambled eggs. Once she has been regular for a while I plan to change her food to either TOTW or Orijen, from what I have been reading these are the 2 most people say good things about. I priced them today at the pet store, both around $70 a bag. I was a little worried about going grain free while she is so thin though.

Again thanks a million to all of you, your opinions really help.

Danielle


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## jaggirl47 (Jul 18, 2009)

koda girl said:


> Wow again thanks so much to all of you. As you know the sardines did not work. I thought about switching to Raw but because we just got her stools back to normal I really don't want to change her food right now. I plan to go out tomorrow and find some enzymes to give her. Then at some point this week I will try some scrambled eggs. Once she has been regular for a while I plan to change her food to either TOTW or Orijen, from what I have been reading these are the 2 most people say good things about. I priced them today at the pet store, both around $70 a bag. I was a little worried about going grain free while she is so thin though.
> 
> Again thanks a million to all of you, your opinions really help.
> 
> Danielle


 
I love Orijen. My Zappa (who has alot of GI issues) actually does better on it than raw.
Personally, I would try Tylan. Like I said in an earlier post, SIBO only shows positive 40% of the time. However, it also acts very similar to EPI.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

bacon fat drippings bad idea. high salt for one. Any time a fat is heated , pan drippings , it is very difficult to digest and yes you can have pancreatic inflammation.

Raw fat and grease are not the same. Raw fat is good. 

There are such things as appetite initiators . Sprinkle a little bit of garlic over the meal. Fenugreek is known to stimulate appetite and help in weight gain.

Someone made a comment about Prozyme . There are two formulaes now, regular and lactose free.

Probiotics and digestive enzymes are something I definitely would recommend.

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

carmspack said:


> Someone made a comment about Prozyme . There are two formulaes now, regular and lactose free.


I was the one that made that comment. Some dogs can't tolerate the lactose free one also. Just so folks are aware that if the Prozyme doesn't work, they should try another enzyme product.


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## koda girl (Feb 15, 2010)

Just so you all know the problem is not getting Koda to eat, she will eat everything she can get.
Now I am going out tonight to either buy new food (Orijen or TOTW) not sure which one yet, or to buy Enzymes and probiotics. I don't want to change her food and put her on Enzymes at the same time. Which do you think I should do first?

Thanks,


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

doggiedad said:


> when my dog gets egg shells they're grinded. the
> shell becomes granulated.


 good trick i'll have to remember that.


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## JOSHUA SAMPSON (Feb 21, 2010)

enzymes first It'll haelp her with the switcheroo


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## unloader (Feb 16, 2010)

was her diarrhea chronic for a significant period of time? If you have _just _gotten it under control, I would let the 5 cups of RC do it's thing before switching. 

My pup had pudding poop for the first 8-9 months of his life and he looked just like your girl. He was 60lbs at 9 months, once I got his stool issues under control, he put on 10lbs in two months, and now at 13 months, he weighs a healthy 75lbs. I'm not feeding him the best food, but he absorbs it well.

My point is, I think you are doing harm by switching and adding things when all that may be needed is time. A CBC blood test wouldn't hurt to check the things LisaT mentioned. If anything, I would start with an increase in the food she does well on first.

I have yet to try enzymes, but have some waiting, just in case. Also, for me, it was hard to find a probiotic that agreed with my pup. Lots of probiotic induced diarrhea at our house. :crazy:


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## RiggsGSD (Jun 8, 2016)

Joshua is so right. I have a nicely balanced, big sable german shepherd that i have had since a puppy, and just got a call about 3 weeks ago that a german shepherd was going to be put down because of aggression issues. There were no aggression issues, they were starving him. His hips were worse than shown and his ribs were nearly slab like. He was snapping because he was starving and had a nervous paranoid owner that kept him in a cage. It was SO SAD. I feed Royal Canin German Shepherd food, which is perfect for them because they cant gulp they have to chew, and I give them Chicken and Ground Beef 2x day. I take a pound of beef put it in a pan, lightly sear both sides and keep the middle on the rare side; I do the same with the chicken breasts. At Walmart you can get a whole package for $10 - less than the crappy food in a can. After 3 weeks, his pelvic girdle looks almost like the photos shown here, and his ribs are just starting to round out. He is completely out of his cage, and is fine to go anywhere with the other dog and is not snapping at all. Some people should not have Shepherds. He was itching when he came too because he was not getting enough nutrition for his skin. In 3 short weeks his coat is even getting better; he is very gracious for the rescue and going to be beautiful in a few months.


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