I have a German Import German Shepherd who has always been on the lean size. He is 2 years old & has fell down to 70 pounds. I took him to the vet who ran blood tests, checked his liver, kidneys; checked for parasites including heartworms, thyroid etc. Everything came back normal & she said all that they could find is that he has an extremely high metablosim rate. She also outfitted him with some kind of special pedometer to see how far he runs a day. The pedometer clocked him at around 10 miles a day (we live on several acres of land) . He is an EXTREMELY driven dog~~at 7 months old he was tracking 600 yards in 30 minutes & his prey drive is astounding!
We put him in a 40x80 foot dog lot at the vets suggestion to try & keep him from running so much but he just ran the dog lot all day. He comes inside when he wishes & gets plenty of attention.
More in the comment section because I have run out of room!
2006-12-03 05:16:50 · 10 answers · asked by Melissa B 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
He DOES eat well--food is available 24-7; the vet put him back on puppy food mixed with cooked pasta (she said to give him the pasta for the carbs). He is SOY intolerant & has been switched to Flint River Ranch Puppy Food--all natural no preservatives or by products.
She also had us put him on Satin Balls (raw hamburger mixture mixed with wheat germ; peanut butter, honey, karo syrup; and total ceral---it is supposed to put a lot of weight on fast).
All he has gained is about 2 pounds in the past 8 weeks & no more. Any suggestions on something to give him to make him gain weight? We also tried the nutracal supplement with no luck; he is healthy but he is WAYYYY to lean.
She didn't want to give him any meds to calm his energy down. But he is a highly driven dog. We have stopped his tracking training at the vets suggestion to try to keep him from running his weight off but still no luck.
2006-12-03 05:20:44 · update #1
Once a week he does get cooked chicken (bones removed) mixed with rice & of course his pasta and still giving the satin balls but still not a significant amount of weight gain. He has rawhides; toys; etc. to entice him to lay down & chew on his toys rather than run all day.
Oh and he tested negative for parasites also. He has another vet appointment Dec. 19 to monitor his progress & try something else since this doesn't seem to be working.
2006-12-03 05:22:55 · update #2
The last dog food he was eating had 30%protein & 26% fat but it didn't do him any good so the vet has reduced then tried reducing the amount of protein he gets thinking maybe he was getting too much.
As you probably can tell we have had numerous vet visits with this dog but still nothing seems to be working.
2006-12-03 05:25:39 · update #3
Allison~~Yes he HAS been professionally trained. To try to keep him from getting bored we had him enrolled in tracking....but he never seemed to tire and afterwards is when he really started losing weight. The vet was afraid that if we allowed him to continue tracking he would actually become nearly emaciated so we stopped that. His handler said that he is one of the first dogs he has seen in a long time with such drive and intensity.
2006-12-03 05:38:32 · update #4
Doggie poo~~~Yes he is on digestive enzymes. She's not really all that opened minded but if I insist on something she usually tells me to go for it and she will monitor him.
For example one of my rescue cockers had kept severe ear infections for years & had built up a resistance to all antibotics & I found an herbal blend of ear infection medicine I showed her & she gave the ok to try it & Daisy has been on it since with only a few mild ear infections.
So thanks for the links! I am heading to go check the Shen Calmer stuff out!
2006-12-03 05:44:02 · update #5
No the satin balls aren't doing any good; Satin Balls are supposed to make a dog gain like up to 8-10 pounds a week.
2006-12-04 01:33:32 · update #6
Sound like you are doing a really good job so far. Is your vet open minded? I would recommend giving your dog a chinese herbal called Shen Calmer. My vet practices TCVM and we use this for dogs in your type of situation. While your dog seems healthy he is OUT OF BALANCE! This will drain him and shorten his life span. Because what he is doing is not normal as you know.
Below is the website for Shen Calmer. Your vet can also email for any questions she may have about your dogs situation.
Unfortunatly many Shepherds have digestive issues. Is your dog on digestive enzymes? This may help him better digest his food and his body will be able ti utilize what you are giving him.
Good Luck and would love to hear from you on his progress.
2006-12-03 05:35:08 · answer #1 · answered by doggie_poopie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Their are some high protein tubes of food that you can get at the pet store made for highly active dogs. You cant stop him from doing what comes natural. You can only try to keep up with him. Just ask about supplemental food for hunting dogs.
2006-12-03 05:22:34 · answer #2 · answered by talarlo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You said he is gaining weight with the Satin Balls. It may not be rapid weight gain but it seems to be steady weight gain and that is good. Ask your Vet about adding some cooked oatmeal to his diet.
2006-12-03 06:44:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hmmmm, i'm surprized the vet didn't suggest a medication to calm him down...benedryl, atropine, luvox, etc. the only thing you can really do is increase his caloric intake. i'm sure you're already feeding a higher protein food for working dogs, but you might try adding ground beef, turkey, or chicken, and rice. you can also add some scrambled eggs to the mix. it's super easy on the system, digestive-wise, and will add calories. it might be hard to get him to eat if he just isn't hungry...adding granulated garlic powder to the food with help...maybe. perhaps some gourmet dog cookies? i used to be certified in science diet brand foods, but it's been quite awhile and for the life of me, i just can't remember if they carry a dog food for weight gain. anyway, good luck with this.
2006-12-03 05:30:52 · answer #4 · answered by pirate00girl 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you go to your vet, they actual have a vitamin supplement that helps animals gain weight.
2006-12-03 05:21:36 · answer #5 · answered by ♥N,K,E&DJ'§ Mommy♥ 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
eggs. i fed my little peekingneese/lhaso apso dog scrambled eggs two times a day and she gained weight that shes now on weight control dog food.
2006-12-03 05:27:19 · answer #6 · answered by i wuv my poochie 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
have you tried some professional training? maybe if he had a job to do it would calm him. it worked for my overactive pooch. Shepard's are extremely smart therefore they get bored easily. training also provides bonding time and nothing works better than a lot of love and trust. i am a professional dog groomer and see the vast difference in dogs that have been trained and those who are left to thier own devices. best of luck
2006-12-03 05:30:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Pizzia? Hot dogs, sausage good human food. Canned dog food, lard, unlimited suplies of dog food
2006-12-03 05:21:54 · answer #8 · answered by antwat 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Eat grapefruit before each meal
2016-04-21 07:30:53 · answer #9 · answered by Shelby 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u could feed it very very much food like chicken/turkey.
2006-12-03 05:20:42 · answer #10 · answered by skterboy03 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋