could really use some help

If you google satin balls, you will get lots of recipes.  Basically, they're meatballs, with other ingredients added.  I've never used them personally, but they're supposed to be excellent for helping dogs gain weight.

If you can't find the Sea Meal, you can use Missing Link.  I know that's available in Canada.  Just start with a tiny amount, and work up, otherwise some dogs develop diarrhea from the increase in fiber.

Missing Link will help her gain weight.  I've seen customers misuse it and end up with a fat dog.

If I read your post correctly, you said that you were feeding her lots of small meals a day.  My only concern is that this may make it hard for you to house train her, as she is not on a potty schedule.

If you can, maybe feed her 3 meals a day and hopefully that will make it easier for you to set a schedule for her potty time.

Lena, here's a link to Solid Gold's website, you can order the Seameal directly from them and I'm pretty sure they ship to Canada. I've also seen it in small pet supply stores.
 
[linkhttp://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=36&code=591]http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=36&code=591[/link]
 
Missing Link is very similar...

If you google satin balls, you will get lots of recipes. Basically, they're meatballs, with other ingredients added.

Yup. You use high fat content ground beef, Total cereal, and some other stuff. They're supposedly pretty tempting, and put weight on anything.

Hi,
 
You've already gotten some good ideas...here are a couple more which you can try which are VERY easy....  When my Iggy isn't feeling well--a rare thing, I make him rice (add a little extra water than the basic recipe calls for--NO SALT!) to which I add a chicken breast, skin and all, and, five minutes before it's done, some baby carrots and green beans.  It is like a chicken, vegetable and rice soup which is super-good for him, easily digestable and oh-so-tasty...!  Add a little salt and you'll like it too...! 
 
I have some experience with Iggy rescues--it's heartbreaking imagining such sweet creatures being mistreated but, oft-times, because of the challenges of housetraining and human ignorance, they do get passed from inappropriate situation to inappropriate situation...I'm glad you're little one finally found a good human...!
 
Here's a link to the IG List Server--a great resource for all things Italian Greyhound...it's also a great resource for things your Iggy would love to stay warm--Hound Togs, clothes designed for sighthounds and Whitehouse Woolies, lambswool beds to keep them warm in the winter and cool in the summer....
 
[linkhttp://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/italgrey-l.html]http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/italgrey-l.html[/link]
 
Lastly, most Iggies are easy to paper train...particularly in the winter, they're not going to suggest you take them out in the cold just to go potty....  You can help them be a LITTLE more reliable with a regular (every three hours) walk but you've got to think about it like this:  How interested would YOU be in going out into the freezing cold with no clothes on just to go potty...?  haha
 
When I'm going to be gone for a lengthy amount of time, I leave a rag on the floor in my bathroom and that's where he goes--very simple....  Hope this helps...

A great book that would be very useful for you is Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health For Dogs and Cats.  It has recipes in it and tells you everything you should give your dog for a well balanced and healthy diet.  It has a lot of other health related info as well.  Here is a link to the book at Amazon.  [linkhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157954973X/sr=1-1/qid=1154833533/ref=sr_1_1/102-4986886-9420131?ie=UTF8&s=books]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157954973X/sr=1-1/qid=1154833533/ref=sr_1_1/102-4986886-9420131?ie=UTF8&s=books[/link] 
 
Also, as someone mentioned earlier, you can get glucosamine in liquid form.  The glucosamine I use is called Synflex.  My dog loves the stuff.  He just laps it right up.  They do ship to Canada.  Here is a link.  [linkhttp://www.synflexamerica.com/pet/index.php]http://www.synflexamerica.com/pet/index.php[/link]
 
Lastly, the company I order my dog's supplements from is great.  It is called Only Natual Pet Store, [linkhttp://www.onlynaturalpet.com/default.aspx]http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/default.aspx[/link],  I have seen an improvement in my dog since he has been on their brand of multi vitamin, but their brand is not carried in powder form.  You can always crush it.  They also sell Solid Gold Seal Meal Powder, which is a fantastic supplement as well.  My friends use it.  They do ship to Canada.
 
Good luck.

Pitcairns book is a good read to get some nutrition basics.  However, his recipes are REALLY grain heavy.  Now, I started homecooking, in part, to get away from the grains, so I'm sure not gonna dump them into the homecooked food in the amounts that HE suggests.  So, just keep in mind that you don't want to be feeding twice the grain to meat.

And finally, here is the baby[]
 

Thank you for taking in this little sweetheart! I have two IG's and volunteer for IG rescue so this unfortunatley is a common scenario, where the dog gets passed around home to home (usually due to housetraining problems) the lucky ones find a home like yours or are surrendered to IG rescue.

From the photos she looks the right weight. Now she's not standing so we can't have a clear view but I do see some nice weight on her. You said she is 9 pounds and that's a very average weight for an average size IG (13-15 inches at the shoulder). I have a 9 pound female and an 11.5 pound male. The very tall IG's which are oversized and 19 inches or so at the shoulder can go up to 18-20 pounds and still be super lean, with some vertabrae and a rib or two showing, but it's a healthy weight.
Keep in mind most IG's are chow hounds with high metabolisms, they are much more active and hyper than their Big Grey relatives. My dogs are fed 3x a day and eat like they haven't seen food in a week.

Your IG appears to be a very nice weight. I just worry as you said she has no energy- although with her oral problems, her body probably expends energy on healing or fighting infection.
Hypothyroidism is a health issue with IG's so down the road you may want to get that checked. Here is are two good links for IG info:
[linkhttp://www.italiangreyhound.org/]http://www.italiangreyhound.org/[/link]

[linkhttp://www.igpost.com/]http://www.igpost.com/[/link]

Here's an attachment of photos, the white dog is underweight, but the rest of them are all nice healthy weights:

Thanks Sophia.
When i looked at your before pic, that is about how Angel looked when she first came. She has put on a bit over a pound now and has been going on a zillion walks a day. When she first came she had no muscle tone and you could see all of her ribbies. Now she is long and lean and has some nice definition happening in her legs and you can just see the outline of her ribs. She isn't to bad when it comes to eating, she pretty much just takes what she needs and goes on her marry way.
She is going in next week to have major work done in her mouth. Besides having very few teeth that have to be removed, she has a hole in each side at the inside top sides of her mouth that is right through to the sinus cavity. Sometimes the food gets in there and she has alot of trouble breathing, alot of snorting to get it out. Also when she drinks water, it sometimes comes out through her poor little nose. I am not certain yet if they have to graft the tissue to close it or if they just suture it. This is all new to me.
What really ticks me off is why someone would let this poor little girl suffer this way. They didn't even bother having the mammary tumor remove. I just pray it isn't cancer, I think I would die if it is.
Just got her and don't think I could be without her, she's so special.
 

Oh my gosh, please keep us updated on her surgery. Thank you so much for giving Angel a wonderful caring home.
There was an IG who came into rescue a few weeks ago and had an abcess in his mouth and from the photos my rep showed it looks as if the ascess burst up near the sinus cavity, as the wound was on the outside top of his muzzle. He's all healed now (his photo is on igpost.com).
So many of these little hounds have dental problems, but even the toothless, seem to get along fine, on ground raw diets, or softer homecooked or canned food. They'll even gum their bones and chews when they can!
I hope that Angel's mammary tumor is benign. I had a Foxhound years ago who had one removed, it was malignant, but she did very well and went on several years afterward.
Good thoughts and prayers for Angel, I hope all goes well next week. Please give us an update when you can.

 She has such a sweet face; I can see how you would get attached to her so quickly. Like Sophia, I too want you to keep us updated on her surgery. It's unbelievable how some people can neglect their pets; her former owners would face cruelty charges in some states. We adopted a cat who had been abandoned and later learned that he had suffered a broken hip that had healed without veterinary care. He must have been in a great deal of pain for a while. She is so lucky to be in your care.

Finally got a date for Angels surgery, Tuesday Aug 15th.
They will have to keep her overnite because of the extensive dental work they have to do plus removal of the mammary tumor[].
I already feel sick to my stomach with worry. I know that this is the best thing for her but I am so afraid that she may feel I have abandoned her, great I'm crying now. I love this little one with all of my being. She has already been through so much and I don't want her to think that she is being thrown away again.
I am going to take her favorite blankie with her so she can rest the nite on it. I wish she had a favorite toy but she doesn't except for her chewy Sweet Pea  and she won't fit in the cage with her. All Angel does 24/7 is chew on Sweet Pea and Sweet Pea seems to like being gummed. Angel actually dragged Sweet Pea across the floor yesterday by the scruff of the neck and she didn't mind it at all.
Must be love.
I might bring one of my t-shirts along so she knows I am close by.
Thanks for listening

 There is going to be so many things going on at the vet to distract her that she may not have time to think about whether or not she's been abandoned. I'm sure she knows you love her and won't abandon her. The T-shirt is a good idea and should be comforting. She is going to feel so much better after the surgery; her gums won't hurt anymore and she won't have water come out her nose when she drinks. I'll say a prayer for her the day of the surgery and I know many others will be sending healing thoughts and prayers too.

Her blankie and your T-shirt (after you've worn it a bit) will be comforting to her.
My thoughts are with you and Angel.  I pray all goes well and you can put this all behind you soon.
You may want to make sure the vet is aware of sighthound anesthesia concerns too and does a pre-op blood panel as well.
Here's a bit from [linkhttp://www.italiangreyhound.org]www.italiangreyhound.org[/link]

"Anesthesia-If your IG needs to be put under anesthesia for a surgical procedure or dental cleaning, it is highly recommended that the vet use isoflourine, sevoflourine or another anesthetic which is not barbiturate-based. Many anesthetics (such as biotal, surital or pentothol) contain thiobarbiturates, which cannot be easily absorbed by a sighthound since they have very little body fat. Using the wrong anesthesia can result in serious medical complications or even death for your IG, so be sure to discuss this thoroughly with your vet before your IG goes under anesthesia for any reason."

Also Lena, IG's have been known to jump from exam tables as well as the elevated crates on the wall in vet facilities, which can result in fractures. So you may wish to make sure that staff knows this and even posts a warning note on her crate (since she'll be there overnight). Also some IG owners ask that their dogs only use potty pads indoors to avoid an IG getting away from staff while on a leash outdoors. It has happened unfortunately. If she does go outdoors with staff, while on lead make sure she is wearing a well fitted martingale collar (so her head doesn't slip through). Here's photo of a martingale collar on an IG [linkhttp://www.geocities.com/itgrcc/collars.html]http://www.geocities.com/itgrcc/collars.html[/link]
the one in the middle looks like a Premier which are rather easy to find and not custom made. Martingales have that extra little loop that tightens just slightly to prevent the collar from going over the small sighthound head (but it doesn't choke).

Sorry, didn't want to make you worry more, but these are concerns so I just wanted say it sooner than later.

My thoughts are with you and Angel. Please keep us updated.