Dog Community

Help for skinny shephard

Posted : 7/9/2007 11:53:12 AM

Hey all,

I need some ideas for my parents GSD. He was purchased from a BYB 2 years ago, and neutered at 5 months. At 9 months of age, he weighed 85 lbs and was probably 3-5 lbs overweight, and my parents eskie was about 15 lbs overweight, so I asked my parents to start measuring the dogs food each day instead of free-feeding from an automatic feeder.

At about a year or so of age, Chance stopped eating well. My parents have tried switching foods (from Nutro to Chicken Soup to Science diet, now on Purina ONE), mixing in canned food, people food, and the Iams gravy.

About 3 months ago, my parents finally got fed up with fighting him and went to the tough love approach. He gets 3 cups of food in the morning, and if he doesn't finish it, he gets it again in the evening.

Chance now weighs 72 lbs, and has a body condition score of 2 out of 9. He looks like the dogs you see that have been picked up by animal control, half starved.... he's THAT skinny.

Everyone I've talked to says a dog will not starve himself to death. I say they lie. This dog has been to the vet several times, seen multiple vets, and we're all shaking our heads. His physical exams and bloodwork have all come back normal. We calculated out his daily caloric intake, which should be close to 2000 calories per day. He's currently eating less than 1500. He eats enough for a 60 pound dog, and if we don't figure something out fast, pretty soon he's going to be one!

Please say somebody out there has some ideas for us!!! My current plan is to pick up a bag of Innova for him tomorrow. At 557 calories per cup, I'm hoping we can at least keep up with him before he goes downhill any further...

Here's my parents beautiful dog when he was still fat and happy. He's still happy, but for the first time in my life I wish a dog was fat again.

mrv

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:02:27 PM

If activity is normal and blood work etc. is normal.... who cares? I am speaking of an owner of 3 dogs who were VERY thin (well below standards) etc. at this age.

I would let him stay thin, chances are that will work out better in the long run any way (says the owner of a now deceased medical mess of a BYB gsd (spina bifida, retained testicle, HD and autoimmune disorder who lived to be 13)

hdkutz

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:04:40 PM

My shepherds only get about 2 to 3 cups of canidae a day. Have him checked for pancreatic enzyme deficiency. maybe get him on a higher calorie food for working and sporting dogs. I`d like to see a pic of him now. Most shepherds are too fat. He should have a nice tuck of his belly, a nice waist line when looking down at him when he`s standing and you should easily be able to feel his ribs, maybe even see them if you look hard.

Liesje

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:11:04 PM

I'd also like to see a pic of him now. I don't have any good suggestions b/c it sounds like you've done everything I would have.

72lbs honestly doesn't sound that skinny for a shepherd. Mine is within the standard and she is 55lbs, however it's a she and she is 21" tall (low end), but still 72 doesn't sound that bad unless he's huge. Hard to say w/o a pic or other measurements though.

Misskiwi67

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:22:00 PM

ORIGINAL: Liesje

I'd also like to see a pic of him now. I don't have any good suggestions b/c it sounds like you've done everything I would have.

72lbs honestly doesn't sound that skinny for a shepherd. Mine is within the standard and she is 55lbs, however it's a she and she is 21" tall (low end), but still 72 doesn't sound that bad unless he's huge. Hard to say w/o a pic or other measurements though.

I will get a pic and measurements. I don't know if photos will show how bony he is... his coat is thick and shiny, but if you look, you can see his spine, and he has lost muscle mass on his hips, spine, and you can even see the spine of his scapula. He is TOO skinny... a BCS of 3-4 I would be ok with, but he's scoring a 2 right now...

TAOofGoldyShep

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:32:35 PM

Do you think he might be reacting to the change from free-feeding to the schedule of how he is being fed now? If it were me, I'd really look (disecting events actually) at what exactly was happening around the time he stopped eating well. How old is he now...how long has it been since he was eating well, or stopped eating well?

Rick B

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:33:32 PM

Most shepherds are too fat.

ORIGINAL: hdkutz

Agreed.

72lbs honestly doesn't sound that skinny for a shepherd. Mine is within the standard and she is 55lbs, however it's a she and she is 21" tall (low end), but still 72 doesn't sound that bad unless he's huge. Hard to say w/o a pic or other measurements though.

ORIGINAL: Liesje

My female is ~23" and in the 50s. She is not skinny but trim. She is just about 2 years old but people often think she is a puppy because they expect GSDs to be huge. Considering the prevalence of bad hips in GSDs (mine has them) I'd say thin is good. I know you're a vet student so should know too skinny when you see it but if he has food available daily I'm not sure I'd worry much.

I'm guessing the weight loss is a bigger issue for you but you said all the blood work is normal. Maybe it is weather related.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:36:30 PM

I don't normally stoop this low, but how about bribery? Canned Mackeral, green tripe, even Nutrical... If he's THAT skinny, I agree that it's a problem. He's gotta eat something. I think the Innova is a good step. Digestive enzymes really helped put weight on Emma, when she got super thin. I used Prozyme, for a loooong time, for her. It really made a difference.

He looks pretty big, next to Romeo. What does Romeo weigh, just out of curiosity?

Misskiwi67

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:53:09 PM

He's been slowly losing weight since we stopped free feeding... I'm not sure when that was exactly, but its been about a year. The free feeding stopped as much for the health of my parents 14 year old Eskie (40 lbs, should have been 2

as it was for Chance, who was too fat for a young puppy. I too, would rather see them skinny than fat, and at his size and with his unknown parentage, I was also worried about hip dysplasia. He's been slowly getting skinnier and skinnier, and my mom has been struggling to get him to show any interest in food. We free fed him over the weekend while we were camping, and he barely ate anything at all.

He measures approximately 34 inches at the shoulders. Its a rough estimate as this dog doesn't know how to hold still, but I think you get the idea that he's abnormally large for a GSD. He was neutered at 5 months, and is very leggy, probably due to delayed growth plate closure, which I'd never seen prior to this dog, but have seen several times since.

Here are some photos... I don't know if you can see what I see or not, but its the best I'm likely to get. He's very active, almost ADD, and doesn't have a lot of discipline.

Thats Sheila, my 70 pound boxer mix in the background...

mudpuppy

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:58:11 PM

He's losing his muscles? that is of concern. A fit skinny dog will have good muscle mass. I'd go back to the vet. GSD are prone to degenerative myelopathy as well as an assortment of other unpleasant diseases.

You might want to try one of the high-protein foods. Purina one isn't exactly a super premium food. Will he eat raw marrow bones? the marrow is a rich source of calories.

TAOofGoldyShep

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:58:17 PM

I do see what you're seeing in the 2nd photo. What concerns me most is the loss of muscle mass.

cassie elias

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:58:26 PM

So he is getting exercise and mental stimulation preety often right?Have you tried putting the food in a kong or buster cube?Some dogs just need a challenge.If a dog doesn't expend much energy why would he be hungry?Though most dogs will eat anything!Sounds like my friends yorkie who won't eat unless you put it in a kong or some kind of toy.Just a suggestion.
edit 2 add:Many people forget that geman shepherds are shepherds who need physical activity and mental stimulation more so than other breeds am I correct?(german shep. enthusiasts)I live with an aussie who can go allllll day long.why dont your parents discipline them?Try to tell them that it doesn't mean being mean to your dogs,simply making your dog sit or lie down before he gets his bowl of food will show that she is boss.Good luck and I hope everyhing is okay with him.

tony

Posted : 7/9/2007 12:59:39 PM

I would try Bil-Jac, it is about the most palatable food out there, you can contact them and they will send you a free 1 lbs sample in a few days.

Misskiwi67

Posted : 7/9/2007 1:05:01 PM

I went on a search for bil-jac yesterday... couldn't find it. Where do you all get it from? Chance has a tendency to love a food for about a week or so, then lose interest completely, so my mom isn't in a big hurry to make large food purchases online. Especially not with 50 lbs of food in the basement as it is (I brought home a smorgasboard from school... no luck so far)...

We've tried Kongs and the balls with food in them... he isn't interested at all. I've never met a dog so non food motivated. He will beg for buiscuits and popcorn, but thats about it.

cassie elias

Posted : 7/9/2007 1:08:13 PM

okay well I'm stumped![&:][8|]