Dog Community

Digestive aids for Sofia's Skinny Sister

Posted : 5/5/2006 2:31:36 PM

I was shocked by how thin Athena was, and what poor condition she was in. Of course my son and his girlfriend were feeding Purina One, and that is going to stop ASAP. I've tried to find a place that has Eagle Pack in Albuquerque, but no one seems to carry it. [sm=sad.gif] Since Athena is Sofie's twin, I know she'd do well on it. They probably won't spring for Fromm, the food she's doing REALLY well on.

Her breastbone is just jutting out, as are her elbows and hip bones. It's hard to tell with the fur, but I do know what she ought to look like, and what she used to look like. Remember, I have her twin for comparison.

Anyway, so she'll probably get NutroMax, which is still way better.... Athena doesn't have nearly the energy level Sofia does, her coat is thin and dry, and honestly, I swear she was telling me she was unhappy. She perked up a lot with me, her "mom," being there, but still.

We took her to the vet and got a blood panel done and a heartworm check. Everything came back "within normal limits" as and far as I know the heartworm was negative. Heartworm isn't a problem with NM dogs who have no mosquito exposure, and she doesn't.

This morning a lightbulb went on for me. I've been so worried about Athena, and I think I now have a clue as to her poor condition.

While I was there, I bought the dogs Kongs and filled them with pumpkin and plain yoghurt, and dog biscuits. Within 24 hours Athena was happier, had more energy and was eating better.

I think she needs digestive enzymes! The pumpkin probably didn't hurt, either.

So if you agree with my thinking, what kind of digestive aids should I buy for her (to send to my son)?

Here is a picture of Athena. You can see why I am worried since I have her twin. Sofia is in excellent shape.

glenmar

Posted : 5/5/2006 2:37:18 PM

Ummm, wow! You're right she doesn't look good. I don't know what to suggest, but I'm thinking you are on the right track.

sooner

Posted : 5/5/2006 2:38:40 PM

I like this one [linkhttp://www.thewholisticpet.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=603&CFID=8514551&CFTOKEN=12565115]http://www.thewholisticpet.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=603&CFID=8514551&CFTOKEN=12565115[/link]

And he could give a spoonful of plain, whole milk yogurt with every meal.

papillon806

Posted : 5/5/2006 3:28:15 PM

I don't know if she's a puppy or not, but you could feed puppy food regardless....it has a higher fat %

schlep

Posted : 5/5/2006 3:52:56 PM

Solid Gold SeaMeal is good for easing digestion.

jeano

Posted : 5/5/2006 4:17:05 PM

I appreciate the product recommendations, keep them coming!

I'll go into town to Cold Spot Feeds and pick out the best thing I can find for her and send it down to him.

loveukaykay

Posted : 5/5/2006 6:31:00 PM

I use Prozyme but I think there are better ones out there I just dont know of them.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 5/6/2006 11:26:33 PM

Poor kiddo. She looks like Emma, except that Emma's hair isn't nearly as thick as what I'd imagine a Coydog's hair would be. What saved Emma was Prozyme (she was a bag of bones, WAY thinner than Athena is). Everybody with liver dogs uses it. Amazing stuff. Emma slowly worked up to a double dose. She's still thin, but she's not starving to death, any more. Lew Olsen suggested to me, recently, that an animal based enzyme might work better. I'll probably try it, but I've got half of a big thing of Prozyme left. B-naturals has the animal based enzymes.

I hope Athena does better, on better food. If they have a Petsmart nearby, there may be Blue Buffalo, which is a very decent food....

shamrockmommy

Posted : 5/7/2006 12:09:38 PM

I've used Unleash from PHD products before.
I also second the puppy food (until she puts weight on) and whole milk yogurt or kefir.

Those are coy-dog mixes, right? I had a friend with a whippet/coyote cross, Scooter, he was so cute!

jeano

Posted : 5/7/2006 12:17:56 PM

Well, Cold Spot had some good pro-enzymes and I'm sending them to Athena with a small bag of Fromm Salmon a la Veg, (which has Sofie's fur soft and wonderful like you wouldn't believe!).

I talked to Ole on the phone yesterday and told him that he HAD to feed Athena separately from Lily (who hogs all the food--Sofia and Athena are nibblers) which is also what the vet told us. Athena is still eating a bowl of dog food a day, but obviously not enough and not digesting it. I made him promise to give her yoghurt every day until the enzymes got there.

When I have a chance I'm going to give him a pep talk about how much he loves her (he's just as fixated on Athena as I am on Sofia [

]) and why he needs to take special care of her.

I also have her blood panel results from the vet we took her to down there, and I'm going to have my vet compare those to Sofia's base panel. Should be interesting. I'll let you guys know what comes of it.

sakura

Posted : 5/7/2006 1:32:04 PM

ORIGINAL: jeano

I was shocked by how thin Athena was, and what poor condition she was in. Of course my son and his girlfriend were feeding Purina One, and that is going to stop ASAP. I've tried to find a place that has Eagle Pack in Albuquerque, but no one seems to carry it. [sm=sad.gif]

My dog went through a period where he looked quite skinny as well. I found that green tripe works wonders! It's great for digestion. Tripett is a canned version that's available in Albuquerque. I've heard good reviews about it so you may want to check it out. Website ishttp://www.tripett.com/

glenmar

Posted : 5/7/2006 1:50:53 PM

Yes, but you'd think Sofia would be skin and bones too if this is a family type thing. Sheba was ALMOST that bad looking for 2 years...but once she hit two she FINALLY started filling out. I like my dogs on the lean side, but that poor girl looks anorexic! I really hope that DS will follow your feeding recommendations and start nourishing her properly. poor girl!

jeano

Posted : 5/7/2006 1:57:49 PM

I'll keep the Tripett in mind. Thanks.

Glenda, Yep. I had a talk with Ole this morning and told him in no uncertain terms that Athena MUST be fed separately and he is eagerly awaiting my package. He's been extremely good about following my advice since I moved far away from him, LOL. We had a great visit when I was there, too. The guy is actually growing up to be a good individual. [

]

It's definitely not a familial thing, since Sofia is in super shape. Athena does get lots of exercise playing with Lily the piggle. [

]

Oh, also, Athena is 4. Far past the adolescent skinny stage. Of course Sofia is the same age. LOL!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 5/7/2006 9:21:57 PM

Yeah, Tripett is good stuff. My dogs LOVE that stuff!

Free feeding in a multi dog household doesn't usually work so well. I hope he gets it figured out, and puts some weight on that beautiful girl!

Edie

Posted : 5/7/2006 9:30:35 PM

I would definately give the green tripe a go.It is packed with enzymes which this dog needs and is wonderful for getting the weight on,in a healthy way.I really urge you to give it a try with this dog,raw green tripe is the best,but if he cant get that the cans will do the job,just not as well.