Diet Advice For A Skinny Weimaraner

[Loraine]

My son's Wei has just arrived in the UK. He spent about 4 weeks in kennels here before his trip. He has lost a ton of weight - over Skype last night I could see Alfie and his rib bones and hips are sticking out.

I have advised son to feed little and often, high protein value foods such as white meats, oily fish, egg whites and a good mix of veggies.

Anyone have any more advice.

Alfie was only fed kibble when they lived here, not sure what happened at the kennels, but he looks like he stopped eating as soon as they left him (he has been in these kennels before, for shorter periods.)

[persephone]

Hi... poor Alfie.

he doesn't need veges, really- they are just filler.

If he wants to feed fresh/raw, then ox cheek and lamb are good meats with a more fat on/in. Whole eggs , and sardines are some things I can think of.

if he is used to kibble ..then get your son to buy a very high quality one... a working dog type formula .. containing lots of calories.

Little & often is good advice

A vet visit ASAP is also advised ..in case he has developed an illness .

Hope he is soon happy and enjoying his new home :)

[Flick_Mac]

You could try a puppy kibble too - they're higher in fat and protein, and the thing that fattened my Wei up (he wasn't super super skinny) was lamb flaps, mince and chicken wings in addition to his kibbles.

[Loraine]

Thank you both for the great advice.

I think right now my son is really concerned at the huge weight loss. My son is about to move into a new rental property Tuesday their time, so Alfie will be moving again.

I'll pass on the info about the lamb flaps and ox cheek and the higher calorie kibbles.

As always good advice from DOL'ers

[Guest donatella]

My son's Wei has just arrived in the UK. He spent about 4 weeks in kennels here before his trip. He has lost a ton of weight - over Skype last night I could see Alfie and his rib bones and hips are sticking out.

I have advised son to feed little and often, high protein value foods such as white meats, oily fish, egg whites and a good mix of veggies.

Anyone have any more advice.

Alfie was only fed kibble when they lived here, not sure what happened at the kennels, but he looks like he stopped eating as soon as they left him (he has been in these kennels before, for shorter periods.)

I'm sure you meant egg yolks not whites, there's not much in the whites that will aid weight gain.

[darlingdog]

Thank you both for the great advice.

I think right now my son is really concerned at the huge weight loss. My son is about to move into a new rental property Tuesday their time, so Alfie will be moving again.

I'll pass on the info about the lamb flaps and ox cheek and the higher calorie kibbles.

As always good advice from DOL'ers

I often have to fatten up skinny pointers and I use a satin ball recipe a friend gave me....this is not for meals, these are high calorie extras if you like....morning and afternoon treats that sort of thing. I use these in conjunction with the lamb flaps fresh chicken, high quality kibble that I feed in meals.

2kg full fat human grade beef mince

large block cream cheese ( philly)

cup or so of rolled oats soaked in some cream

1 cup wheatgerm

large jar peanut butter

12 eggs yolks only no whites

Mix it all together raw in a bowl. Make up in to small meatball size balls and freeze in batches.

I usually give a dog about 6 of these meat balls in total throughout the day as treats. Not suitable for a dog who has pancreatitis issues. I have never had a problem feeding these and they do the job of putting on the weight without fail and they love them ! A thin puppy farm bitch on good food and these treats looked great within 3 weeks. :)

[SparkyTansy]

Obviously getting weight back on him is important, but also get your son to focus on why he is skinny. I'd say (particularly as it is a Weim) that the stress of the whole thing has caused him anxiety... ensure once he has moved, that the dog is kept quiet and allowed to slowly get used to his surroundings. Introduce things slowly and don't throw him into walks and other situations that may cause more stress. Even go as far as keeping him in the house and garden for a week, don't baby him and as others have said, feeding little and often.

[Loraine]

Obviously getting weight back on him is important, but also get your son to focus on why he is skinny. I'd say (particularly as it is a Weim) that the stress of the whole thing has caused him anxiety... ensure once he has moved, that the dog is kept quiet and allowed to slowly get used to his surroundings. Introduce things slowly and don't throw him into walks and other situations that may cause more stress. Even go as far as keeping him in the house and garden for a week, don't baby him and as others have said, feeding little and often.

They know that Alfie is a stress-head, but I think they are absoluteluy shocked at how much weight he has lost. My son did leave my phone number with the kennels, but at no time did they let any us know that Alfie was refusing to eat.

Thenk you all for the good info - Satin Balls I knew about but had forgotten.

[CrazyCresties]

Tripe!

I used to feed it all the time in the UK and it's a shame you can't get it here. Tell him to go to Pets at Home and they sell frozen minced raw green tripe. Yes it is as gross as it sounds, smells like cow poo but dogs love it and it is a fantastic all round food and great for getting weight back on. If it's minced you can feed it frozen to reduce the pong factor :D Do not get the white bleached stuff from butchers, it's not the same.

Some info here

http://www.rawessentials.co.nz/content/page85/Green+Tripe+-+raw+wonder+food+for+dogs.html

Oh and never, ever, cook raw green tripe - he will regret it :laugh:

[Rescue List]

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Edited May 28, 2012 by Pound List

[shmoo]

Feed the whole egg.

Sorry that was me above.