Weight Gain In A Starved Dog

[Dura Mater]

he

guys

does anyone have a special recipe for weight gain in a severely emaciated dog, i dont know how this gal has survived so long, was found with a 3m chain dragging behind her and ppl were kicking her away.

i have only had her 2-3 days, she has been getting 4-5 small meals a day, have been using fresh meat, good quality dry puppy food, mixing in cottage cheese, slipping in half a multi vit once a day, and i have added a small amount of electrolyte replacement in her water, like 1/4 of dose per day, anything else i should try???

i know some of u guys out there have heaps of experience, so am requesting just a lil help to see if im the right track!

recipes, ideas would be greatly appreciated, she is a pointer x boxer approx 18months old

she has been wormed and will be done again when a weeks up.

thanx

Edited September 11, 2006 by Dura Mater

[~Anne~]

I suggest a pm to Cordy. She has experience in building up dogs that are severely emaciated in her rescue.

These two recent ones spring immediately to mind;

Thread

[t-time]

Off topic here but I just noticed an ad in the classified section...

Reward for a 2 year old female pointer X Border Collie lost on the 9th August from Tuggerah.

COULD THIS BE THE SAME DOG??

[~Anne~]

Might be worth pm'ing the OP as well just to make sure she sees your comment???

[Jejuna]

If this is their dog they need charging with animal abuse. :rolleyes: That is a shocking state for a dog to be in.

[Jed]

Jejune, before you begin beating up the owner, if this IS the same dog, it has been missing for a month - and as a stray, it was not having regular meals, in fact, it was probably having no meals at all, which would lead to the condition it is now in.

[~Anne~]

I'm with you Jed. There is no telling just what the poor dog has been through in the last month.

I wouldn't be judging them just yet. Lets face it, if they didn't care for the dog they wouldn't still be advertising to find him.

So.... has anyone contacted the people from the ad to see if it is their dog?

[t-time]

Yes Puggles. I did manage to get hold of Dura Mater yesterday :rolleyes:

She has called the mobile and left a message so hopefully will know something today.

Would be great if it is the same dog - I love a happy ending

[~Anne~]

Would be great if it is the same dog - I love a happy ending :rolleyes:

Me too

[Winterpaws]

I know of the pointer dog as I have seen posters and do not beleive it is the same girl. The lost dog is a solid red and white

Keep up the good work with this girl Dura Mater and watch those fingers :rolleyes:

[peibe]

I have also seen this dog and there is no way she has been without food for a month, more like 5-6 months

Yep and watch your fingers lol

[Australdi]

That photo of her is shocking!!! I want to cry! ...thank god you came along & rescued her!

If she can tolerate it, I have found that chicken fat. meat & frames are a nutritious but fairly easy on the tummy way to fatten a dog & improve coat condition at the same time.

you're doing the right thing by small feeds often..keep up the good work!

...also perhaps get dome divetlac from the vets...it's highly nutrtious & can assist in rehydration as well.

good luck

Aus

[Bokezu]

Dura Mate that picture made me cry. Poor girl I hope she's going to be O.K keep up the good work.

[Becky in Oz]

How are things? Did you read through Cordy's thread? Hope things are still going well.

Good on you for helping this dog. Fancy kicking her away, sounds just terrible. poor thing.

[Cordelia]

I have also seen this dog and there is no way she has been without food for a month, more like 5-6 months

Huh??

She'd be dead if she was starved for that long.

Wherever this dog came from (I'm assuming scanning for a chip has been done), it is entirely possible that wandering around with little - no food can see a dog in this emaciated state within 2 wks (especially if they are in prime nick when they go missing).

Regardless.... Hydration shouldn't be an issue at all if she is drinking well. It isn't advisable to boost electrolytes unless it is warranted by actual dehydration.

Lamb has the highest fat content of all meats. Too much chicken fat and it'll cause gastro and potentially pancreatitis so don't go overboard with it.

After the first few days, and no vomiting, there is no need to give small meals or give more than 3 meals a day. Feeding more than 3 times will boost their metabolism too much and you'll actually cause the dog to burn energy faster. Increase size of meals and feed less frequently. After 5 days, she should be able to ingest approx 600-800g per meal (75% fresh - 25% puppy food... must be high quality).

Keep her activity fairly restricted so she's laying around a lot. No walks for at least 2wks.

I hope the pound have been informed so if she has someone looking for her, they can find her.

[Muffin]

I hve spoken to the original owner and he gave the dog away in JANUARY of this year.He has no idea who he gave the dog to nor did he fill out any change of owner ship papers.Yes, Council have been notified and would LOVE the new owner to step forward.The dog is question is a boxer/pointer.Definitely no border collie in her background.

[peibe]

Knowing the background of the dog when I posted, I should of been more specific and said what muffin has posted above

The dog has been without correct nutrician since she was given away.