# can you recomend a good food for verry underweight dog ?



## tjk (Sep 1, 2010)

i have taken in a very neglected dog. hes a lhasa apso and hes just skin and bone. at the moment the vet has suggested i get him on a puppy food feeding him little and often but i dont know which brand to go for, which is the best quality ? 

if anyone has any experiance with this or just knows which is the best one any advice will be greatly appriciated (sp?)


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## foursmith (Oct 11, 2012)

There is a list of best wet and dry foods in the nutrition section, I have no experience but sure someone will soon, you could also post in nutrition section.well done for taking him in.


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## tjk (Sep 1, 2010)

thank you foursmith will take a look at that


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## babycham2002 (Oct 18, 2009)

As soon as my extremely underweight foster came to me I put her on wainwrights puppy trays , four times a day
they are easy to get hold of, palateble and good quality food (available in [email protected])


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## Chris Swansea (Jul 29, 2012)

I like raw feeding... Most dogs love it, and its really healthy... Do some reasearch on it. 

*edit*
Sorry... Just to add... Tripe is really good for weight gain.


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## Willylee (Mar 21, 2013)

If that's all the vet has recommended, change your vet. Assuming there is nothing physically wrong with the dog and he has simply been neglected and starved then it is simply a matter of adjusting his system to a new feeding regime. Great care must be taken. Feed small amounts and often is correct.
Boiled chicken or rabbit (if your a country person), boiled eggs mixed with boiled brown rice, sweet potato, parsnips, carrots, cabbage, broccoli.
I have found this system to be gentle on the digestive system for my working dogs when off colour but you have to monitor carefully as you may experience very liquid stools.
40% chicken/eggs
60% vegetables/rice well cooked in "just enough water to cover"
Start with just a small tea cup portion and feed perhaps up to five times per day but watch his stools. If all is ok after a week move on to minced red meat, microwaved but continue with the vegetables. Vary the veg.
The stools are the best guide. If firm and moist all is well.
The dog requires quality protein to build muscle and this is best from eggs and meat.
If the dog is not ill, exercise is also important to create an appetite. Very difficult in these situations but don't fuss as you would a human. Try if you can to treat the dog as if he's a dog....which he is. He'll appreciate that far more and respond quicker. If he doesn't eat his food after 5 minutes, pick it up and leave him for an hour. Give it a stir and put it down for him again. Try not to feed him by hand.....he isn't ill....he's been starved is the assumption.
After a fortnight and all is well, my choice is frozen tripe, thawed and mixed with rice and veg.
Don't add stock cubes or gravy as these invariably contain a great deal of salt. And definitely no choccy bikkies or other sweet things!!!!!!!!!!
Food at this stage is best served at body temperature, take the chill off his water also. Make sure all food and water bowls are thoroughly washed, rinsed and dried constantly. Washing up liquid is not good for the digestive system
You must monitor the dog very carefully to begin with and any real adverse signs seek professional help immediately.
Hope that helps.
Willylee


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## tjk (Sep 1, 2010)

thank you so much i have a [email protected] local so will try him on that as for raw feeding hed be fine with anything without bones ( he has major tooth infection so bad the puss is coming out of his nose so needs to be soft food ) whats the best thing to use ? i did think about tribe will grab some of that too thanks guys really means alot


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## Chris Swansea (Jul 29, 2012)

Most raw foods ive seen come either in the form of meaty lumps, or minces. The minces do have bone in them, but ground up to nothing. The packs from pets at home are almost pate. So once defrosted, would be a treat for him to eat. 

I know vets dont like raw, but its also worth noting that vets recieve next to no nutritional training. And there ARE health risks to raw feeding for the human, because were not meant to eat raw food... But we've been using it for about 8 months and washing our hands does the trick


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## HandsomeHound (Sep 1, 2012)

Don't know if the offer is still on, but [email protected] had Wainwrights 2 x 12 boxes for £15 instead of £9 each.


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## tjk (Sep 1, 2010)

thanks again chris i know what ones you mean ive seen them in there so do i just defrost them then feed them straight to him ? do they have a guide of how much to give him ? or just give him the pack ? sorry i have no experiance at all with raw feeding


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## LahLahsDogs (Jul 4, 2012)

Poor little love.. I don't have anymore advise to give as i'd agree with the other's suggestions. I just wanted to say thank goodness that he's finally found a good home with someone to take care of him and bring him back to happyness. Good luck with him, and I hope he's feeling better soon.


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## Chris Swansea (Jul 29, 2012)

tjk said:


> thanks again chris i know what ones you mean ive seen them in there so do i just defrost them then feed them straight to him ? do they have a guide of how much to give him ? or just give him the pack ? sorry i have no experiance at all with raw feeding


Its just defrosted and given... Imagine a dog in the wild... No messing, just eat that meat! This may help....

http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/111437-raw-feeding-everything-you-need-know.html


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## laurahair (Apr 21, 2011)

word of warning-defrost the tripe in an AIRTIGHT container and feed outside. It is rather pungent  Think that might be why dogs love it so much and why its good for weight gain as they are keen to eat lots of it.


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## tjk (Sep 1, 2010)

LahLahsDogs said:


> Poor little love.. I don't have anymore advise to give as i'd agree with the other's suggestions. I just wanted to say thank goodness that he's finally found a good home with someone to take care of him and bring him back to happyness. Good luck with him, and I hope he's feeling better soon.


thank you i just hope i can get him better and give him a full happy healthy life im sure it will be a long hard road but he is worth it


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## tjk (Sep 1, 2010)

well hes taking to the puppy food really well not even a bit of an uppset tum which is brilliant and he had tripe for brekki and loved it! thanks again for the advice will update with his progress when i can


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## chissy 15 (Mar 13, 2013)

My dog was ill and losing weight so vet put him on digestive support food available from vets but very expensive. Then slowly introduced James Welbeloved junior food in turkey and rice flavour, all natural ingredients and he's doing fine now. This was recommended by my vet. Hope this helps


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## Willylee (Mar 21, 2013)

Hi again.

Just read one of your threads and you say he has an infection, either gums, teeth or both perhaps.

This may suppress his desire to eat anything other than "soup" type food and will also lead to digestive problems, resulting in the system failing to extract the nutrients from food, necessary for weight gain and muscle development.

For any infection, particularly around the mouth, best seek the help of a vet.
Infection could be the main cause of his weight loss and your neglect diagnosis.

Best of luck in the meantime.


Willylee.

Dogs!......don't you just luv 'em


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## tjk (Sep 1, 2010)

Willylee said:


> Hi again.
> 
> Just read one of your threads and you say he has an infection, either gums, teeth or both perhaps.
> 
> ...


Sorry willylee I've only just seen your posts he is seeing the vet regular and has been on antibiotics since day i got him and theyve just been increased for another two weeks he's actually fine with eating he's got so used to the bad teeth he's just learnt to kind of flip it to the back of his mouth then swollow so he never chews it he's doing well so far put on a bit of wieght and is in on Tuesday for op on his teeth his skin is much less red an there is also some hair growing back can not believe how much difference there is in him in just two weeks he follows me everywhere and is looking more alert everyday so pleased with him


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