kenis

Here we are again, i have posted long ago that my dobe is not gaining weight.I am really conscious why my little boy is so thin, skinny. We have changed our diet from moving Arden Grange lamb and rice to Acana Grasland. Three months later and the only difference we see is in skin. from being flaky and bumpy now we got soft and shiny, apart of that we still skinny. Wind ( my sweetheart name) has not gain weight since he was 6-7 months, and now he is 14 months and still weighting at 58-60 pounds being at height of 27 inch. You can see all his spine, ribs , it is like walking skeleton. We have brought him to Vet to do some fecal, worm test, they gave us all clear. The only thing she said that my Dobe may got is high metabolizm level, but he will fill up once he gets little older. I don't know if it is true, but i still believe he should not be in this condition. We have tried to give him more food ( currently he is on 5 cups/day plus treats (label guidelines 4cups/day)) by adding another cup a day, but next day he had soft poo and day later we had loose stools. It is worth to mention that we still have loose stools once in a 6-8 weeks while on Acana lamb based kibbles ( on other brands or protein source we used to have every 2-3 weeks). i don't know if we outgrowing loose stools problem or lamb and rice formula suits us best. Other than that he is really happy and energetic dog, he is getting 40min morning walk, 1.5h training and exercise in the evening ,living stress free life. he means world to us so that is why I hope that someone could share they thoughts and give us the direction of this problem solving. Appreciate so much.

falnfenix

has the vet done a test on his thyroid? how are his kidneys functioning? i would get these two things checked out.

kenis

no they haven't. i have raised question regards thyroid, but two different Vets replied to me that my pup is too young to have. so i don't know if they talking rubbish or true. both visit cost me around each 300£ , so i thought to seek for advice elsewhere, as my trust in Vets is really low.

falnfenix

i would find another vet. seriously.

Dobejazz

Can you post a picture of him? It would help to see how underweight he is. Some dobermans are just lean and lanky and some are late bloomers and will fill out as they age.

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mmctaq

I would suggest you try an enzyme supplement for him. I use http://www.nowfoods.com/Supplements/...es/M011541.htm... open one capsule and sprinkle on each meal. I don't know if you can get this in the UK. If you cannot and have to look for a comparable product, it is important that it NOT be all-veggie enzymes! Try to find something which has the variety and amount of enzymes similar to the NOW Foods product. Enzymes may allow your dog to extract and utilize a larger percentage of the nutrients available in his food. Also, if you are feeding twice a day, you might try adding a third meal as a way to increase the quantity of food, instead of offering just larger meals.

dobebug

In dogs the typical thyroid problem is hypothyroidism (low thyroid levels) and one of the very common symptoms is weight gain. Hyperthyroidism is the common cat problem and typically it manifests as weight loss while eating large quantities of food (at least in it's initial form). So even though I'd fire a vet who wouldn't run a test I asked for even if they thought it was a waste of money you might want to just double check that.

I'd be checking for things like EPI--this is common in German Shepherds and causes a lot of GSD's to look like concentration camp victims. Google it--basically it's a pancreatic problem and can be corrected by giving pancreatic enzymes.

Personally I don't like lamb as an animal protein source--there were some studies done long ago and they indicated that lamb might not be the best choice for Dobes--I don't remember even why but when lamb first appeared on the dog food scene I tried my dogs on it and it took less that three months for me to decide they just plain weren't doing well on it--it was hard to keep good weight on them and their coats started to look very dull and dry.

Too much of any food will result in soft stools or outright diarrhea if the dog is getting way too much food. It sounds like your young dog is not processing his food properly. I'd ask the vet to test for EPI and I'd probably add probiotics to his food--they can be very effective in enabling the dog to better process the food he gets.

Good luck.

MeadowCat

Are you feeding two meals a day? If so, I'd try to add in one extra meal and see if he can tolerate that without soft stools. My pup is in a growth spurt right now, so he's getting an extra 1/2 a cup of food right before bed. Not quite a third meal, but just a little extra. I also second the suggestion to look for another vet who will do some more testing.

Please post pictures so we can get an idea of his body condition.

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kenis

Thank you guys for you advice, i really appreciate for all your replies . well, probably i will have to find another, third Vet. But to be honest, i got more trust in your guys than in those money grabbers. I am currently feeding him 3 meals a day. the reason behind is if i give him same amount in two meals he will have diarrhea in no time. i have been googling all day today to find solution how to gain weight. few options i came across is satin balls or adding some good carbs, like pasta, sweet potatoes etc. i also have read in some forums that scrambled egg does miracles too. so i thought why not to try, and guess what, only one small scrambled egg, with teaspoon of olive oil in to his meal, made our belly upset, not a diarrhea but little runny (like a cow's one). i am praying that this night i don't need to get up every 5 minutes to let him out.however i am finishing Acana's grassland bag next weak, so i will be trying Orijon Regional Red kibbles next. i also will try to upload some pictures so you could have a better idea how thin we are.

DobeAndBorderCollie

I remember when I adopted Hades the vet recommended I add a calorie booster to his food to help him put on weight. I used one found at petsmart (I think it was GNC pets).

Doesn't solve why he won't gain weight but might help.


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kenis

here is some picture of my boy. they were taken between 12-13 months of age
http://www.dobermantalk.com/gallery/...2/imag1278.jpg

Sam1491

wow, yeah he's pretty skinny, even for a growing boy

What do you feed right now?

And i'll second the notion for a new vet, being that skinny is not healthy or normal for a young dog who hasn't "filled out" yet.
I'd test thyroid, enzymatic deficiencies, things related to nutrition absorption...that's my short list at least. He may also just need more usable calories being taken in but we can't fully diagnose anything over the internet nor with minimal info.

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"The Red Devil Diva" & Her Shamelessly Obedient Human

kenis

i am feeding him Acana Grasdland three times a day (overal 5cups of kibble plus treats, etc.) i know to look like this skinny it is not healthy. but also i don't want to give him carbs only either. like i said, i tried two different Vets and both of them were singing the same song. I am gonna change his diet probably 4th time , as i try to stick with food for 2-3 months , if i don't see result i want it i move on onto another brand. I know Vet should my first option, but to find a good Gp in Uk is a mission, but to find a good Vet is mission impossible. however i will be trying soon again, it must be a good one out there.

Sam1491

Well the food isn't a bad choice, it's actually a good one, as long as his stools are firm and not overly large in proportion/quantity to his size.

I'd def try and get some serious bloodwork done and find a vet that actually also thinks there is a problem. He's ok otherwise? attitude and etc? What color are his gums?

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"The Red Devil Diva" & Her Shamelessly Obedient Human

kenis

to be honest i don't how much of poo is too much. however poo is always to the softer side,if i reduce food to 4 cups a day than poo gets much harder. so i always trying to balance poo to be little softer than a rock. his attitude is brilliant. keen to play, to run , very obiedent, very smart. also he sleeps a lot if he gets bored. if you don't pay too much attention to him. also it feels like he is always hungry, (probably all dogs does) always sniffing for food while out in the park. Humans poo is so attractive to him too, obviously we not let him eat or anything, but accidents happen once in few months. his gums is pinkish/reddish , well i will post the picture in the minute. it is my first dobe, so i got little experience. i have grown rottweiler before, but we have never seen the vet in the lifetime, he died at age 13.

kenis

noodlerubyallie

Is he still intact?

Rocket had a similar problem. His issue turned out to be 1) metabolism from being intact and 2) low thyroid.

It may help to find food with a lower protein level and around 4-5% fat, as well as get his thyroid level tested. This may help him gain the needed weight over time.

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Thank you Sizzle!

U-CH Rocket - BN RN CAA CGC TDI TT
Poison
Ruby the Sibe - CD RA
Allie the Lab
Noodle the Mini Dach

Sam1491

His gums are a good color so that's good...yea beyond a vet willing to run some bloodwork and really care not much else I can think to suggest.

I'd try calling around saying you have a deeply underweight young dog who is unable to gain weight with a normal attitude and see what they say. Phone responses will be a first step in telling who's worth it.

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"The Red Devil Diva" & Her Shamelessly Obedient Human

kenis

yes he is intact, and i will try to keep him like this as long as i can. i know it gives a lot pressure to the owners and to the dog itself, but hey, who said it will be easy. i am strongly against castration, there is always an option in any situation. anyway, thanks a lot for your time, i am already searching for my local (300 miles radius) vets who can run thyroid and blood tests. i really do appreciate for your answers and opinions. now i roughly know where to put my feet down when being at Vets. thank you so much

noodlerubyallie

You won't get a fight from me. Rocket's intact and he'll stay that way unless a medical necessity deems that he lose the other two members of the Three Amigos.

Good Luck! Remember, even a low-normal thyroid level is too low for a Dobe.

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Thank you Sizzle!

U-CH Rocket - BN RN CAA CGC TDI TT
Poison
Ruby the Sibe - CD RA
Allie the Lab
Noodle the Mini Dach

stryker2

He is not to young to have a Thyroid problem. Even if your Vet says he is. Demand the test be taken and get the full panel done.
Try the Probiotics mixed in with his food. Organic Ocean Kelp is also good.

Rednec_13

My vet told me to use meat tenderizer in my dog food. Most of his business is dobermans. But I did have thyroid check before I even got her(rescue did it). I would just go to a vet and tell him what you want. Don't ask. Worse comes to worse you will have a base line. What vet would say that having a base line for something is a bad thing.

bean

Oh my- the first photo you posted of him is skeletal. You can see every rib and vertebrae! In my opinion it's got to be more than lanky teenage dog. I'd definitely have a vet run more tests. Have you had a fecal done too?

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Erica

kenis

Probiotics sound good to me. we have tried to give him probiotic based yogurts, but he would have a loose stools (sometimes diarrhea) instantly. i probably will have to try probiotic capsules or something. Regards of Organic Ocean Kelp does this powder not assisting sluggish metabolism? i don't want to speed his metabolism even higher. Has everyone done thyroid test? it seem that we may have hyperthyroid (most common symptoms matching apart this is rare in dogs , more in cats, and that occurs in older dogs age between 4-10 years). obviously test needs to be carried out anyway.

mmctaq

I don't understand this suggestion, at all. 6% fat is about as low as you can go and still provide the fatty acids necessary to survive. I am just curious about the basis for saying this...