Shar Pei Resource / bearposhsharpei Winnipeg Manitoba Canada

Well Zephyr, Mr.Lanky pants is on a diet! He is TOOOOO skinny!!!!!

I weighed him 1.5 weeks ago and he was 47.5LBS.

I am really hoping that after 4 weeks we see some weight on his frame!

I am also adding some level of activity to try and increase his muscle tone. Mostly in his rear.

Zephyr is like that long, tall, lanky, way to skinny teenager. You know he will likely grow up and out, but I thought I'd give it a healthy push! At 20 inches I really would like to see another 7LBS on him. 7LBS might be an unrealistic stretch. Maybe when he's 3 years old? But for now, I am trying additives and hope to see a difference.

I will report back any results after 4 weeks, then keep you all posted as the weight comes on! I hope!

If he gains weight, I will devulge the grub I am adding to his dish!

If anyone else has had a skinny dog and has gotten them to gain weight in a HEALTHY manor, please let us know. 

Devi

Well, as you may , or may not know, I'm a prey model raw feeder and can post pleny of before/after pictures here or horrendously skinny dogs, who is 3 - 4 weeks look 100% different.

If your objective is to safely add on weight, up the protein - not the fat. If your dogs are kibble fed, a simple thing like adding a can of sardines and one egg to the diet will absolutely help your dog gain weight with positive quality nutrition. There will be additional benefits as well ( EFA's).

You will see a different in about 3 weeks. You don't want to add too much weight on too quickly. It should be a progressive process.

I have a rescue here who I find eats too much for her size, but she's got a nervous disposition so I'm sure she burns off alot more energy than some of the others. It's taking me a lot longer to get her where I want her weight wise, but ultimately I know it will happen, so sometimes we have to be a bit more patient I guess.

Cheers

I am doing it in a healthy manner. No McDonald's and cupcakes! Zephyr gets sardines everyday and has all his life. It does nothing for his weight. Eggs might be an issue as he gets itchy from chicken based foods. But I can try it. I am adding tripe to his diet plus a supplement for his coat that might also add weight.

I am hoping for 7LBS. But 7LBS over the next 9 months or so. Not fast, not unhealthy.

Zephyr also gets a banana almost everyday, and always has. That does nothing for his weight either.

He eats well, but never gorges or eats till his bowl is totally empty. He simply eats what he wants twice a day and that's it.

I am hoping that adding a few things to his standard diet that he will eat more per sitting. He is VERY ADHD. Always burning calories by simply being!

Feel free to suggest other additive foods. I will try what has worked for others. Thanks for the input.

Devi

It sounds as if   he's just not getting enough calories that's all.

Simply feed more, that' s all.. It's  just like us, if we burn more than we consume we lose, if not, we gain.

Just give her more food. Doesn't have to be different, just larger portions.

Best of luck!

MM

The problem is, he eats only what he wants. I feed twice a day. 7AM and about 6PM. I put a serving of food in his bowl, put it in front of him and he eats. Not always finishing whats in front of him. It's like he eats what he wants in 5 minutes or less, then walks away. What I am doing is adding new things to his exsisting diet in hopes he takes in more food per sitting. He is loving the tripe and it's making him eat more per sitting. I am also adding about 2 large tablespoons of peanut butter. I know it's a high fat food, but it makes him eat more of whats already in his bowl. I think his greatest issue is a high energy personality. Like I said he works off calories simply by being. I swear his mind never stops! It's just go, go, go with him. Even when he is standing still!

I have increased his excersise level in a quest to add safe weight by simply adding muscle. He lacks muscle in the rear. I started this diet/muscle thing on March.23. I will weigh him ever 4 weeks and report the results as we go.

Zephyr's top weight ever was at 9 months. He hit 49LBS. He went down to a low of 44LBS at 13 months when he had a stomach issue. He then leveled out at 47-47.5LBS and has stayed there since last October.20.

Devi

Wow..I'm sure you did the obvious (check for worms/parasites, etc , tapeworm especially)..

I'd like to have his problem to tell you the truth.

I'm hopeing the peanut butter you are giving him is sugarless, because if not it will only compound the problem of hyper-activity. Actually fat does not make a dog fat, it gives a dog energy, and too much fat gives them pancreatic issues, so you may want to re-consider all this - maybe it's helping him climb the walls. ( The eating of fat is not like humans).

I agree,  it's hard if he's walking away from his food and force feeding isn't going to achieve much good in the long run.

We get every kind of conceivable skinny dog in here and we simply up the protein ( meat protein), and they do put on weight steadily. ... and when I say skinny... I mean skinny, and we've had some real nutso-cracko ones too that run non stop all day and climb the walls, and we've managed to get them fat as well.

If he has a high strung nervous disposition, then you have your work cut out for you.

Maybe he needs a job so that he can calm down mentally. Once he does, the rest will kick in.

What are his stools like? Are the "normal", "runny" or questionable in any other way??

Cheers and best of luck with that.

The peanut butter is 100% pure natural peanuts. No additives. I only add 2 tablespoons a day, and likely miss a day here and there. I would think 3-4 times a week.

His stool is 100% perfect. Great form and always the same. We had issues with mucus but that has not happened in a long time.

I don't see the peanut butter, or anything else making him climb the walls, but I get what you mean by asking.

He eats enought to be full and to make me happy with the amount. Although having said that, maybe eating more would help in the weight gain area. He eats twice a day.

He's not a nervous dog, just a high strung hyper dog. Go, go, go.......

To be 100% honest he's a very healthy dog. No issues touch wood. If we were not showing I may not even want to add some bulk on his frame. But we do show and I am of the mind he "LOOKS" too thin. I am leaning towards simply more walks. Not running and flipping out but steady moving walks. Adding some muscle will likely help his looks. His rear needs it badly. Muscle will show weight gain on the scale and that's perfect for me.

What are your thoughts on Tripe? I bought 4 cans of the Tripett brand. How much a day or a week would you feed a 47LB dog? And would the Tripe aid in  healthy weight gain? The reason I added it was to make him eat more of whats already in his bowl. It has. He really likes it.

Thanks!

Devi

This is what Zephyr looks like as far as his weight goes. Like I said, he is not SKINNY and sick looking, just too thin in my opinion. Even his breeder said he looked too thin.

bearposhsharpei at 10:48AM on Apr 15, 2009

The peanut butter is 100% pure natural peanuts. No additives. I only add 2 tablespoons a day, and likely miss a day here and there. I would think 3-4 times a week.

His stool is 100% perfect. Great form and always the same. We had issues with mucus but that has not happened in a long time.

I don't see the peanut butter, or anything else making him climb the walls, but I get what you mean by asking.

He eats enought to be full and to make me happy with the amount. Although having said that, maybe eating more would help in the weight gain area. He eats twice a day.

He's not a nervous dog, just a high strung hyper dog. Go, go, go.......

To be 100% honest he's a very healthy dog. No issues touch wood. If we were not showing I may not even want to add some bulk on his frame. But we do show and I am of the mind he "LOOKS" too thin. I am leaning towards simply more walks. Not running and flipping out but steady moving walks. Adding some muscle will likely help his looks. His rear needs it badly. Muscle will show weight gain on the scale and that's perfect for me.

What are your thoughts on Tripe? I bought 4 cans of the Tripett brand. How much a day or a week would you feed a 47LB dog? And would the Tripe aid in  healthy weight gain? The reason I added it was to make him eat more of whats already in his bowl. It has. He really likes it.

Thanks!

Devi

Hi Devi

(Green tripe)

Tripe to me is not something that a dog would eat as a meal under normal circumstances. In a natural setting they'd only eat a small portion . Ttripe essentially is a canine probiotic, not necessarily a protein. Tripe is generally  found in the 3rd stomach of ruminants.     I don't really see that this is an appropriate food for weight gain, but it is nutritious and does aid in digestion.      He's going to end up with a fair amount of gas if he over-tripes. ( and that's not necessarily a good thing)

We only feed a tablespoon per meal 4 times per week.  Again tripe is not really a food but a supplement, although many people seem to use it as a food.

I 'm still gravitating towards the heavy fish like herring, mackerel and sardines, and in your case, the ones in olive oil. Olive oil does make dogs fat.  So, if I were in your shoes, that's what I'd be added to meals.  Olive oil is not offensive to dogs, relative safe for the pancreas and does metabolize into fat.

Has his thyroid been checked?  He's quite handsome. Maybe he's got show stress?

What else are you feeding him? What type of kibble? and how high is the protein in that kibble?

MM

I give Zephyr sardines, but in water. I will switch to olive oil based.

He eats Go Natural, Now, Wellness Core and N-R-G. I switch it up.

I am only just learning about Tripe. It's new to me. My idea was adding something,

anything (healthy) as a means to get him to eat more of his current diet. It has worked!

A little of anything new, and he eats more. However the bit of cheese and cottage cheese are now off the list as it seems to make him very itchy!

I am seeing him eat more the last 3.5 weeks, and today he was up 1.5LBS to 49LBS.

I think he has gained a bit of muscle too. His ribs and hip area look better as well so who knows where the 1.5LBS he gained are sitting.

I also added a new product called Show Stopper 3.5 weeks ago. It's a supplement. I bought it because the rep said it should aid in weight gain. Who's to say what's doing what.

Anyway, i will change the sardine's from water to oil, add a small amount of Tripe so he eats more and keep up the exercise as I need the muscle to keep coming on. 

And yes, he can lose 1LB over a 3 day dog show just from being so wound up!

Devi

Very handsome fellow.

Best of luck with your plan.

Hope it works and he puts on some weight.

In passing , is there any way to make this board advise when a topic is responded to?

Doesn't seem possible right now.

????
Thanks

MM

Merlin's Hope at 03:28PM on May 05, 2009

Very handsome fellow.

Best of luck with your plan.

Hope it works and he puts on some weight.

In passing , is there any way to make this board advise when a topic is responded to?

Doesn't seem possible right now.

????
Thanks

MM

As for notification to posted topics? I am not 100% sure. I suppose I should know, but I don't. I will send my website hosting service a message and ask. It's not the first time the question has come up, and it's a valid one.

As for Zephyr's weight? We are 5.75 weeks into his weight gain diet. I totally gave up any dairy very fast as it seem to make him VERY itchy. I also gave up peanut butter, only because it is too messy.

I am still giving him the Show Stopper suppliment daily, green tripe, but only a few tablespoons a day, sardines in OLIVE OIL rather then water, and that's it. What I see is more food going IN and him holding onto the weight better.

I am please to say as of today he has gained 3 LBS in 5.75 weeks. I think that is a safe an fair timeline. He is now 50.5LBS. I'd like to see 4.5 more if at all possible. And in a safe manner that's healthy foir him.

Here is Zephyr TODAY:

fructose intolerance test, fructose vs sucrose, glucose and fructose are examples of, fructose galactose