Anorexic German Shepherd - Page 2

Silverbolt,  Try the Solid Gold Puppy it's the silver bag....  High Calorie and High Fat contents,  with Higher Protein as well.... I've had several dogs between the rescue and purchasing that dropped weight but have bounced right back with the solid gold puppy,   Sometimes I'll soak it,  sometimes feed it dry,  changing it up now and then seems to keep them interested, it's highly palatable and you may find she may like it alot better,  Who knows... Maybe you'll get lucky with the Solid Gold..

Wish you the best,  wish I had more,  actually if you like you can email me I do have a couple secrets I can share in a recipe that may help.   Satin Finish,  Stablized Rice Bran  (yes typically fed to horses) in the granulated form,  is 30% FAT content,  and high in protein as well.   That has always a good weight gain tool for us...

How about raw tripe,i have not seen many dogs turn their nose up at that ,humans yes,dogs no

Silverbolt... you never actually said how tall she is and how much she weighs (unless I missed it)...... that would be interesting to know.....

Silverbolt,

This is a good thread as I've actually got a yr old female that has recently (within the last few months) seemed to have almost gone "anorexic" on me too.  She was a nice, healthy sized.  Always looked very muscular, etc.  Now, she seems thin to me.  She is show/working lines and is very energetic.  She has substantial bone and nice head but, now is a very trim (a little too much for my taste).  I was feeding Royal Canin and she stopped eating it.  Would let it sit and went on a hunger strike for a few days.  It worried me so I switched back to Nutro Natural Choice and she seemed to pick up eating again...but, just a bit.  I've bought treats for her which she doesn't seem too crazy about.  She will however, tear up any "people" food, which I don't really wish to feed her.  But, still does not seem to put weight on from this.  She has been to the vet and is clear from any health issues, worms, etc.   Stools are good.   Vet says she's just a lean but, muscular dog. 

My 10 months old will eat like a pig, eating anything in sight, is so much LESS active and seems to beef up by looking at the food.  It's amazing how different they can be.

I've noticed that if I feed her with my other girl, she will eat better (not a lot, but better than by herself).  I've also noticed that she eats while I'm standing there next to her but, once I leave her side, she's no longer interested in the food.  So, I try to feed her from my hand and it seems to work better.

Good luck with yours and let me know if you find something that works. 

My husband is telling me how "skinny" my girl looks and I'll do anything to give her another 5 - 10 lbs.

You are right to be concered about anorexia. I have experienced this a few times with dogs of varying ages. If it is left for too long there can be knock on effects that can stem from it at a later date which in turn can create more problems. Although the best route is by trying every food you can think of whether human or canine it does not always work so more drastic measures have to be taken. I ended up using a drug called ' PERIACTIN ' , its a human drug used mainly for the elderly but not for the same purpose. I introduced this to my vet about 10 yrs. ago and it is now used within the practice whenever anorexia is evident. The last time I had to use it was 4.yrs. ago so maybe now there might be a canine alternative. I used it on and off for approx 6.months ( this was a stubborn case ).  After that there was no looking back !. Good Luck.

I know a lot of people don't agree with the premise but I have tried WateOn on my girl's food. She will eat to a point but it is sometimes such a small amount she loses weight. She does have EPI (I assume you've tested for it since it tends to show up around that age). I've come to the conclusion that if she won't eat more food I'll add more fat content to the food she does eat. Along with a quality supplement, I use Dynomite Showdown.

This seems to be helping.

Good luck with it,

Dawgs