putting on weight. - Page 1

hiya folks.i have a friend who has a slightly underweight male gsd.He is 4 years old out of health tested showline parents here in the UK.At present he weighs 34.5 K.n the owner wishes to increase this to 39/40K.He is on Orijen at the moment(dont know which brand)He was being feed raw awhile ago to try to eliminate biting n scratching himself but owner says he dropped weight on the raw so has gone back to complete(kibble)He has been back n forth to the vet,had skin scrapings n at the last visit the owner was told he had a yeast allergy.My friend would be grateful for any suggestions to alleviate his constant skin condition n wot others would try to put the weight back on.My personal view is that the weight loss may be down to him being stressed by the skin irritation.Thank yu very much in anticipation for any suggestions offered.Carole Spelman.

Carole, do you know in what areas he has 'itchy' skin? That could be down to so many things including AF if the feet are involved in the itching (strange I know, but true). Could it be a food allergy? It might be worth trying him on a novel protein source (fish and potato or venison etc).  Although, personally I would never feed a processed food to an animal with a skin condition. As you say, the weight loss could also be a result of stress from the itching.

Skin conditions are one of the most difficult conditions to diagnose.
I would always opt for raw feeding, and am surprised at weight loss on a raw diet. Were sufficient amounts of raw being fed, including plenty of fat?  Did feeding raw have any effect on the skin condition?

What has the vet suggested following diagnosis of a yeast allergy?

Presumably they have already ruled out early stage EPI, and his current weight is not so low as to suggest it. Does he look particularly underweight at 34.5kg?  Did he originally weigh 39 - 40kg?

Generally, if I have needed to put weight on I would go with cooked pasta and green tripe, in addition to what is normally fed (but I would be trying a different source of protein, preferably unprocessed where a skin condiition is also involved).

I was just posting about skin conditions on another post....My first German Shepherd had such bad skin problems, her skin would become bloody raw..the only thing that helped was Cephalexin but it always came back, did the same thing your friend has done.  Sometimes if a dog has a weak digestive system they can't handle rich kibble like Orijen, especially German Shepherds....what I used to cure my bitch was:

Wholistic Salmon Oil (It's a brand) helps with more then just skin

Enzymes (Prozyme) supports a healthy digestive system, even with premium kibble like Orijen, it's cooked, killing enzymes needed to digest nutrients, helps to keep skin issues at bay or cure them, among other things.

Vitamin C Powder Of course a natural antioxident and fights off infection

and most importantly Probiotics... also helps with allergies and puts the good bacteria necessary back into your dog's immune system so that they can fight yeast overgrowth, disease, infection...it's especially useful during and after antibiotics since not only do antibiotics kill the bad bacteria but the good, so once the dog is off of the antibiotics, your dog's immune system is defenseless and vulnerable.  For Probiotics I would get Miracle Probiotic.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to send me a message, I've been there...spent thousands at the vet.  And for weight gain, Satin Balls, it WILL put weight on the dog quickly.  Here is the recipe...I also add a dash of kelp but it's not needed.

10lbs hamburger meat
1 jar wheat germ
1 lg box of oatmeal (uncooked)
1 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
10 egg yolks  (I also crush up some of the shells)
10 sm pkgs unflavored gelatin
1 1/4 Cup unflavored molasses
A pinch of salt
1 lg box Total cereal (2lb's)
 

Mix all ingredients together well, much like a meatloaf....put into separate freezer bags and freeze, thawing out as needed. It puts weight on in a very short time, not to mention the gloss in their coat. You can use it every day when they have a show to do and it does not produce diarrhea. It can be fed alone or with kibble.

If you don't have everything, there are some substitutions, if you can't find Total Cereal you can use  Rice Crispies.  There are a few other recipes too for Satin Balls but I've used this one.

Since you don't have enzymes now, get some carrots, apples (not the pits) and grind them up this will give him enzymes needed to digest food until you can get him straightened out....it has to be ground up so he can digest the carrots and enzymes, make sure it's raw.

 

Amen for PROBIOTICS!!!