Question about dogs

lisar wrote: Okay my German Shepard is just so skinny. And he eats GOOD. But it just seems like he doesnt put on any weight. I was told by someone that everytime I feed him to add 2 raw eggs to his food and this would make him gain weight. Has anyone ever heard of this before or do you know of another way to help him gain some weight.

cameragirl21 replied: could he have a tapeworm? never heard of the raw eggs but if you put him on wysong dog food it should help him gain weight; i've seen it work for others.

lisar replied:
No worms he has been to vet multiple times. A good Vet.

And what is that diet you said. I have never heard of that before.

jem0622 replied: My German Shephard (sp) used to be the same way. She's gained weight over time, though.

sparkys2boys replied: Is it still a pup? I know some puppies are just so active that they burn more calories then they consume.. kwim? And he has been de-wormed regularly then also? Its really the only other thing I know too.. sorry.

lovemy2 replied: Shepards are infamous for being skinny - they are pure muscle - Maxi (my shepherd) has never weigherd more than 70 lbs - she goes between 65-70 - 70 in the winter when she isn't out running as much - as long as she isn't losing I wouldn't worry too much -

cameragirl21 replied:
wysong is a type of high end dog food, you can get it at whole foods or online. i've never used it but i've heard other people tell me their dog was very skinny till they put him/her on this diet.
i had a german shepherd growing up and i don't recall him being thin, he weighed about 110 pounds at his peak. some are skinny though. i've heard many good things about wysong, maybe try it out and see if it works.
also, sounds crazy and i don't know if your vet would go for this but when my cat was sick and skinny, the doc put her on prednisone, she gained weight fast on that. it's a steroid though, so idk how your vet would feel about it.

lisar replied: Thanks for the info everyone. I appreciate it.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: Lisa, Just a thought on the tape worm. You can test for them multiple times and not have them culture out since they do not live in the rectum like most worms and only shed intermintently. It is a very cheap pill and worth it to just give him one just in case. As for the eggs I have heard of it and done it for the calves-the only problem in dogs is that it can cause runny stool and it can introduce Ecoli or samonella in doses that dogs do not have occuring naturally.

luvmykids replied: Have you tried a higher protein food, for high energy dogs? We had to put Harley on it for awhile because he is just a ball of energy and was so skinny. I can't think of the brand we used, and it was expensive, but it worked.

aspenblue1 replied: When Aspen was young I had him on Science Diet Active to help him with his weight. I think Eukanuba makes an active also.

DVFlyer replied: Dogs... my favorite subject.... German Shepherds... my favorite dogs.

How old is he/ she? What do you feed him/ her and how much? How skinny? A dog should be skinny not fat. Use the "knuckle" test to determine the ideal weight of your dog.

Make a fist. If, when you rub your dog's rib cage it feels like the back of your hand, your dog is too fat. If it feels like the top of your knuckles, your dog is too skinny. If it feels like to tops of your fingers (the area of the first bones of your fingers), your dog is just right.

Raw eggs are good every now and then, but they have a protein that interferes with the absorption of vitamin B (or D... can't remember exactly). I've seen some diets where they feed dogs eggs every day, but the instructor at my latest training class said to limit their intake.

In general, commercial dog food (Purina, Science Diet etc) is not good. "Specific" meat should be the first ingredient. i.e. Chicken, Duck, Lamb etc... "Poultry meal" doesn't count..

If grains are in first three ingredients, you can do better.

punkeemunkee'smom replied: Canadae makes a good food but they recently added some new ingredients to it They have a food for active dogs

lisar replied:
He is 21 months old now. He was abused and mis treated and bad things before I got him. He couldnt stand when I got him and he is now running with the rest of the little dogs. So I have done tremendous things for him. It took me a month to talk that girl into giving him to me.

He eats Eukenuba for active dogs. I am not sure if he is just to playful where he burns all the calories or what. We give him ALL of our table scraps. (the little dogs CAN NOT have them) I would say with the knuckle test he would be between the to skinny and the almost right stage. I have also been told that with that breed they normally stay this way till they are 2. Cause they are constantly growing up to that age. (when they calm down some also)

Thanks for the advice.

jcc64 replied: I have heard that Eukanuba is not good, though I have absolutely no info to back up that claim. My mom works in a dog shelter and has to fatten up alot of abused dogs. I'll ask her and get back to you. I'm a big fan of Canidae Dog Food, which has to be bought in feed stores.

DVFlyer replied: Sounds like you should be proud of what you've done for him.

He's still young at 21 months. I'm sure that is all that it is. Post a picture of him from the top and side if you'd like.

This is the ingredient list for the Eukanuba Premium Performance Active food (I'm assuming this is what you're feeding him:

Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Fish Meal, Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Dried Chicken Cartilage (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract.

You'll notice that Chicken is the first ingredient... this is good. Unfortunately, it is followed closely by "by product meal" (you don't want to know what "by products are"), Corn Meal and Ground Grains and Brewer's Rice.

While there is better food, it's not the food that's keeping him skinny. He's a growing boy.

Here is a picture of a dog I would sell my soul for How does he compare to your dog's build?

Danalana replied: Awwww, I love dogs! That's a nice-looking one too Lisa, do you have a recent pic of your dog?