Severly underweight rescue dog

virgin_moneysaver

some of you on here will know about this if you've been reading the red setter thread but the rescue dog we collected yesterday is almost half his ideal weight, should be between 60 -70 lb & he weighs 38lb. Got an appointment with my vet Wednesday morning but any ideas, advice would be welcome from you experienced dog owners. As his stomach has obviously shrunken drastically I'm feeding him smaller amounts twice a day. I wonder if I can give him pure protein such as a cooked chicken breast but am wary of giving him eggs or milk. My husband bought a small bag of Iams, & the rescue kennels gave us some dry food & a couple of tins, but I thought it better to see what the Vet says before rushing out to buy just anything

Mojisola

I would be offering food more than twice a day as the dog is so underweight. I'm surprised the rescue kennels didn't give you good advice about building him up.

hethmar

The kennels shouldnt have let him go if he is that severely underweight! He will need feeding small amounts, may be every hour or so. We have seen severely underweight dogs die from bloat from being fed too much too quickly.

TBH I am shocked that 1. they let the dog go in that condition and 2. they have failed to give you proper instructions on his care. Give a the RSPCA a ring and ask their advice on feeding him.

onestep

agree with the other posters that they shouldn't have let the dog go without giving you proper guidance. My instinct would be very small meals, 4 times a day, protein and carb mix. Then over time, gradually increase the amount. Really though, ring the vet tomorrow and get some proper advice.

Good luck

pixelation

Having fostered many dogs we have found that puppy food is the best for an underweight dog. Don't over feed it though, the extra food will go straight through and that is not a pretty sight.
2 or 3 small meals are fine, you can use dried adult food with puppy meat food added and well as a raw egg. Walks to help build muscle will also help.
The dog will gradually gain their weight back through eating normally, but with slight enhancement.
Well done for taking on this dog; I'm sure you'll have a fine doggie pal in no time.

redrufus

Agree with everyone else regarding small meals little and often. I would only feed a high quality food too otherwise you will find the dog will excrete more of the food than the body absorbs. Arden Grange is very good as well as James Wellbeloved, if you give these companies a call the specially trained nutrtionalists will advise you on what feed is best and they will send you some free samples to try (i'd personally call these rather than the RSPCA).
You could also offer small meals of chicken and rice that will also be kind on your dogs tummy. This is usually advised for dogs whose bodies have been through a trauma.

Hope this helps :-)

hethmar

And isnt this the kennel who charged £250 for the dog? I think they should be thanking god they found someone like you to do all the hard work on the poor boy.

Mojisola

hethmar wrote: »

And isnt this the kennel who charged £250 for the dog? I think they should be thanking god they found someone like you to do all the hard work on the poor boy.

£250 for a dog in that condition and they didn't give you step-by-step care advice with a back-up service if you need it? They should be ashamed of themselves!

hethmar

Its a pity you cant get him to the vet sooner for advice and just to confirm the reason for his condition.

virgin_moneysaver

hethmar wrote: »

And isnt this the kennel who charged £250 for the dog? I think they should be thanking god they found someone like you to do all the hard work on the poor boy.

we paid £200 for him in the end, but they did give us a voucher to get him castrated for free, but I think he's already been done, will get the vet to check him out tomorrow. He is such a loving thing & has been enjoying the food, no diarroeah or sickness, & has spent the past two days enjoy the freedom of our large garden

virgin_moneysaver

hethmar wrote: »

Its a pity you cant get him to the vet sooner for advice and just to confirm the reason for his condition.

will be there in the morning so will soon get an assessment