Puppy needs to gain weight. How?

[anna&jacksmom]

The puppy I found yesterday is starving. His collar was so tight that he could barely swallow. Anyway I need to know how much food to feed him so he can gain weight. Every bone in his body is sticking out to the point where he is pointy. He really needs weight but will it hurt him to eat as much as he wants? If he hasn't been able to eat much, will he eat enough to hurt himself? I have been giving him the recomended amount on the bag for puppies should he be getting more to gain weight? Thanks for the advice.

PS if anyone knows of a good home for a cute pup he needs one:)

[frontierrots]

How old of a pup- guesstimate?

With starving animals multiple small meals are best

I have actually had the best luck with emaciated puppies by feeding a homemade concoction for the first week and gradually adding kibble later. They don't vomit on this like they sometimes do on kibble and they seem to digest it better

The last skinny mini I had was about 9 weeks old and found mid winter on top of a snow bank in Maine by a plow truck driver. Not only was she really thin but she got wacked with double vaccs in the 5 days before she was transported to me. One sick pup. I actually kept this one on the homemade mess for 2 weeks before adding any kibble. She just did not tolerate it well in her condition


IF you want the not too difficult of a recipie email me privately

[TrishB]

Originally posted by frontierrots
With starving animals multiple small meals are best.

I second that. Their little tummies are not used to being fed. One large meal could easily upset them and cause diarrhea and / or vomitting. Smaller, frequent meals are the best. I'm sure that Diane's recipe is a good one - she's had lots of puppies! ;)

Also be sure to get this little one into see the vet. It's possible he has worms (most pups do). Bring in a fecal flotation so they can check it. In his weakened condition, internal paracites pose a definate threat to him.

Please keep us up to date on how this little guy is doing and thank you for taking him in! :D

[anna&jacksmom]

He is 4 months old (ish). We went to the vet today and got vaccinations and HW medicine. I've split his food into 3 meals a day plus snacks when he rattles the food dish. Is that frequent enough? I will be inquiring about the recipe. Thanks for the help and I hope this can have a happy ending :)

[rottnkidd]

Emily, it's so nice of you to take this pup into your home. I hope he'll soon be healthy. I was surprised to hear the vet vaccinated this poor guy. What shots did he administer?
kathy

[anna&jacksmom]

He got his Rabies and Distemper/Parvo shot. I took him to a vet who was close, but not my normal vet b/c it was his day off. I guess this vet thought that it was better to get Cody shots than take the risk he said he's seen a lot of parvo this year. Cody seems to be doing alright with Diane's diet and some TLC he is gaining weight and really coming out of his shell.:D

[Judi W]

Considering his condition, it is also highly likely he has intestinal worms. When you think he is stable, I would get him wormed (get the meds from a vet not over the counter). The heartworm med will cover some, but it wouldn't hurt to have a stool sample checked. You need to consider possible transmission to the other dogs as well as the pup's health and nutritional needs.

[anna&jacksmom]

I will take a sample to *my* vet Monday. The other one didn't even suggest worms as a possiblity. I said go cheep but I did NOT say sacrifice his health. Just 1 year rabies instead of 3 year. Well I have had reason to doubt this vet before--just feeling uneasy---now I will exhaust all other possibilities first.

[Judi W]

Good. It is usually a pretty safe asumption that a street dog, or neglected dog will be harboring parasites, external or internal. That is why a bath is one of the first things on my list for incomings (fleas and whatnot) and a stool check. Those are both things that are easily preventable/curable and no matter how democratic you are, you do not need them shared with the home dogs. It is much more expensive to treat 3, 4, or 5 dogs, than one.