How much shoud I feed him?

[anita]

Hi...I recently adopted a rescued 3 year old rottie from a local rescue organization. He had been abandoned without food and was sick and emaciated. He is a very large dog, but severely underweight, even after gaining 30 pounds when he was first rescued.
My dearly departed rottie girl had a thyroid condition and was on a diet. Rocky has to gain weight and I'm not sure how much to feed him...I don't want to overdo it. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the amount of food needed to rehabilitate a 107 pound dog who should be at least 130?
Thanks in advance for any help.

[Paulos]

Go to the feed store and look at the feeding guide on the side of each bag of food. That gives you the baseline to start...adjust according to excercise and physiclal appearance.
BTW, if he is a Rotty, he probably should NOT weigh 130lbs. 107 sounds almost like the ideal weight

[brunie's mom]

Thank-you for saving a life. Rescues make such good pets...I have one laying on my feet right now.

What food are you feeding him right now? Amount depends on quality of food. If you are feeding low quality or middle quality food...you need to feed HUGE amounts to get him to gain weight.

I think you should not have him get up to 130 lbs, try to keep him thin....life will be much easier for him. Try for 120 lbs, and then see what he looks like...then if you still think he is skinny...try for 5 more lbs to be gained. Unless this dog is the size of a Great Dane...I would keep him in the 120 lb. + range.

Start with a high calorie super premium food such as Innova or Canidae. I would feed about 4 cups total a day...you can add canned food or add some sardines, or eggs or cottage cheese or yogurt or left over people food (chicken, beef, mashed potatoes, pasta, veggies,etc.)

You want the dog to gain the weight slowly....if you overfeed...they often get stomach upsets.

Gina

[anita]

Rocky is very tall and large, way oversize of standard. I think he's probably one of those dogs bred for large size by kennels like Kimbertal. He has HUGE feet and is very clumsy. At 107 lbs. he is still extremely thin, all his bones stick out, includijng his pelvic bones. His muscles had atrophied from starvation and lack of exercise. He was 70 lbs when he was first rescued. He needs to put a little more meat on his bones, maybe at least 15 more. I always thought that the directions on the dog food bags were on the side of too much. Right now I'm feeding him California Natural, which he likes, 4 cups a day, and one can of Neuro 99% beef mixed in. That is divided into two meals a day. He's also getting fish oil capsules for his skin, which is very dry, and Protocell antioxidant. I will be weighing him at the end of the week. If he lost weight or stayed the same, I'll feed him more. If he gained, I'll continue. I don't want him to eat too much too fast right now, and I'd rather err on the side of too little, rather than too much. Is this logical thinking on my part? Or am I wrong?

[AngelBunny]

Thanks for helping this boy. In our years of fostering, DH and I had one starvation case. The dog was so thin, I winced and cringed seeing him lie on hard floors. When we got our boy, he was a skin covered skeleton with the worst coat I'd ever seen. I can't imagine what he looked like when he was picked up by AC as I was told he'd fattened up before coming into rescue.

I fed him three meals a day and snacks. Our pen aka back yard is fenced (1-1/2 acres). At first, it was enough for him to totter around the pen. We have a dog door and he had free access to the pen, so he could go out, walk around, or lie in the sun on the deck (on a huge soft dog bed, if he wished).

Slow and easy is the best way to put weight on your dog. And, certainly leaner is better than fatter. I think this is especially true for rescues, since we know nothing about their history.

[anita]

It's really strange, cause even though he was starving, he's pretty picky about what he wants to eat. I have to find a kibble he likes best. He won't touch dog biscuits or even dried liver treats. He only likes hot dogs and cheese so far as treats. He eats about 2/5 of his food with gusto, then always leaves a little in the bowl. I don't want to spoil him with hot dogs and cheese in his food, but I also want him to eat. Maybe his stomach can't hold too much at once. I'm going to try to give him a small meal in the afternoon.
Thanks all for your feedback

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by anita

It's really strange, cause even though he was starving, he's pretty picky about what he wants to eat.

Some starvation cases have to be jollied into eating--they've been w/o food for so long they lose interest in food. I see nothing wrong in bribing a starvaton case to eat. Once your dog returns to normal, you may very well be able to dispense with adding treats to his food.

Your "I have to find a kibble he likes best" comment makes me wonder how much you've been changing his food. My experience shows it's best to pick a premium brand and stick with it. If your dog isn't super interested in food to begin with and you're switching brands on him often, you might not be giving him the opportunity to concentrate on eating.