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  1. #1
    Puppy awackywabbit's Avatar
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    Help With Adding Fat

    Zeeke was a pretty big boy when I got him. At 9weeks he was 18lbs. 12 weeks he was 23lbs and then at 15 weeks he was 28lbs.


    However at 15weeks he started throwing up and had diarrea. I took him to the vet on day 2 of this happening. They ended up xraying him looking for a blockage which thankfully he did not have but we did discover in his stool sample he had round worms(despite being wormed several times prior) and had been exposed to ghiridia(but was not actively shedding them).


    So three weeks ago he was wormed again, had anti-diarreah meds, anti vomit meds, and a probiotic. He was also treated for Ghiridia. He finished all his meds and stools firmed up in a few days and no more vomit. The worms passed too (hated seeing them in his poop!).


    He will get a 2nd dose of the wormer in just a few days and the other meds are done. Then another stool sample goes to the lab in about 10 days to make sure all the nasties are gone. However through all of this he is looking pretty darn lanky and skinny. I like to keep my pups on the lean side but I have been able to see the outline of his ribs which I do not lke.


    I have already upped his food intake several weeks back. He getting 5 cups a day at this point(which is @ 1450kcals), he was at 3 cups a day at 9 weeks old and around 4 cups at 13wks. He is gaining weight slowly, was 32.5 lbs yesterday but still very skinny. He also gets treats throughout the day for training. He is 19 weeks old today.


    I don't want to upset his tummy or overfeed him but I would like him to have a small layer of fat as he grows. He seems to be growing tall first, he was out of the medium sized vari kennel at 14 weeks of age because his head was nearly touching the top already.


    He is super active and healthy in every other way but just looking a bit too thin for my liking. I've thought about doing peanut butter filled Kongs and seeing if that adds some fat. Any other ideas? He is also teething like crazy right now. Still has his canines but has quite a few adult teeth already in.
    Deep Run Traveling "Takoda" (12/05/12)

    Deep Run Easygoing Ezekiel "Zeke" (04/17/17)

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  2. #2
    Senior Dog Charlotte K.'s Avatar
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    Have you asked your breeder?

    I would not add much, if any, peanut butter to a diet for a dog with even temporary GI issues.

    I think that finishing getting rid of the parasites and restoring his GI biology with probiotics will help him. This is normally a fairly leggy age.

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    Annette47 (08-25-2017)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    My Labs get fat on a higher carb diet, like Pro Plan Sport 20/30. Lots of corn in there. I think of it like fattening up cattle before slaughter as that is how it affects my dogs. If you don't want to change food you can add cooked sweet potato, which seems to help fatten up a dog.

    Your puppy is in a gangly stage and seeing outline of ribs is not necessarily bad. Would have to see a photo to know for sure.

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    Charlotte K. (08-24-2017)

  6. #4
    Puppy awackywabbit's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charlotte K. View Post
    Have you asked your breeder?

    I would not add much, if any, peanut butter to a diet for a dog with even temporary GI issues.

    I think that finishing getting rid of the parasites and restoring his GI biology with probiotics will help him. This is normally a fairly leggy age.
    Yea was going to give the breeder a call this weekend. She is on east coast and I'm west coast so Saturdays are usually the best time for us to talk without playing phone tag.

    I remember Takoda being quite leggy at this stage too but never saw his rib outline. Vet did not seem too concerned. Zeke will likely be bigger then Takoda though as they are out of different sire's/lines but Zeke's mother is a grand daughter of Takoda's father so there are some similarities with them.

    I'll try to post a photo when I'm home from work although this website makes it pretty difficult to get photos up, but he is a cutey so if anything everyone can have a smile at him. :P
    Deep Run Traveling "Takoda" (12/05/12)

    Deep Run Easygoing Ezekiel "Zeke" (04/17/17)

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    Charlotte K. (08-24-2017)

  8. #5
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    Yeah...I would do carbs before I'd do fat. Something rich will further stress his system.

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    Charlotte K. (08-28-2017)

  10. #6
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    I would be patient ... keep feeding him a little more than you think he would otherwise need and the weight will come back on, especially as his growth slows. You don’t want to get him too fat too quickly as that wouldn’t be good for him either.
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
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    Charlotte K. (08-28-2017)

  12. #7
    Senior Dog Shelley's Avatar
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    You do not want to add more fat to his diet, that will just cause digestive upset, you want to add calories, perhaps in the form of a 3rd meal, and or 4th meal so he doesn't get a lot more food all at once. He is also in a time period of very fast growth, so you may not be able to get him caught up for a long while, because he is burning up everything he gets just to maintain right now.

    This is why I caution my puppy families to feed their young puppies for growth, (not on the "lean side") so if they do get ill, or go off their food while teething, that they still have reserves to draw on. Think of it this way, would you place a growing toddler/child on a restricted calorie diet? No, you wouldn't, you let them play as much as they want, and feed them for energy and growth. I get through the fast growing phase with some extra padding on my puppies, exercise them appropriately, (no forced exercise, no long hikes, no long leashed walks on hard surfaces, etc...) and take the extra weight off them when they are done growing.

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    barry581 (08-26-2017)

  14. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shelley View Post
    You do not want to add more fat to his diet, that will just cause digestive upset, you want to add calories, perhaps in the form of a 3rd meal, and or 4th meal so he doesn't get a lot more food all at once. He is also in a time period of very fast growth, so you may not be able to get him caught up for a long while, because he is burning up everything he gets just to maintain right now.

    This is why I caution my puppy families to feed their young puppies for growth, (not on the "lean side") so if they do get ill, or go off their food while teething, that they still have reserves to draw on. Think of it this way, would you place a growing toddler/child on a restricted calorie diet? No, you wouldn't, you let them play as much as they want, and feed them for energy and growth. I get through the fast growing phase with some extra padding on my puppies, exercise them appropriately, (no forced exercise, no long hikes, no long leashed walks on hard surfaces, etc...) and take the extra weight off them when they are done growing.

    Sound advice.

  15. #9
    Puppy awackywabbit's Avatar
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    Thanks all for the opinions/advice. Having a stool sample tested this week to make sure he's all clear.

    Did not add fat but did up his food intake slightly. He's been gaining a little over a pound a week since he was sick so slow and steady.

    He's all legs! Pray for no more parasites! One day I'll figure out how to post a pic in here from my phone. Thanks everyone.

 



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