Is my dog too skinny? It is really scaring me! Please help if you can!

LDMomm · 08-20-2010, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey

I think better then us guessing by pictures is talking to your vet and seeing what your vet thinks. And like PAwz says you can have a fecal test done to check for parasites.

She looks fine-boned to me, not skinny at all.
A dog who is too skinny you can *SEE* ribs, a dog who is in good shape-you can *FEEL* ribs (A good rule of thumb)-and if you can't feel 'em, fido needs a diet

But honestly your dog looks great, and I don't see much tapering at the waist (From the top view) so she may even be on the + side of perfect

I think a much better option, if your looking for something to add to her food to make her want to eat-add instead of 'gravy' or processed dog-food gravy-
Add canned salmon
Add canned tuna
Add ground beef
Add some stew or other left over.

In most cases it's cheaper then dog treats and add ins and it's healthy human grade food

Human food (IMHO) is much healthier then this over processed food we give them and you *know* it's suitable for humans to eat and therefore much higher quality then what is in most dog food and treats.

People food gets a bad rep because people feed it on top of normal meals and there is usally weight gain. There is nothing inheritantly wrong with people food, in fact, it's much better for them then many of the products out there. (Not saying eliminate dog food-it's nutritionally balanced-but if you are going to add something-instead add a meat or vegetable that's suitable for them and yummy and healthy)

I agree with everything.

LDMomm · 08-20-2010, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixiesmygirl

It's random and maybe I'm crazy.... but I'm thinking of doing a raw food diet.... Does any body know if it is: more expensive or cheaper? Hard to do? How long does it take? Have any recipes? Suggest a raw food diet? Basically a raw food diet is making your own dog food, right? I would like that much better because it has to be more healthy for them then dog food! Afterall what did dogs eat back then when there was no dog food? They probably lived longer that's what!

In my experience, raw is more time consuming/work but it is cheaper than high quality kibble.

The raw diet doesn't hAVE TO be better than kibble though. In order for raw to be better, you must make sure that you are feeding the proper amounts and variety of food between meats, bones, and organs.

For now, I'd switch to a high quality grain free food and let her adjust to that.

For the gravy that you want, I would probably just mix in my own cuts of good fresh meat or maybe small amounts of Honest kitchen prepared. You could also use the Nature's Variety pre-made raw.

LukesMom · 08-31-2010, 05:06 AM

I don't know anything about feeding raw but I just wanted to say that your dog looks very similar to my mom's dog. She's supposedly a flatcoated retriever/border collie mix, and she's got the same skinny legs and dainty little feet. She's a little chubbier but she gets table scraps and her feeding is unregulated (I'm not happy about that because she won't stop) but I think chances are your dog is probably fine.

If it was worms wouldn't she be eating constantly without weight gain?

CheyAut · 09-05-2010, 05:37 AM

She is very beautiful!

I wanted to add to what's already been said that she's only a year old. At about two years, dogs (at least large breeds IME) tend to "bulk up" a bit and not look so long and lanky.

dogpal164 · 09-07-2010, 10:42 AM

Your dog does not look too skinny. As long as she is eating well & exorcising well I would not worry. My dog is whippet thin, and although she is old now, 5 years ago she could jump 6 foot fences and outrun almost any dog.

Your dog looks great.

Kodiakita · 09-14-2010, 11:17 AM

Merrick kibble has the 'add water, make gravy' thing.
It's not the BEST food out there (I think it's a '4-star' food?) but it's certainly better than ol'roy.

Also wanted to add to the pot and say she doesn't look too skinny. I would question the breeds guess, though. (No offense intended, of course!)

Leah · 09-14-2010, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CheyAut

She is very beautiful!

I wanted to add to what's already been said that she's only a year old. At about two years, dogs (at least large breeds IME) tend to "bulk up" a bit and not look so long and lanky.

Totally what I was thinking.