Hello my baby is so skinny!

[LabBreeder]

like everyone has been saying. if you think something is wrong, or that she's to skinny take her to the vet and change her food. if the vet says she's not to skinny and you don't agree get a second opinion. you don't want a dog to get to big to fast cause it messes with their bones and joints. but you do want them healthy (not over or under weight).

 

[ihartgonzo]

She is a really cute girl! Good job for looking for advice ;0)

I highly advise you to take her into your Vet. It sounds as though you haven't? The Vet would give you a correct estimate of her age. It's completely, completely illegal for the breeder to sell her at 3 weeks of age! In Cali, I know a breeder can get fined/jailed for selling pups under 8 weeks, because weaning is supposed to begin at 4 weeks. It also sounds like she needs to be de-wormed. Pups are supposed to be de-wormed bi-weekly until they are 12 weeks old! She also needs her shots and all of that, if it hasn't already been done. Shots, dewormings, and check-ups are SUPER important for your little girl. And be sure not to allow her to play with strange dogs or walk around in strange parks, she can pick up Parvo (which is very deadly) at her young age... until she gets her 12-week shots.

I would suggest the good quality kibble from the specialty store, for sure. Purina is basically like feeding her Cap'N'Crunch every day - full of sugars, fillers, corn, soy, by-products (which is pretty much only a small percentage of meat), etc. It is acceptable, but definitely not ideal at all. It'll be way easier for her to gain weight on good, wholesome food! Wonderful brands are California Natural, Innova, Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul, Wysong, Nutro Natural Choice, Wellness, Merrick, etc. Feed your puppy just about as much as she will eat... as long as you get her health cleared by a vet. Add water to soften the food and add the same kibble brand canned to add calories and softness.

Good luck, and please keep us updated!

 

[lilshortguh618]

Ihartgonzo - WOW! Incredibly informative post. Thank you so much! I did take her to the vet and gave her shots. The vet said she looked perfectly health and gave me a three dosage in three weeks dewormer. It worked like a charm. She pooped out ALL of the worms.

I also had a poop sample check and the vet said that the worms she had were too young to have eggs, so that if I dewormed her now, it would be much easier because they would not grow back. Is this true?

 

[sweetbassets]

I agree about getting her on a better food. She doesn't look sickly skinny, but a little on the thin side. If you get her on a better food then her body will get more of the nutrients that it needs to grow. Purina may fill her up, but it will end up going right through her since it contains more ingredients that she doesn't need instead of things that she does. Good luck, and cute puppy btw!!

 

[ihartgonzo]

Aw, no problem. =) I'm glad she is nice and healthy now! It sounds like your Vet was right about the worms, just keep checking her to make sure she is still worm-free.

Have you picked out a new kibble yet? IMO, one of the best things you can feed her is California Natural Puppy food. I feed it to my 12 week-old, he loves it and he is wonderful weight (I can easily feel his ribs, but not his spine or hips.) And, he has a really soft, thick coat and he has not been shedding at all. Here is a website with info about California Natural and other great kibbles by Natura (notice the high meat content, no corn/soy/wheat). If you look at the Store page, you can search for a seller nearby ~ http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=product-detail&pxsl=//product[@id='4']

 

[lilshortguh618]

I did pick out a new kibble today. It's called Flint River Ranch oven baked kibble. It is locally made by a salon owner. She is a wonderful person.

Heres what it advertises:


No ethoxyquin
No By Products
No artificial colors
No BHT or BHA
No Corn
No Artificial Flavors

Flint River ranch super premium, all natural formula is slowly oven baked TWICE under cafefully controlled conditions and proper temperatures. This Unique baking process changes the hard to digest molecules of raw starches into easily assimilated dextrines. This process acts as a "pre digest" of kiddble food, resulting in less strain on the dog's digestive system and produces a greater degree of food absorption.

GAURANTEED ANALYSIS -

CRUDE PROTEIN - not less than 23%
CRUDE FAT - not less than 12%
CRUDE FIBER - not more than 4 %
Moisture - Not more than 10%

actually here - I just found the website...


http://www.flintriver.com/ProductInfo.asp


shoulda looked before I typed of all that... lol

 

[Fran27]

This food is ok, but I guess it depends on how much it costs. My main concern is the poultry fat, it's usually not good when they can't be more precise about its origin, and the fact that there seems to be a lot of flour. If it's not too expensive it seems ok though.

You can also add some raw eggs, yoghurt, fish oil to add extra calories.

 

[LabBreeder]

http://www.dogchow.com/Nutrition/The_Definition_of_Well-Balanced_Dog_Food.aspx

 

[Saje]

Flint River is much better than Purina. good for you for working so hard to keep your pup healthy. How come you found her so young? Was she abandoned? It always makes me sick how people treat animals I'm glad she's in your care now.

 

[lilshortguh618]

Thanks guys

Im sure that on the website it lists a more accurate percentage. it says average is 12.20 percent.

She was on a farm with a lot of them. The owner couldnt afford to take all of them. I wanted to, but obviously it isn't practical for me to obtain 10+ dogs. So, I did the best I could and chose the one I have today...

shes in good care now. Not implying expertise, just care!

 

[ihartgonzo]

Flint River Ranch is waaay better than Puppy Chow - it's almost incomparable! =) Good job, I'm sure your baby will LOVE it!

Aw, it sounds like she had a very rough start in life. It is awesome that she ended up with you, and you are working so hard so she can be healthy & happy.

 

[lilshortguh618]

update - The flint river ranch food seems to work really well. I know its only been two days, but it seems like she is filling out...

I am kind of amazed. I never would have thought I would see and difference in just two days.

One question though...

when I used to feed her puppy chow... she would gobble that stuff all up. But now, her and oreo, barely eat the stuff! I mean, they DO eat it, but they don't gobble it up like they used to...

is that because the food from flint river is a higher density food meaning they don't have to eat as much?