Beefcake!! Help Gertrude Gain Weight

[Otto'sMom]

Any of you know what to feed a malnourised doxie? Her tail is so thin, you can see the bones!! Gertrude, my pound puppy, is 4 years old and has an extremely high red blood cell count. I know what makes me gain weight (Krispy Kreme donuts yum!!!) but what should I feed her? Since her blood disease is so rare, I can't find much on what to feed a dog with her condition.

[juliette]

I am not a canine nutritional expert, but it seems to be you would add weight/bulk the same way human athletes do. Rather than "junk" food, you want to feed her stuff that is good for her and that you will be feeding her when she gets to target weight - just in larger portions or feeding more often. Also, you can add in stuff like white rice (hmmm, carbs..great for packing on pounds) to her kibble.

It's so difficult - we're always discussion diets for our dogs - not beefcake adding nutrition.

One last point - just like the human athlete - make sure that you keep her exercise level up (appreciating she probably hasn't gotten a lot). You want to add lean muscle - NOT fat.

[dutchman]

While I can't comment in reguards to her specific condition so long as she isn't a picky eater almost any high quality food feed in a large enough quanitit will put the weight on faster than you might imagine. The problem can sometimes be tapering off of the large quanties of food feed once they get to the proper weight. When I first got Dexter last year all his ribs and ever bone in his back wtood out. He was a foster at first and Rescue probide Nupro whiic I was instructed to feed him 2/3 of a cup twice a day. In no time at all he filled out to healthy 10.5#. He was reported to be just 8.5# when turned in to the shelter. Today he gets much less that 1.3 cup of blended Avo-Derm and Avo Active Care twice a day. He was an otherwise healthy muscular 5 year old when he came into my home. Now my little mill mother Aggie was another story she always was a picky eater sometimes having to be hand feed to get her to eat and it was always a struggle to keep her weight up.

Before you make any major diet plans it is important that you and your vet figure out the cause of the blood problems. There may be someting related to her condition that will impact what kind of diet she should be on.

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[TessieMom]

If your vet says that it is okay to feed anything, I can testify that Natural Balance does put weight on my girls. I had to cut them back to 1/4 cup morning and night! Rena

[Juneysmom]

TessieMom,

How big are your girls? I've cut Juney (an 11 month old mini) back to 1/4 of a cup twice a day, but I feel so guilty that I'm not feeding her enough. The two older dogs get more, and I have to keep on telling myself that the two older dogs are twice her size, so they get twice as much.

[lotsadox]

That's a very good point, Tom. Her diet could definitely impact the problem. Talk to your vet and see what he/she says.

[TessieMom]

Lucy, the wire avatar girl is 28 to 32 lbs and should be about 24 = 1/4 and 1/4 because we want to lose weight. At the other end of the scale is Tessie who weighs 14 and is just about perfect, 1/4 and 1/4 maintains her weight because she is active. Kibby is 16 lbs and is about right, Stinker gets LD/KD because of her liver and kidney problems. It is a matter of trial and error. Lucy was getting 1/2 cup of Eukanuba light and when I switched to Natural Balance, 1/2 cup was too much. Youngsters can eat more than older dogs because of their metabolism. Good Luck, Rena

[TessieMom]

As far as Gert is concerned, the vet may want her to eat KD or LD with her medical problems and they are both fattening. Does she drink a lot of water? That is one of the main symptoms of Cushings dogs. Stinker (my 15.5 year old) was diagnosed with Cushings at age 11 and has done really well considering all her other problems (like eating acorns and going into kidney failure).
If she does have Cushings, feel free to e-mail me. Rena and the Waco Pack

[Otto'sMom]

Yes, she is drinking alot of water, but that goes along with her blood being so thick. Her treatment yesterday got her numbers down from 80 to 70 and what a difference that made! She barked when someone knocked at the door, she was up and running around and no more liquid poops. She got scrambled eggs and chicken for supper last night, with a baytril in ez cheeze.
Her urine test showed ALOT of bacteria and that with the coughing and sneezing, the vet wanted to give me something on board to help her out. There's just so much that could be wrong, but she doesn't fit into one set of symptoms. She was funny this morning, I went to pick her up and she ran in little circles, with me chasing her, then she did the "rub my belly" She's got a constant little cough, and not that I'm going to do this, but I wonder what would happen if she ate a cough drop, (the ones that taste more like candy than medicine) I'M NOT GIVING HER ONE!!!! I just wonder.... Meanwhile, we have to wait till 10 days are up and then take her back to her vet. If she starts doing poorly in the middle of next week, I have to take her in for another bloodletting.

[Patt]

The vet can give you cough medicine if you wish. Drinking lots of water goes along with Cushings. I'm sure this has already been checked out, but with a cough has the vet said anything about a possible heart problem?

Patt

[Heide]

little Gert gets well soon.:angel: I hope the vet can get her diagnosed with what ails her and get her feeling better.:bounce: There is no telling what kind of life she endured before coming to her new loving forever home.:confused:
But hopefully now with all the love and family she can overcome this.:flower:
Give Gert lots of :kiss: :kiss: from us.
Heide and gang

[dutchman]

Im glad Gertrude is feeling a little better today. Patt you say drinking lots of water goes along with Cushings what other signs should we be looking for? My Tanner is a big drinker but doesnt' seem to have a high output. He has pretty much allways been a big drinker and he will be celebrating thre years with me this summer. I plan on mentioning his drinking again on our next vet visit.

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Otto'sMom]

Gert's heart is the one thing that's OK on her. I worried about the cough/heart relation too but he did an ultrasound on her heart and that's about the only thing on her that doesn't have an issue. We took her to the Ocean yesterday, in a little doggie backpack and she was pretty interested in the sights and smells for a little while but soon was snoring in the sun in her towel in the backpack. Definately going to petsmart today to get her some special food to eat. She won't eat rice.

[dutchman]

Did you try to flavor the rice with a little beef boulon? It's worh a try is rice is part of a suggested diet.

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Patt]

Andrea & Tom:

A day at the beach that sounds wonderful, I'm sure Gert enjoyed it even if she slept through it. Glad her "ticker" is good. I also have another pupper that drinks a lot but he is in good shape.

Both of you and all: Here is a very informative site on Cushings, should answer most of your questions.

http://www.io.com/~lolawson/cushings/

This site also has links to lots of other info on Cushings.

Andrea, beware changing her diet too fast. I gave Gretta a small portion of beef and veggie soup on her food she wouldn't eat, which with soup she thought was wonderful...... she had diarrhea a couple of hours later.. With Gretta's health being what it is, my vet said "make her happy".

Patt

[dutchman]

Thank you Patt, it looks like Tanner has none of the other signs of cushings.

Mark, if you don't already have links from the dachsie.org home page to the cushings site Patt posted it would be a nice addition. Once again our little board is proving a great source odf information.

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Patt]

Tom & the Boys

Your welcome :)

I think this board is the greatest and I'm certainly addicted to it. Everyone is so helpful and caring, I can't wait to sign on.
Have a great evening.

Patt :flower:

[Mark]

. . . is already there. ;) :D

[Patt]

Andrea:

Did you find anything good at PetSmart, whoops I mean anything that Gert would like? I tried something tonight will pass on the idea to you. Sometime back I bought a "good deal" 3 cans 97% Fat Free Premium Chunk White Turkey in Water. I mixed a little in with Gretta's food and she ate like a champ, cleaned the bowl completely!!!! Maybe you could try something like that..:circle:

Patt :flower:

[Otto'sMom]

She didn't like chicken broth and the rice came from a side dish of salmon from Cafe Uno. She did however, inhale a the turkey and cheese and bacon from the inside of my sandwich. I got her to eat a few nuggets of dog food but I'm still going to get some moist dog food for her to eat. She really enjoys the chicken and chunks in gravy. She stared me down good today while I was eating toast and bacon. She has an appitite but not for dog food! If her time left is as limited as the vet says( he said 2 months after her ultrasound on Friday), I'm totally indulging her in whatever she wants. She's really perked up this last few days. She's barked at the door, growled at the big dog Buddy during wiener dog snout wars and even climbed the steps to the bed. Didn't make up onto the bed, but got further then before! She had a hamburger from MC Donald's, chased Angus outside and really seems to be happy. Getting some serious tail waggin from her and she even licked my hand (when it didn't have food on it!) The more I expose her to, the more she reacts. She's still a lap warmer, snuggling under the blankets. I'm not sure how much exercise she can tolerate, but today is so beautiful, the dogs deserve a long walk around the park. She'll get to ride in the backpack again, but maybe I can let her out once and see how she does.
I'm off to the vet with Buddy now, he's had a lump on his paw that he's been licking so we're going to have that looked at. When it rains, it pours! I need to set up a website, "save my pets . com " LOL!! It's worked for that one lady who shopped herself into debt, it should work for my pups!! :circle: :D

[blazeman]

Sorry... but someone already has that domain :D

[Juneysmom]

Otto'sMom,

You might want to try the Natural Balance (by Dick Van Patten) dog roll. It is so tasty that a lot of people use it for training. :D It can be used for regular food though.

>> If her time left is as limited as the vet says( he said 2 months
>> after her ultrasound on Friday)

Are you saying in that sentence that Gert for sure only has 2 more months to live? :( I sure hope I misunderstood that statement!

[TessieMom]

I am a strong believer in the amazing power of dogs to live if they want to badly enough, no matter how long the vet says she has left. My senior girl has demonstrated to me that if they have the will to live, they can overcome predicted chances. It is up to you now to give her the will and the opportunity to prove the vet wrong! We will be sending gigatons of rays and prayers for her to do well and prove the vet wrong!
Rena and the Waco pack

[Otto'sMom]

She is not long for this world is what the vet hinted at on Friday. He didn't come out and say "she has 2 months to live" but I had said something about 2 years and he said "or two months" left.
Although I'm finding that hard to believe, after seeing her attack the GIANT thick rawhide I'd gotten for Buddy. She was kicking that thing's butt!! I'll be posting photos soon. She was snarfing down some Pedigree Little Champions Senior food too. She has a good appetite for what she likes. I got some pro plan senior food for her and some other wet stuff to mix it with. She is really starting to be more active and interact with her surroundings. She's snoozing in the chair under a blanket right now. She's been doing really well. I'll have to see mid week if she needs another blood letting.

[Patt]

No one can tell exactly when one is leaving us....

I'm glad Gertrude is enjoying herself in whatever time she has left, she is a treasure. She certainly has gotten her way with the food LOL :D Good for her!!!!

Patt

[Heide]

You never know, you may be just what she needed.:angel: She may come to be with you for a long time. .:bounce: She has a forever loving home where Lord knows she can eat what she wants lol:D and is loved and spoiled.
Fate plays a big hand. :angel: :angel: You are the Angel that found her and rescued her and has given her something she has not had before LOVE. That is powerful in itself.
Give her lots of :kiss: :kiss: :kiss: for us and just remember you have .:love:
Heide and gang:flower:

[maryanne]

Well whatever time she has left, and predictions are just that, predictions, I'm sure that right now she's the happiest dog in the world!

[Otto'sMom]

She's having a good time being spoiled. I've finally heard her bark, sweetest bark ever! She's been chasing the cat that likes to be chased around the room. She gave me a little scare today and I'm calling for an appointment with my regular vet. She was walking around in my tiny back yard with all the other critters, just enjoying the sunshine when all of a sudden, she'd take a step and then stumble and trip but not fall out. I took her in the house immediately and tried to get her to drink but she didn't seem thirsty. Fed her and she snarfed that down and drank and all was fine. Her skin is elasticky (made that word up) and she's drinking again like a champ, but not to the excess she used to. Still, I worry. She's been such a sweetheart, and Dolly and Buddy have really started to notice her. Otto is still in denial that he's not the only "pureblood" in the house.
Can't wait to get her to the vet to get that cough taken care of! I took her out for a short walk last night and she did GREAT, but I had to carry her part way due to the cough. I wonder what effect the temperature has on her thick blood. While we were out in the cool evening, she was fun and perky, little blackberry nose shining in the moonlight, barking at the other dogs in the house like they were intruders.
She didn't get to go to the dogpark today, but I think she was happy sitting in her chair. (notice how quickly stuff has become "hers") I'll sit on the floor with the other dogs and let her sit in my recliner and watch TV with me.
She really enjoyed the Nature's Own (I think that's what it was) Duck and all that other junk moist food. Cleaned her bowl and was looking for more! Even ate the dry food I'd mixed with it!

[Patt]

Sounds like Gertrude is doing fairly well except for the cough. Enjoying that "junk food." Gretta often stumbles and falls I just think she doesn't see too well and loses her balance in the gravel she is weak in the hindquarters. As you have described it looks like Gert is enjoying her life a bit more, I'm happy to hear that. Barking shows she is very aware of everything going on around her, that's a plus too. Keep up the tender loving care, it shows.

Let us know what the vet says tomorrow!

Patt

[Heide]

it sounds as if Ms. Gertrude is getting along fine in her loveing home.:angel: And of course not spoiled one bit:raz: :raz:
Hoepfully they can do something for her cough.
Cant wait to see more pics of all your furkids.:bounce:
Heide

[dutchman]

One thing that can be said for our little dachund frinds. They don't give up easily. So long as they can see any reason to fight they will refuse to give up till the very end when their little bodies totally ive up on them. What better reason could little Gertie have for fighting than the great new home you have given her. I know she must feel bleased to have found you and while it may be difficult at times in the years after she has left you and gone on to the bridge you will look back and feel rewarded in ways that can not be described in words. Like others have stated it's difficult to predict the future. I hope she can hang in there and have a good quality life with you for a long time.

Tom and the boys (Frank, Tanner and Dexter)

[Otto'sMom]

Gertrude has an appointment for Thursday to have her blood retested and her cough treated and the desangurination (fancy word for bloodletting) I spoke with my regular vet while I was getting Buddy treated for his lick granulona on his paw and he gave me the go ahead to bring her in. She made me laugh this morning, even when I was seriously crabby! She runs so fast for such sick little dog. I go to pick her up to bring her upstairs to her kennel and those little feet were 90 mph in the opposite direction. When I caught up to her, she was by her chair and waiting for a belly rub. Her tummy feels strange, not as soft and smooth as Otto and Dolly.
One more little worry to add to my Gertrude worry list: While we're just sitting, once in a while she will pant like she's just run a marathon. She pants a five or six breaths and then she's fine.
Just one more thing to add to the list!

[Patt]

Andrea

You have probably already done this but....
Please make a list of your concerns so when your with the vet tomorrow you can go over each one. Also have him listen to her heart again, the panting worries me as it does you.

Lots of hugs and kisses to Gertrude....:kiss: :kiss: :kiss: :kiss:

Patt