The vet took me to fatten up my pooch

[Jaggerbush]

I have a 2yr old vizsla who weighs 52lbs. Very healthy and extremely active. He looks skinny. He gets dewormed every few months. I have been running him next to my Mt bike about 4-6miles every 2 or so days. The vet recommended adding about 10lbs. He is not a big eater (only 2-3 cups a day). I try to feed him at least twice a day but he only takes a couple of bites. I try feeding him on a schedule, but I leave his food out at night which is always gone in the morning. I didn't change his food. I am combining two foods (Native 3 and TOTW). I add about 1cup of cooked venison to entice him and only works sometimes and what he doesn't eat I have to throw away. Any suggestions.

[Lucky Dog]

Post some pictures of him, I'd like to see him.

Sometimes Vets like to see dogs a little heavier than many hunters prefer.

[Tooling]

My pup has always been the same way.

Merrick Classic Chicken Brown Rice & Peas...he loves it.

We tried Merrick Grain Free Chicken & sweet potatoe...he loved it but was very gassy and stools were loose. Mighta' been beef??

I bet your dog looks good..few vets seem to really understand true pointing breeds an the athletes that they are. I would like to see my pup put on some weight as hunting season is sure to skinny him up and it'd be nice for him to go into w/and extra 5 or more.

Tried several others and this is what seems to work for him..he's picky : |

Wish he would thrive on Ol' Roy <sigh>

[Jaggerbush]

Post some pictures of him, I'd like to see him.

Sometimes Vets like to see dogs a little heavier than many hunters prefer.

I will post pics once I figure out how to get them from my pos phone to laptop

[birddog1968]

Some vets don't know their behind from a hole in the wall too......Find a new vet, preferable not one fresh out of vet school and never seen a sporting dog that actually works.


I sat in the vets office to two vet techs muttering under their breath and looking over at me , finally one spoke up and said you need to feed that dog more.....I said "oh really" at that moment the vet stuck his head out of the exam room and told those two tech's "take a good long look at that dog, he's in top condition and doesn't need a thing.....you two will probably never see another dog in here in that good of shape."

That's the kinda vet you want to go to......one that understands.

[RayGubernat]

I have a 2yr old vizsla who weighs 52lbs. Very healthy and extremely active. He looks skinny. He gets dewormed every few months. I have been running him next to my Mt bike about 4-6miles every 2 or so days. The vet recommended adding about 10lbs. He is not a big eater (only 2-3 cups a day). I try to feed him at least twice a day but he only takes a couple of bites. I try feeding him on a schedule, but I leave his food out at night which is always gone in the morning. I didn't change his food. I am combining two foods (Native 3 and TOTW). I add about 1cup of cooked venison to entice him and only works sometimes and what he doesn't eat I have to throw away. Any suggestions.

The only thing I have ever had success with, in terms of putting and keeping weight on a truly active dog is ...FAT. PURE FAT.

A dog can actually thrive on a diet that is up to 50% fat. That is a documented fact. Sled dog racers feed their dogs a high protein, high fat diet. NOTHING you can give your dog will give them the amount of useable energy that they can get from pure fat. I understand that a dog that is properly conditioned can actually switch from using carbohydrates for energy during a run... to using fat directly s an energy source. Apparently that is why they don't "hit the wall" like human athletes do when they deplete their carbohydrate(glycogen??) reserves.

I would go to my local supermarket when they are having a beef sale and stock up. You can usually get beef fat for free or, like ten cents a pound. I used to dice it up and put it in 1/4 lb. baggies and freeze them for hunting season. I would thaw a baggie and feed it raw with their kibble, which was 30% protein/20% fat.

FWIW, there is a Royal Canin product that is high in both protein and fat. I believe it is Royal Canin 4800. It is quite probably VERY pricey. There are several 30/20 dogfoods on the market(purina pro plan is one) . Supplementing that or any of the several well established dogfood company 30/20 products... with beef fat should get your dog putting on weight.

Remember...up to 50% fat is fine for dogs. That would kill us humans, but dogs are different.

RayG

[Fran Seagren]

I have a 2yr old vizsla who weighs 52lbs. Very healthy and extremely active. He looks skinny. He gets dewormed every few months. I have been running him next to my Mt bike about 4-6miles every 2 or so days. The vet recommended adding about 10lbs. He is not a big eater (only 2-3 cups a day). I try to feed him at least twice a day but he only takes a couple of bites. I try feeding him on a schedule, but I leave his food out at night which is always gone in the morning. I didn't change his food. I am combining two foods (Native 3 and TOTW). I add about 1cup of cooked venison to entice him and only works sometimes and what he doesn't eat I have to throw away. Any suggestions.

Some suggestions and thoughts:
1) Get another dog. It seems like the only picky eaters/skinny dogs I've had were "only" dogs. Once we got a second dog, the appetite changed almost immediately and stayed that way.
2) Like someone else said, maybe your dog isn't really too skinny. A lot of people, including some vets, think dogs should be heavier than some of us think.
3) Some dogs metabolism just won't let them put on weight. When people ask about two of my dogs (Robert or Seven) being too skinny, I just remind them that my dogs are "built for speed, not for comfort."
4) It's way healthier for a dog to be on the skinny side as long as they are healthy and in good physical condition.

[Meller]

With out seeing your dog, or a good picture of your dog ,it is hard to tell if he is under weight; but if you want to put some weight on him , you might try satin ball's .

[Trekmoor]

This is the vizsla bitch I train , is your dog thinner than this ? I think this bitch is in good, hard, hunting condition but I wouldn't want to see her any thinner.
She is, I think, about 6 months younger than your dog in these pics.




I find untreated tripe to be one of the best fatteners there is.

Bill T.

[marysburg]

I'm with Ray G. on this one. Start with a 30% protein and 20% ration, then add fat. The high fat in the ration maximises the dog's ability to uptake oxygen into the blood which has the effect of improving stamina. Ray is right about the fat burning abilities which develop in canine endurance athletes. I use corn oil top dressed on the food; about 1 Tbsp twice a day for a 45 lb dog. I have heard of people feeding canned sardines as a fat and protein supplement, and it might work to boost your dog's interest in his dinner, but would get costly. I would think about a quarter of a can once a day would be about right (but stinky!). Most rations are developed for pet level activities, and they may have enough protein (30% or more), but not enough fat. Performance level rations have 30/20, but you can add fat. Let us know how it works out.

[Tooling]

With out seeing your dog, or a good picture of your dog ,it is hard to tell if he is under weight; but if you want to put some weight on him , you might try satin ball's .

Wifey made Satin Balls for pup...made him gassy and upset his system..me thinks she o.d.'d him but she won't fess' up to it.

[Jaggerbush]

This is the vizsla bitch I train , is your dog thinner than this ? I think this bitch is in good, hard, hunting condition but I wouldn't want to see her any thinner.
She is, I think, about 6 months younger than your dog in these pics.




I find untreated tripe to be one of the best fatteners there is.

Bill T.

He's is thicker than her. His ribs aren't that noticeable.

[Tooling]

This is the vizsla bitch I train , is your dog thinner than this ? I think this bitch is in good, hard, hunting condition but I wouldn't want to see her any thinner.
She is, I think, about 6 months younger than your dog in these pics.




I find untreated tripe to be one of the best fatteners there is.

Bill T.

He's is thicker than her. His ribs aren't that noticeable.

That said...take your vets opinion with a grain of salt.

[Jaggerbush]

Yogi.jpg

[Jaggerbush]

I have a 2yr old vizsla who weighs 52lbs. Very healthy and extremely active. He looks skinny. He gets dewormed every few months. I have been running him next to my Mt bike about 4-6miles every 2 or so days. The vet recommended adding about 10lbs. He is not a big eater (only 2-3 cups a day). I try to feed him at least twice a day but he only takes a couple of bites. I try feeding him on a schedule, but I leave his food out at night which is always gone in the morning. I didn't change his food. I am combining two foods (Native 3 and TOTW). I add about 1cup of cooked venison to entice him and only works sometimes and what he doesn't eat I have to throw away. Any suggestions.

[shags]

Find a vet who knows what fit looks like, or maybe have a serious talk with your current vet. You need to have a veterinary professional who is on the same page as you when it comes to your dog's conditioning. More and more, people are comfortable sticking their noses into others' business and calling AC about concerns. AC officials aren't always very knowledgeable either. So you need someone in your corner just in case some busybody reports you for neglect or whatever, especially as your hunting season wears on.

People are so used to seeing fat dogs they don't have a clue what a fit dog looks like. I had to take my thinnish 12 year old setter to the vet school for an ortho problem, and the vet in charge of his case called the vet students over to look at him...she wanted them to see what a fit intact dog looked like.

[dog dr]

I have a 2yr old vizsla who weighs 52lbs. Very healthy and extremely active. He looks skinny. He gets dewormed every few months. I have been running him next to my Mt bike about 4-6miles every 2 or so days. The vet recommended adding about 10lbs. He is not a big eater (only 2-3 cups a day). I try to feed him at least twice a day but he only takes a couple of bites. I try feeding him on a schedule, but I leave his food out at night which is always gone in the morning. I didn't change his food. I am combining two foods (Native 3 and TOTW). I add about 1cup of cooked venison to entice him and only works sometimes and what he doesn't eat I have to throw away. Any suggestions.

nothing wrong with that dog, in this vets opinion.

[markj]

Nice looking dog, I got shorthairs thinner than that and they have full feed buckets 24/7 they just wanta play and hunt. Eating isnt high on their priority list. I got 6 shorthairs so the othe rdog making them eat doesnt ring true for us

[RayGubernat]

Jaggerbush =-

I would say that the dog in that photo is just about perfect in terms of weight. You can "just" see ribs...and that I the way I think it should be. I like a dog with a bit of fat on them as I believe it gives them a bit of reserve to draw on should they need it.

I would talk to your vet and explain to them that after a review of a recent photo, the consensus of opinions from knowledgeable bird dog folks, including at least one veterinarian... is that the dog does not need any extra weight, but is actually right around optimal for a working bird dog and actually might be a tad on the overweight side in some folk's experienced opinion.

As others have said, many vets and many, many more vet techs, have simply never seen a dog in top physical condition. I also had a vet call out the entire staff, , some years back, to have them look at and run their hands over one of my dogs when I brought him in for a rabies booster. He was in shape to run an hour in front of a horse and he was pretty ripped. The vets dad had been a bird hunter and she grew up with bird dogs that worked for a living.

RayG

[Tyler S]

Your dog looks great to me. Iam fortunate I have a Vet that hunts. I've seen him bring new Techs in the examination room and tell them " that's what a bird dog (or hound) suppose to look like" nothing wrong with your dog.

[Neil]

I always just say thank you and go on. Before I learned that I had a new vet tell me my dog was - emaciated, I looked on the wall to see a poster of drawings of dogs in all conditions, from obese to emaciated, my dog was clearly in the acceptable range. I said, "You ever bother to actually look at this?"

Oh, if the dog does need to gain weight, feed a quality 20 -30 feed, adding a double tablespoon of corn oil, twice a day, all they will eat in 20 minutes. Leaving the food out encourages some to be picky eaters, feeding all some need at one time may blow them out. Mine will eat the bark off trees.

Everyone knows not to hunt them on a full stumach.

[MonsterDad]

He looks good. If he is being picky feed him once a day. I find they eat best when they are settled down and the house is quiet which is about 8 pm for us.

I think mixing foods and adding things to stimulate his appetite just makes things worse. Stay with TOTW and feed him once a day in the evening on a regular schedule.

[Lucky Dog]

I think your dog looks great. I certainly wouldn't want to put any weight on him.

[Wildweeds]

Just right,find a new vet

[jarbo03]

Some vets don't know their behind from a hole in the wall too......Find a new vet, preferable not one fresh out of vet school and never seen a sporting dog that actually works.


I sat in the vets office to two vet techs muttering under their breath and looking over at me , finally one spoke up and said you need to feed that dog more.....I said "oh really" at that moment the vet stuck his head out of the exam room and told those two tech's "take a good long look at that dog, he's in top condition and doesn't need a thing.....you two will probably never see another dog in here in that good of shape."

That's the kinda vet you want to go to......one that understands.

Exactly. Many have thought my griff looked skinny, I tell them no most dogs are overweight. My vet commented on his great shape, said if all people kept their dogs like that he wouldn't have much business.


Your V looks great, don't change anything.

[Sharon]

My vet thought my dog looked great for 12 years old( 35 pounds) , and asked how much I fed. I said, "1 cup". She said , "Oh, that's no good. At least 2 cups!".
I listened to her - she is the vet. Couple months later I took my dog in for a shot . She said , "Your dog's getting fat. Cut back on the food." True story. Other than that she is a very good vet.

[Fester]

I like skinny dogs don't have much use for a fat dog, look at a marathon runners rib cage sometime when he is training hard, your dog will eat what he needs if your running him that much
Fester

[Neil]

I would not fire a vet over this, they can still do a good job of treating most things.

I do object if they want to run a bunch of tests to discover what they think is the underlying problem.

I am not a good client anyway, give my own shots, heartworm preventive, first aide, etc. The only see me when it is seriouse, and too often too late.

[cjhills]

10 pounds would be huge on a dog that size

[topher40]

The question wasn't how the vet was practice of medicine, surgery, etc. Because the vet thinks that the dog is underweight does NOT diminish his/her abilities of treating the dog in the future. I have dealt with vets in the past that wanted my dogs to gain weight although he always treated my dogs in a medical situation very well. Why switch a vet when you disagree with an opinion as benign as weight? If the care is quality you can express your opinions and agree to disagree on weight.