How long to build up?

[BabyElephant]

I met a very sad dog today, he was skin and bone after having spent goodness knows how long living as a stray. I need to know, in your experience, how long does it normally take to "build" dogs up? Should you see some difference after a month or would it take longer. If there is no difference after a month do you think that would indicate some underlying medical problem?

Oh and what would you do to help him put some weight on? I'm looking for specifics here, not just "feed some extra food"

Thanks in advance.

[sandvand]

I got a very good recipe for Satin Balls from two members when I had Atlas back. The thread is under nutrition its called "atlas is back and he is skinnier" Apparently it can put weight on in about a week. I also was told to use the cheap ground beef and feed raw. I'm sure you will get lots of help. So do you have this dog?

[BabyElephant]

Thanks for your advice, I'll look those up - I have heard of them before. I don't have this dog - I just need info at the moment.

[Dax]

I haven't had any of my own experiences with that but I have met several people who adopted dogs from shelters that were still skin & bones after a month in shelters. I suspect that it is because shelters can't always provide the right feeding requirements. Also exercise is needed to build muscle back and get thier appetite back.

I would say you should see some improvement in muscle tone and general condition in 6 - 8 weeks. You can put fat on but that isn't what you want.

A course of deworming should be done anyway.

[golden&hovawart]

It can take a minimum of 1 to 4 mths,depending on how emmaciated he is and how much muscle mass,he's lost.
I would start by feeding him3 to 4 meals a day and go slowy on exercise.Dogs are very resilient and make amazing recovery but be patient!.
Satin ball recipe:
www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm

[weezyNollie]

You have to be VERY careful with getting back to a normal weight.

We had a confiscated dog brought to us over this past summer. He was a Belgian Malinois who was only 32lbs (so about 15 kgs). The owner had disappeared and the neighbor called the police. They found the belgian malinois alive, but it looked as if his housemate had passed and he had ben eating him! Sad, sad story.

He was so bad, he was hospitalized for several days. He was so weak he couldn't stand and we immediately started physical therapy. We did fluid support and monitored his blood work. Because of his starvation, he had several complications with his chemistries and his blood panels. Once we got him back to a relatively normal state, as far as his blood work. We sent him to be boarded. And because he is considered evidence in an investigation, he's been there since July-ish.

As of last month, he was up to 54 lbs (24 kgs). That just shows you how slow we have allowed him to gain weight back. If you allow a malnourished animal to engorge themselves, they will quickly gain weight. But it will all be fat. They need to rebuild muscle as well.

My first recommendation would be to talk to a dog nutritionist. They can calculate specific needs and type of food etc. But without this.. this would be my advice: feed several small meals a day (about 4), feed the amount the dog should weigh because that is the caloric intake they need, no treats or anything fatening!, feed high calorie type diets (or do the calculations to figure out the needs of the dog).

Here is a good site about dogs with starvation : http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/recovery.html

Also, look up refeeding syndrome. It's when you overfeed a starving dog and it can cause serious damage; such as seizures, muscle cramps, heart damage, respiratory distress etc.

Good luck!

[FairyDogMother]

I've been successful in putting on weight relatively quickly but do be careful. You can shock the system and cause additional harm if not done right. Good luck!

[borzoimom]

As long as there isnt a underlying factor such as thyroid disorder or parasites, it still can take several months. Usually after a month there is however marked improvement. Muscle takes longer to build than actual weight however..

[BabyElephant]

Thanks guys - I knew I could count on you! Here is his picture - it's not very clear but his bones are very, very visible. You could see his backbone very prominently as well as hip, shoulder, ribs etc. I actually thought he was deformed at first because all I could see was bones sticking out everywhere.



His fur is also very sparse and very wiry...

[borzoimom]

Yes hard to say but at least his back skull ( top of his head near the ears) doesnt look sticking out. I would then save to say two months.. Check his thyroid though and deworm him..