Question
Sadie
Hi
We are having problems getting our dog to put on weight. She is almost 2 years old, spayed and a pure bred german shepherd. She currently weighs only 42 pounds. Her sister is at least 75 pounds and according to the breeder, all of her littermates are at least 80 pounds. We have tried different foods, giving her extra sources of calories, not letting her free feed etc and nothing is working. She is an extremely picky eater and doesn't eat enough to put any weight on. If we give her yogurt or beef etc, she will simply lick this off her kibble and not eat her kibble. We currently have her on a low grain diet which was recommended by the breeder. We were recently told she has an Exocrine pancreatic insuffiency but I still wonder if this is actually what she has. First off, the vet did this blood test last year and said everything was normal. Then when they went over some of her previous tests, said they read the results wrong and she does in fact have EPI. So we went out and bought her the digestive enzymes (which we have been using for the last 2 weeks) and she has gained maybe a pound. In my mind, this is not the solution to her low weight. She is a water lush as well. She does have an appetite as she will happily eat people food (excessive begging) which we also find odd. I know all dogs beg to some extent but I find this a little excessive. She eventually becomes disinterested after eating certain foods for few days(ie. if we give her beef, she won't eat it after about 3 days). Now the vet thinks it might be a thyroid issue. We are very frustrated because she is so skinny she is frail and no one seems to be able to give us the answers we desperately need. The one vet wants us to send her to Guelph which would run us about $5000 and we don't have the money for that. They are also at a loss on why she is so skinny. She eats about 2 cups a day but in no way enough to put any type of weight on her. The breeder has been less than helpful. Any suggestions? Are German Shepherds prone to thyroid issues?
Thanks,
Darren
AnswerI am afraid I don't know anymore than the others. I often suggest another vet, but you have already talked to 2 different ones. The enzymes do seem to be helping a little. I would continue them. I would also pick a food and stick to it. Some foods are more calorie dense than others. Compare the grain free you are feeding now to others. You may have to check websites or customer service numbers for the calories. A high calorie food might help.
You may have to accept her being thin. I agree she looks quite thin in the picture, but I couldn't actually see the ribs. Some Shepherds you can't even keep them completely hid.
I am not sure Shepherds are worse than other breeds about thyroid problems, but they crop up in most breeds. I would cooperate if the vet wants to treat her for thyroid.
Not all problems have a good answer.
German Shepherd Mix Food
Question
Harley
Hello,
I have a 6 1/2 year old German S
6 month pup
Question6 month old female
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