Hello - pleae help

Hello all

I'm new to the site. My name is Jemma and I have a 8 month Ruby called Jessie. Hes the best thing to of happened to us but I can't stop worrying about him.

You see hes very very skinny, in fact you can see his rip cage most of the time. I have taken him to the vets on several occasions now because I'm just so worried. On the 3rd visit the vets decided to do some blood tests on him to put my mind at rest. The results came back clear - nothing wrong. Which yes this is great news but I can't seem to stop worrying.

The vets said he is just a small individual. I feed him Butchers tray food which he has 2 trays in the morning and 2 trays in the evening but still does not put the weight on.

My inlaws have jessie's brother who is a good weight, meaty in fact.

Please please help, all advice is welcome.

Sorry for the long post.

Jemma x

Hi
Welcome to cavalier talk have you tryed another dog food it seem a lot to me to be given 4 trays a day
---Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Jake)

im guessing the vet checked for worms errrm my dog was quite slim wen i got him they fill out after a while he was very slender x

Perhaps a higher protein food would be better, some of the complete dried diets are higher in protein which would put more weight on him.
I had a skinny dog once and gave her a Farley's rusk at bed time, she loved them and after a month she had put on some weight.

Do your vets think he is too thin? If not, then I wouldn't worry about it -- and it doesn't sound like they are at all worried. Some pups are thin, some are fat. As long as he is eating and there's nothing obviously wrong then I wouldn't worry or try to make him eat more. Almost all puppies eat what they need. Trying to force him to eat more is unlikely to work. To be honest it sounds like your vets are not concerned. Maybe you are overestimating the size and weight a cavalier should be? You should be able to feel his ribs and he should have a distinct waist.

If you remain worried then ask for a referral to a specialist at your nearest vet school. It sounds like your vets have done all the checks and this would just waste your money though.

How much does he weigh? At that age anything between 10-ish lbs on up would be pretty normal. Some are even smaller although in this case they would be very undersized but that is not a big deal -- just as with kids, some are small, some are big, most fall in the middle. A lot of people are so used to seeing overweight dogs that they think such a shape is normal, and that a fit lean dog is thin. A think dog is a LOT healthier, especially in this breed with its heart problems, than an overweight dog. Was he a litter runt? That's another reason he might be a bit small.

hi there thanks for all your replys. The vets are not worried at all maybe I'm just over reacting. I just get worried as hes our first dog so all very confusing.

Hi, Jemma! You have a very cute little puppy there. Congratulations!

I sympathize with your feelings that Jesse is too thin. My little Blenheim, Jasper, was very thin (even the vets thought so...he had bloodwork twice to see if there was an underlying problem) until just recently. He weighed 7 pounds at 4 months old and was right around 10 pounds at 8 months. The vets weren't particularly worried about him after his blood work came back normal, but both his breeder and my mother-in-law (a poodle breeder) were. I was, too, of course. To me, he looked like a starving homeless dog! We did everything we could think of to fatten him up, including feeding him high-protein foods like Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance (I think that's what it was called) dog sausage and "Bitch's Balls." Nothing worked. Jasper was a pretty picky eater, so that was part of his problem. He was also very high-energy. Then when he came into his "testosterone surge" at around 9 months old, he got even thinner.

Two things turned him around. First, we found a food he adores--Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie, so now he eats well. It took a lot of trial-and-error to find the right food for him. Second--and this is the biggest thing--he was neutered at 10 months (he was 11 pounds then). We immediately noticed a difference in his appetite. He's now up to a healthy 14 pounds at 12 months old. The vet told us that it's not unusual for an unneutered male to be on the skinny side, and he predicted that Jasper would put on 2-3 pounds pretty immediately after being neutered.

Plus, as Karlin said, there are individual differences in dogs, and for this breed (prone to putting on the pounds), being thinner is healthier. The vet said he wished more dogs were Jasper's weight, even at his skinniest, instead of the opposite.

Give Jesse some time to get through the awkward adolescent stage, and I'll bet he'll start filling out and putting on weight, especially if he is or will be neutered. Meanwhile, try not to worry. I know it's hard, though.

Welcome to the board! Jesse is a doll!

Lori

Welcome

I joined this forum only a week ago, I have found it extremely helpful. I am sure you will and welcome.
I have two Cavaliers, Molly who is prone to being over weight and Dougall
who was very skinny. It took sometime to sort out their diets, Molly is on ground fresh vegetables and chicken 3 times a day, she lost a kilo and has now stabilised at a healthy weight. Dougall has Royal Canin Biscuits (formulated for Cavaliers) and a bit of extra protein in the form of chicken. Dougall started to fill out at 15 months but is a now a helathy weight.

Have you tryed Chappie? It's pretty good for keeping weight on dogs & is pretty inexpensive.


Also - have to ask - what in dog's name is a 'Bitch Ball'??????