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Be careful. The only experience I can speak of is from Artie, who is 8 years old and has a very sensitive stomach:
When his kibble is too high in protein (i.e. too rich), his stomach rebels. That's why I feed him grain-free Taste of the Wild (alternating between fowl flavor and bison/venison flavor) and that works really well for him. I'd also alternate the fish flavor but Artie's stomach reacts poorly to salmon.
A couple of time per week, I make him a scrambled egg, which I add to his kibble. He LOVES it and it causes him absolutely no stomach issues. This is what I do: I whisk an egg in a bowl, microwave it for 42 seconds (yes, I've timed it so it's just right), break it up with the fork, and refrigerate it for at least 15 minutes so that it's cooled off. Then, I further mush it up when I add it to his kibble to ensure that it gets incorporated (he loves the egg, but will skip the kibble if I just put the egg on top or if the pieces are too big).
Good luck!
Thanks for sharing! I think eggs are the best way to do it. I'll hard boil and mash them up. Or he'll just eat it outright. He doesn't lack interest in any food. My dude isn't a picky eater.
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Originally Posted by AnywhereElse
I agree with Dandj. Our older dog got very sick from a premium salmon dog food. It said it was easily digestible but when I called the company, I was informed that some dogs do have problems with it because it can be difficult to digest. Never understood putting "easily digested" on a product when they knew that really wasn't the case! Also, I would be concerned that the puppy food would be too rich and cause diarrhea.
That's good to know about the Salmon. From what everyone is sharing, it sounds like sticking with the current dog food and just add protein via eggs.
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Originally Posted by AnywhereElse
Our dog weighed 75 lbs and dropped probably 5 lbs it was much easier for her to get around. I think keeping the weight down so the dog can move around more would be beneficial.
Let me put his needing to gain weight into perspective. He is a huge lab with long legs and a long torso. A monster lab bone structure. When he was young, he weighed almost 120 briefly. We got him down to 85. He was never fat, but we didn't want the weight to put a strain on his joints. So he spent most of his life at 80-85.
As he got older, he naturally lost some weight. He was probably at 70-75 when he first got sick four years ago. All of the vets said the he was the perfect weight, that it wouldn't stress his joints. But now he is 60lbs. He is severely underweight. His rear end is sheer bones. You can see most ribs. We're talking that much muscle wasting. The vet doesn't want him to simply gain weight, she wants him to add muscle. The more muscle he has, the better he will be able to get around. So if we add the 5lbs the vet wants us to add, he'll only be 65 pounds. That's not too much weight.
This disease causes a disconnect between the brain and the spinal cord causes the body to not process nutrients and that results in muscle wasting and atrophy. He needs weight, muscle weight. His body might not even gain the weight, but we have to try.
I think adding eggs to his current diet would be the best way to go. I would also look into sprinkling some ground Flax Seed on his food, high in Omega 3's, my pups love it.
Tripe is supposed to be wonderful, full of many nutrients, for dogs. My dogs love love love it! I've read that unprocessed (not bleached) tripe is best, but you might have to look around @ different butchers/stores to find it. Good luck!
Your Vet only went to college for eight years to be qualified so now you let people you don't know on the internet diagnose the dog and recommend treatment?
My vet wanted me to put more weight on my 15-year-old, but she was more concerned by the fact that his kidneys were at typical "elderly dog" levels and she said he should be on a lower protein diet. He's on senior food (Blue Buffalo) that has a fairly low protein level compared to regular food. I'd ask about the protein issue, given that puppy food is pretty high-protein, isn't it?
Maybe just give him more food? I switched him to the senior food from the grain-free and give him about a half a cup more than I was giving him before. He's put on the requested weight and seems to be doing ok.
Hi Hopes (an apt name for you. I am SO impressed by your dedication . You are the BEST for everything you're doing. I have a 17 yr old who is in similar place. I just googled weight gain supplement for senior dog and found you on this thread. Mine started with failed back legs. The vet put her on a Glucosamine Chondroiten supplement (wished it worked as well for me!) treat with Vet-phen hidden inside. Then her blood test showed very severe liver problems so the short term use of Vet phen was discontinued w low dose aspirin instead. (Yes, I have heard aspirin is not good for dogs, but her quality of life is up there. Recently the biggest issue has become wasting/very bony, but again alert, active, no trembling or panting and tail wagging resumed. I don't expect her to live forever but I want her as healthy as possible for as long as possible. She's VERY interested in non dog foods, but I've always been strict with no table foods and high quality dry food w/o corn etc. Tried the cheerios tonight and we be adding other things. I would be quite amazed if she can gain back some girth. There has also been a long distance healer involved when I just requested an easy passing when she was "on her way out". I rarely share this, but placebo effects don't exist in dogs and there have been miracles. All the best to you and your lucky pooch
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