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I am sure nobody in here is a licensed veterinarian lol, but I know we are all dog lovers, right....I thought I would post here first before I sign up on one of these pet lover/veterinarian websites or spend money taking her to the vet. I just recently bought a full-blood German Shepard who is 12 weeks old. Poor girl attracts flys for some reason that never seem to leave her alone in the hot daytime. She also has her ribs protruding from her sides when she misses a meal. It is odd because she seems to have a nice little tummy when she gets her 2 meals everyday, but if she misses or is even a little late on a feeding, you can feel the ribcage again. My first thought was worms, and I gave her the canine dewormer and put a flea/tick repellent collar on her (even though it has nothing to do with repelling flies). Once again, she seemed okay for a few days until she was late on a feeding.
I guess my question is this. Is it heartworms or something that can not be cured via the dewormer? Would this also attract flies? And if so, where can I find a cheap pet hospital that can rid her of this?
I think, at 12 weeks old, she should be eating more than twice a day. German Shepherd puppies are very active, and need a LOT of calories. She should be just a ball of energy all day, every day.
As for the flys...no idea. She needs to go to the vet
I am sure nobody in here is a licensed veterinarian lol, but I know we are all dog lovers, right.
My across the street neighbor is actually a vet. I'll ask him your questions next time I see him. But we both work crazy hours, so it could be a week or more.
Heart worms is incredibly unlikely. It requires transmission by being bit my a mosquito. A flea collar is also completely unnecessary. Flies landing on dogs in the middle of the day is nothing unusual. They're usually attracted to the moisture on the dog's nose and mouth. German Shepard's are notoriously lean and have a very distinctive look. It's also due to this look that they develop hip problems.
Worms would actually cause the dog to look bloated and not overly thin. If the dog is eagerly accepting food and water and not displaying any behavioral problems I would not think it would be an issue. If you however we're saying you have a pug puppy with ribs showing, that would be a bit concerning. A healthy Shepard's ribs should actually be able to be felt but shouldn't be showing.
With the dog being so young you may want to try to keep her inside during the day. It can still be a bit hot and just like you or I, being out in the heat all day can affect her appetite and behavior.
Here are the symptoms of heart worm in dogs:
"A: Initially, there are no symptoms. But as more and more worms crowd the heart and lungs, most dogs will develop a cough. As it progresses, they won’t be able to exercise as much as before; they’ll become winded easier. With severe heartworm disease, we can hear abnormal lung sounds, dogs can pass out from the loss of blood to the brain, and they can retain fluids. Eventually, most dogs will die if the worms are not treated."
First question is does she seem to feel OK? If she does stop worrying. But if you are still worried, and if you love your dog, take her to see the vet. Puppies need more frequent shots, etc., anyway. Since heartworms are very unlikely here where we seldom see mosquitoes, and we don't have any fleas in the desert, that's probably not her problem. As for flies, has she ever been groomed? At twelve weeks she would be expected to get into everything, so maybe she rolled in something, or maybe she still has yicky stuff from birth on her coat.
Also, you might try something like Science Diet dog food, and letting her eat freely. She will only eat what she needs, and it makes life a whole lot better for you since you don't have to worry about giving her meals on time. Dogs don't like to follow our idea of feeding schedules anyway. Many dogs are nocturnal in their feeding habits.
Cool. Thanks for the feedback guys. Obviously, I will get her the shots she needs, but it definitely relieves me to know that heart worms are rare out here.
For the flies can get a repellant from vet.I use mine when n woods for deer and horse flies. Just ask vet not expensive at all and just a cream put on ears and such so they cannot lick off. 12 weeks will be a ball of energy and should feed a few more times a day as burn it off so fast just smaller meals more often helps. I ddi that with all my pups as as age they get free choice and not over due it then as realize food will be there not have to be a pig.
For the flies can get a repellant from vet.I use mine when n woods for deer and horse flies. Just ask vet not expensive at all and just a cream put on ears and such so they cannot lick off. 12 weeks will be a ball of energy and should feed a few more times a day as burn it off so fast just smaller meals more often helps. I ddi that with all my pups as as age they get free choice and not over due it then as realize food will be there not have to be a pig.
We use horse fly spray....just be careful around the eyes.
Good nutrition is always important but especially so in a growing pup. If what you are feeding is cheap food from the grocery store that has lots of filler such as corn and corn meal there is not enough to build good bone and muscle structure.
If cost is a factor than both Costco and Tractor supply have decent food with meat as the first ingredient. Might want to also add a scrambled egg every other day or so.
There are several types of worms and not all can be gotten rid of with over the counter de-wormer, especially tape worms. You really need to run a fecal to check and then the vet can provide the proper de-wormer if needed.
By the way it's shepherd (sheep herd), not shepard.
It may be that you need to feed more than the recommended amount, as well. When we first got our dog, we went with typical size-and breed-specific guidelines for how much to feed....problem is that he's a runner...super high energy, and we walked/ran him tons, so he would burn it off in a heartbeat. He seemed to be getting thinner, and at the vet's recommendation, we upped the amount of food (we don't free feed). Stable weight ever since.
Edit, never mind, just saw that she's a puppy...I have limited experience with puppies; it's been years, since I was a kid, really. I misread your OP.
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