# Godric, skin and bones.



## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

Okay well sadly Godric has recently picked up the crude nickname, Ethiopian.

He is skin and bones I swear. 

I feed him 1/4c THK twice a day and his back bone is visible, his ribs are visible, he has a very high tuck - but he eats like a champ and I can't tell anything to be out of the ordinary with him, other than recently he's been a bit more sleepy than normal.

Should I just up his food? Any ideas?

**edited: I have a hard time getting an accurate picture to show, as he's so insanely dark he's hard to photograph.


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## cprcheetah (May 4, 2009)

If he's skinny I'd up his food, if he continues to be skinny have him checked for worms.


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

cprcheetah said:


> If he's skinny I'd up his food, if he continues to be skinny have him checked for worms.


I've wormed him before and last time we checked he tested negative, think it's possible he has them again? I'm not sure how they get them, but he does have a bad habit of picking up things outside and chewing them - namely bubblegum.

He did have hookworms when we got him.

He's about 7months old, he just is so awkward - it's like holding a bony little creature of some sort.


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I would up his food, to 1/3 cup. Can you add some high fat hamburger meat (raw)?


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

flippedstars said:


> I would up his food, to 1/3 cup. Can you add some high fat hamburger meat (raw)?


I can try but he gets horrific poo problems when I change him too rapidly but i'm just worried about him being so thin. 1 scrambled egg had liquid poo coming out of him for 2 days.

Gretel is thin as well which, was good for her to have slimmed, but i'm wondering if THK isn't going to be enough food for my little ones. 

I'm considering ordering some wet ziwi to supplement, think that's robust enough to add some bulk to him without making her fat again?


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

Trigger sounds like Gordric. He lost a pound when we boarded him, and is now 6.5 lbs. He looks just about right now but maybe a tish too thin. LOL Ethiopian...better not let the hubby dear in on that one or Trig will have a nickname too.

I understand your hesitation w/ changing him too fast to anything new...so, maybe the right route to go is just up his food. Wet Ziwi will present the same issue as raw hamburger.


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

flippedstars said:


> Trigger sounds like Gordric. He lost a pound when we boarded him, and is now 6.5 lbs. He looks just about right now but maybe a tish too thin. LOL Ethiopian...better not let the hubby dear in on that one or Trig will have a nickname too.
> 
> I understand your hesitation w/ changing him too fast to anything new...so, maybe the right route to go is just up his food. Wet Ziwi will present the same issue as raw hamburger.


Yeah I figured, i'd just heard such great things I was hoping ziwi would be an easy addition.

I don't get it, kibble - diarrhea. 
THK - nothing, I can even switch flavors and no problem. 
Egg - diarrhea. 

UGH I hate his tummy!!


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

Egg is really rich. And maybe it wasn't the egg. My guess is he ate something out in the yard?? Most dogs that tolerate THK tolerate a lot of random natural foods such as egg, raw or cooked meats (free of any salts, additives, flavorings, etc.)...so...I wonder if the egg was just coincidence? You obviously know your baby best...but just a thought?


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

THK is just gentler on their tummies. I do wish it had more meat in it but you know what, it works for dogs like Gordric and Bryco and that says a LOT! We tried everything and every type of kibble for Bryco and it was awful. But thus I think it makes sense you can swap between THK flavors without any trouble, we switched B cold turkey and saw immediate results after 2 months of the worst "poos" I'd ever seen from a dog.


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## foggy (Oct 12, 2009)

I'm having the same concerns about Roo and she is on THK too. She has lost weight since Summer. I was thinking maybe it was the cold weather, which is possible, although she did not have this problem last year when she was on kibble. I've upped her portion of THK a little, but it may still not be enough as she still does not gain. I do wish THK had more meat in it, but the do really well on it compared to everything else I've tried and it's solved a lot of other issues for them. I have now bought Ziwipeak, not the wet, but the pouch and I'm going to try and add that once I sort portions. (bit worried about pip gaining weight so I'm unsure about how much ziwi I should add to THK. 

I know what you mean about a food switch causing issues, I've had the same problem, especially with Roo. THK is the only food I never had to make a slow switch with, it never bothers them and I switch between formulas as well. I think the wet ziwi would probably be more prone to cause diarrhea issues if they are prone to that, but you might be safe getting a pouch of the air dried. I'd try it for Godric personally, if I was you. You can just add a bit to start and slowly add a little more.


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## cherper (May 8, 2009)

Well i've read that you should up their food intake a little over winter. so maybe that alone will help build him up a bit! Keep us posted!!


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

When we tried out THK I ended up supplementing with wet ZP. Especially with Marley because he was way too skinny! I added one tbsp to each of his meals & even though it doesn't sound like a lot...it really helped! I'd go that route...or the hamburger route. Either one would add in more meat & fat.


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

MChis said:


> When we tried out THK I ended up supplementing with wet ZP. Especially with Marley because he was way too skinny! I added one tbsp to each of his meals & even though it doesn't sound like a lot...it really helped! I'd go that route...or the hamburger route. Either one would add in more meat & fat.


What about any other vitamins or supplements? 

Did you give your skinnies anything else? I just worry he isn't getting enough or the right nutrition.


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

When I fed THK and/or ZP I didn't use a vitamin supplement. I have since started sprinkling Nupro on their raw food pretty much daily "just in case" I mess up on percentages of organ, etc. You could always add it if it makes you feel better (it's all natural & the pups love it) but saying that I think if you kept feeding THK & added either hamburger or wet ZP it's not necessary. Sounds like he just needs some more calories really. Reason i used the wet ZP as opposed to the hamburger was a more "complete" addition & I felt maybe it was more "filling". I was suprised what a difference such a small amount made.


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

MChis said:


> When I fed THK and/or ZP I didn't use a vitamin supplement. I have since started sprinkling Nupro on their raw food pretty much daily "just in case" I mess up on percentages of organ, etc. You could always add it if it makes you feel better (it's all natural & the pups love it) but saying that I think if you kept feeding THK & added either hamburger or wet ZP it's not necessary. Sounds like he just needs some more calories really. Reason i used the wet ZP as opposed to the hamburger was a more "complete" addition & I felt maybe it was more "filling". I was suprised what a difference such a small amount made.


I hate that I can't get ziwi local but i'll go ahead and order some tomorrow. Until then I think i'll try some hamburger.

I did give him chunks of ground turkey a few times with no problems so maybe Kristi is right and it was just a freak accident about the egg.

Hate that he's such a skinny little one. He's so snuggly that I hadn't noticed till a neighbor made a pretty rude comment about "I need to call the pound on you starving that thing" then I thought about it and he is pretty thin, he just acts so big I don't think about it and he DOES eat!


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## 18453 (Feb 6, 2010)

Oh you sure he and daisy weren't separated at birth er stomach issues suck

I have a hard time keeping weight on lotus seriously it's a case of feed her te correct amount she's skinny not quite etheopian but skinny all the same up it and she gets me up in the night for a poo I have taken to beingvery tired

Anyway I had her finally gaining (remember she Gaines 1 ounce in 8 weeks!!) and she got to a whopping 3lb 5oz lol anyway she's dropped down to 3 so I've been adding ziwi with her raw every meal but she poos more frequently on it (I'm exhausted today  )

Anyway you could add partially boiled chicken so it's not totally cooked but not totally raw so won't go straightthrough him or if you add it do you give rmbs for teeth?? Could you make his next meals a boney one??

Or start giving him high calorie treats ( I actually use the ziwi hahaha) he'll just be like a circus dog


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

Daisydoo said:


> Oh you sure he and daisy weren't separated at birth er stomach issues suck
> 
> I have a hard time keeping weight on lotus seriously it's a case of feed her te correct amount she's skinny not quite etheopian but skinny all the same up it and she gets me up in the night for a poo I have taken to beingvery tired
> 
> ...


Daisy could be Godrics long lost sister i'm sure, his bottom gave me a hell of a time when we first got him. The worms, then finding out he was sensitive to EVERYTHING, i'm still trying to sort him out.

I'm going to order some ziwi and see how that fares, we fed him a full 1/2c yesterday and I intend to do that again today. We were feeding Keen THK which was lower in protein and fat, so I switched to a higher protein/fat one but he's still thin.

We shall see how he fares.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

We were just talking about coconut oil as a supplement. Perhaps that might work well for Godric? Just add 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon to start every other day and if he tolerates it, you could add in more gradually. It's supposed to be very good for skin/coat/allergies/itching and it will also add weight since it is very calorie dense. Or you could do a good quality salmon oil (also a good fat source) or even alternate the coconut oil and the salmon oil. That might be just the ticket to get him to gain a little weight in a healthy way.


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