My dog needs to gain weight

[MommyTorf]

My dog is a 7yr old half doberman/half black lab. He has always been thin- he's always had that hourglass look, like a doberman.

We moved into town about 6 months ago after living in the country for 4 years. The dog is "on alert" all day when we are gone- he barks at everyone and everything. He's a bit neurotic to begin with. Anyway, he has lost wieght since we moved and his ribs are starting to show!

We've upped his food by more than a cup/day (at the suggestion of the vet and the guy at the feed store who is VERY knowledgeable about nutrition). Not seeing results. Anyone have experience with this sort of thing? Any suggestions?

FWIW, we close the blinds/curtains when we leave to minimize his "distractions" and we aren't really willing to crate him. We used to, but he started bashing himself into the crate in an effort to escape. He doesn't have worms/heartworms/any other disease/illness. TIA!

[mesa]

what are you feeding him?

[MommyTorf]

Eagle Pack Natural Formula Lamb and Rice

[mesa]

have you considered rescue remedy when you leave the house? I've never used it myself, but it could help with his anxiety issues.

I feed my ridgeback wellness core ocean fish, a grain free food, and he was eating 4 cups a day and was ribby. He's nearly 100 pounds, and I bumped him to 6 cups a day and he's doing fantastic now. Here he is yesterday at dog beach: http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3...2/CIMG0011.jpg

How much are you feeding? You might have to keep bumping him up a 1/2 cup a week or so until you see results. He might just have an extremely high metabolism, and coupled with his anxiety, he's just burning calories faster than he's taking them in.

How about treats? You can really load him up on some tasty treats to help, too...liver works well.

Do you have a windowless room you could keep him in when you leave? A bathroom or laundry room, perhaps? I'm not much of a dog trainer, lol. But I have had experience with hard keepers. One dog I had to resort to cooking 70/30 ground beef for him, and feeding Kraft mac and cheese to keep him from looking starved.

I hope someone can chime in and help with the anxiety

[SevenVeils]

I don't have an answer, but I wanted to chime in and let you know that you're not alone. I used to have a (very, very non-neurotic btw) boxer x golden retriever who did the same thing. He had the build of a boxer for the most part, and was naturally (and healthily) more ribby and tucked-waist than most. But when he'd get stressed about something, even when I upped his food in anticipation, he would lose and lose and lose.

He was fed Canidae for his first year, then raw (BARF model, I tried prey model but he lost condition that way) for many years.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Since the vet checked out fine...He sounds extremely bored. What does a typical day look like for him? A week? Both his breeds are active dogs, the Dobe is a working breed and is happier with a job. This site might help with ideas to help him. http://wisedogblog.com/blog1.php/200...gy-puppy-power

You might be interested in these:
http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition...atinballs.html

[Sailor]

You could add fish oil onto the kibble - good for the skin, and boosts the calories a bit.

I agree with the boredom idea. He is a dobe/lab - so that's a character that really needs mental and physical challenges. What kind of exercise and mental stimulation is he getting? Do you exercise him before leaving the house? If yes, then I would also leave a frozen kong for him to manipulate. Freeze some treats and peanut butter into it - it should keep him busy for a little bit, at least.

Have you thought of participating in some agility classes (or other fun training things) with him?

Now, there are dogs that are high strung/nervous due to their character. But, sometimes, anxiety is a symptom of boredom or not enough mental challenges.

I would try this: exercise him for an hour before leaving him alone for the day. Whether that's a walk or a vigorous game of fetch - both work. When you get back home, exercise again, but also throw in some fun training activities. You could teach him to "seek" - you hide something, he seeks it. See if more exercise and training doesn't alleviate this behavior.

[greenmagick]

I would do as others have set as far as trying to fix or at lease ease the anxiety. For food, I personally would go to raw or at least grain free. The great dane forum I am on has a lot of people who recently switched to Taste of the Wild and are LOVING it....along with EVO, and Orijen...theres others as well.

Patricia McConnell has a book on anxiety. I have never read but love the everything I have read by her.

I'll Be Home SOon

[MommyTorf]

ok, been real busy this week, so sorry for not replying.

we are currently feeding 5 1/2 cups day (1/2 in am, 1/2 in pm) with egg yolks thrown in here and there. this is a lot of food and sometimes i worry about bloat.

dog gets a decent amount of exercise daily. we generally walk 1-2 miles in the evening, sometimes more. would like to join the bark park, but $ is tight and we would have to drive to get there, and kids aren't allowed (which i get and am ok with, it's just a logistical thing). i think that when we walk him in the morning, he is anticipating us leaving and it tends to get him more cranked up. when we walk after dinner, he gets tired and settles easily when we get home.

as for kongs/rawhide type chewies etc, the dog gets territorial/aggressive with that sort of stuff, so since DS came along, we just steer clear of it. he snarls, snaps and growls when he has this stuff. otherwise, we NEVER see that sort of behavior. plus we have a cat, and i don't feel safe leaving them home alone with that sort of stuff.

i know that the anxiety is a problem, and the vet has offered to medicate for it, but that doesn't feel right to me. it's been a problem his whole life, and it has gotten better over time. there is a lot of foot traffic on our street, and neighbors sit on their porches, so there is a lot of "new" stuff for him to be on alert for and to bark at.

i guess i was looking for a "magic bullet" kind of quick fix. i'll have to check into the satin balls!