So, as I mentioned before in my original post about Rogue, she is pretty thin and also has a terrible coat. They were instructed to give her 1/2 cup of Royal Canine (EEEEEEEW) twice a day and that's it. They also we told to brush her with a certain brush when they got home because her hair was "thick" (she doesn't shed an ounce yet mind you) and it looks like it ripped some of her hair out- along with it being super dry and having no luster.

I need this corrected ASAP. I noticed today she is skinnier than I realized. Puppies are usually sort of chubby, have the extra skin, nice big round bellies.. none of the above for her. I'm going to cry my eyes out if this is another case of "take 8 months to look like you don't neglect your dog" for me. I just got Koda on track with weight about a year ago!

I changed her diet. She is being fed Blue Buffalo's Basic Salmon formula. I give her a total of 1.25 cups a day. I tried giving her extra (the bag says 1 1/4 recommendation- it is all life stages and does have appropriate phorsphorus/calcium, ratio for a pup) but she just ends up pooping a dozen times a day and it being runny. I also have been adding coconut oil, as suggested by(and provided by- thank you!) Claudia. I'm sure her coat condition with improve over the next few weeks (any tips for helping with it appreciate though-throw them at me!), but my main concern is her weight.

How do I thicken her up when it seems extra good just makes her poop more and have diarrhea? 2 factors which will not contribute to weight gain. Is there a particular food good with thickening up dogs? Suggestions for ad ins for her meals? She is way too young to be so skinny. Going of by her size and how big Koda was, she SHOULD be around 10lbs.. not sure what her actual weight is. I can feel her hip bones and her waist is much slimmer than her upper body.

If you have any ideas, please share. I really want to get her healthy.

The coconut oil is going to provide some needed fats and i'd stick with the amount of food she can handle. Truthfully I don't know of much else you can do but give her time to pork up! Has she been de-wormed?

Oh, the story of my life with Kody! He's still SKINNNYYYY, but doesn't look sick anymore. He would eat, eat, eat,eat, but no weight gain. I'm sure that was because of his constant tummy issues. Once I got him on THK that helped thicken him up...that's for sure!!!

I still think it wouldn't hurt to try the puppy Wilderness formula, even though you aren't a big fan of chicken (at least I think I remember you saying that?) Salmon is great and what I always preferred feeding but it can be rich; depending on how sensitive a dog's stomach is, I've found that it can cause digestive upset. Chicken is the easiest protein source to digest; if Rogue isn't allergic to chicken, maybe try that for awhile?

I've fed Wilderness to both puppies and adults and 2/3 of them weren't far from skin and bones. It put weight on them beautifully!

Did you get a small bag of the puppy Orijen formula? Try comparing the calorie content of Orijen and Blue Buffalo. If it's higher in calories, maybe mix the 2? I know you want her chubby now, but don't forget that you only got her a few days ago and she's probably still settling in. Once she's more settled, I think you'll be able to increase her food to get her to gain weight a little more.

I believe the coconut oil can also also help condition her fur so it's not so brittle or dry. Take a small amount and rub it in your hands until it melts and put a very thin layer on her fur...don't get carried away and slick her up with it....just a very small amount to help her coat from getting brittle or dry....and your hands will also be soft and silky!

im assuming rogue is still a pup? Here what I feed navi at 5 months at 35 pounds...

Morning she gets 1 1/2 cups of kibble(high qaulity brand)
Afternoon she gets 1/2 a cup of kibble and treats for training
Night she gets 1 cup of kibble with 1 chicken leg (half boiled)


Her coat is shinny and she is healthy as can be. I would suggest adding real chicken to the food, it does help.

Heather, you've got to give this time! You can't expect her to pack on the pounds instantly and having been through Koda's thin self you should be prepared to go through it again. It's only been a few days, be patient.

My concern would be the runny poo and sheer amount of it. That makes me wonder if the BB Salmon even agrees with her and whether or not she's actually getting nutrients from it or if she's just passing it all right through her. The amount and formation of her stool as you've described it worries me as it kinda sounds like it's not agreeing with her and it's passing right through. And if it is passing through her then you won't see her start gaining weight.

Was she doing bad on the Royal Canin? How were her stools on that before you brought her home? I ask because you switched her food almost right away which could also be the cause of her stomach upset. She may also be stressed from all the changes in her life recently which could also be causing the soft stool. If she wasn't doing bad on the Royal Canin she was on before I would have kept her on that for at least a week or two during her transition time just to reduce stress on her body before introducing a new food. A week or two more on RC will not ruin her.

Out of curiosity, why the aversion to chicken? Do you know for a fact that she's allergic to chicken?

I would also suggest heavier meats if you're trying to fatten her up. Instead of a chicken, turkey, or fish based food. I would opt for a heavier option based on lamb, beef, or venison as an alternative. Definitely stick with a puppy formula that has high calories and high fat.

Edit to add: The coconut oil may also be causing the soft stool as well. I'd eliminate something from her diet just to see if one or the other isn't causing the soft stool. Coconut oil is very rich and I believe it doesn't agree with Ginger either (correct me if I'm wrong Claudia). Another thing with coconut oil is that you should introduce it slowly, don't start out with the full amount right away. Build up to it in smaller increments.

Navi wrote:

Night she gets 1 cup of kibble with 1 chicken leg (half boiled)

I hope that chicken leg is boneless if you're cooking it.

Val, I know I am freaking out too soon but I can't help it.. You know I am ridiculous and worry too much and I am probably going to drive myself insane. Koda's weight was all due to allergies, she is just a victim of underfeeding and crappy food. It just freaks me out she is thin when a puppy.

Did I phrase this wrong? Her poo is fine now. I said that if I increase her food more than what it is (try to add extra), she gets runny and poops a lot- common from overfeeding. With the 1.25 cups, she poops about 3x a day and it's firm for the most part unless she has been downing her chews. On the Royal Canine, she was mushy. I did switch her cold turkey as she was itchy up a storm, eye discharge, runny nose with crusties forming, coughing.. you name it. Plus there was hardly any food left and you won't find me wasting money on RC.

Kristina, she is dewormed and all set in that area. She is healthy in every aspect but coat and weight.

Claudia, thanks for the tip, I did rub a little in her fur this morning. I did get the Orijen and maybe will try mixing it tonight. I am just hesitant with it because I don't prefer kibbles that have multiple proteins in it(which is why she is on the Basics formula). They never worked out with Koda, and I can't help but sort of apply what's troubled me with him with her. As for the coconut oil, she only has a dab of it right now and I'll work it into the full amount over the next week and a half or so..

As for everyone's question with chicken, no she does not have an allergy to it as far as I know- she has only been on the RC and Blue, and with the RC pretty sure it was the corn that was driving her nuts. Once again, I keep applying things that easily bothered Koda to her (he gets itchy on chicken, and I know a lot of dogs do). I do plan on adding minced up chicken to her food, just have to get a trip to the store..

I only have maybe a week or so worth of BB Salmon left and we're going to see how it goes and make a change if neccessary. The food I'd really like to put her on is Addiction's Viva La Venison Dry Puppy Formula, but it is super pricey and only online.. I always like venison as a protein source.

I am half asleep- I THINK I replied to everything, if not I apologize.. I need to go lay back down for an hour or two

Huskyluv wrote:

Heather, you've got to give this time! You can't expect her to pack on the pounds instantly and having been through Koda's thin self you should be prepared to go through it again. It's only been a few days, be patient.

That's what I said to her too!

Huskyluv wrote:

Coconut oil is very rich and I believe it doesn't agree with Ginger either (correct me if I'm wrong Claudia). Another thing with coconut oil is that you should introduce it slowly, don't start out with the full amount right away. Build up to it in smaller increments.

Yes, Ginger will go soft to runny on 1/4 tsp, and Storm will go soft to runny if it's more than 1/4 tsp. When I gave Heather the coconut oil, it did tell her to start of with a very small amount because it is really rich.

Heather, you'll have to try not to think what you went through with Koda will be the same with Rogue. She's a 'clean slate' and she may turn out with a tummy and appetite that can handle whatever you give her to eat....

When Cheyenne was having a weight issue I added some raw ground beef into her food. Added a nice bit of calories/fat. But Cheyenne didn't want to eat, I don't know if rogue can handle more food.

Either way, RELAX! lol

I'm trying! Her poop got bad again today (she has pooped a lot twice already) so I am going to go and try to switch her.. going to try the Canine Caviar sample we got at Chewy's. It has brown rice but I don't think that's a huge issue for her- it is probably a lot less rich, I know grain free foods are usually richer. I really like that the chicken in it is dehydrated too. Maybe we'll try that food + minced up chicken.

Heather, I know we don't need to remind you that you panicking and switching food constantly is going to make her worse.... breathe. Why not put her on scrambled eggs for a few days and some raw chicken? If it were me, I would screw the kibble at this point, get her BMs firm, and start her slowly on whatever food you want

That's what I'm going to do Tori. Apparently the food mentioned about doesn't "need" to be transitioned (yes, it says this- odd right?), you just feed 1/2 the recommended amount the first day then normal the next.. but I'm going to do chicken and rice (I want to see her reaction to it) for the weekend

I also fear the same food allergies my first husky had and have avoided that ingredient with Sabaka. Everyone tells me that my fears are unfounded but after 17 years of "the fear of soy and corn", I am carefully reading every ingredient list on every treat I get. ....and now this guy seems to be intolerant of wheat...

I think your little Rogue has just not been given enough food and been given poor quality food for so long that it's going to take her a while to fill out. Like someone else said, you have only had her a little while. Knowing that her BMs are firm and she's only having 3 per day, I would just stick with the food that you originally chose for her (I'm sure you researched it and chose it for a reason).

I really do want to come steal her.... just until your ankle heals, of course !

Heatherlee wrote:

That's what I'm going to do Tori. Apparently the food mentioned about doesn't "need" to be transitioned (yes, it says this- odd right?), you just feed 1/2 the recommended amount the first day then normal the next.. but I'm going to do chicken and rice (I want to see her reaction to it) for the weekend

Haha. We all panic, chica. That's why we got each other to make sure we remember all the things we learn and then forget the moment it's our dog that is having issues

Heather, along the lines of softening her coat. You can use the coconut oil as a wrap which should leave her coat oh so soft and moisturized. To use it as a wrap (and I am telling you this because she's so small still that this should be easier than most others doing this on an adult dog), simply coat her fur in the coconut oil and then wrap her in saran wrap or towels to keep the oil on her coat and not making a mess all over. Let it soak for about 20-30 minutes then rinse her out thoroughly, you might want to do a quick wash with a gentle puppy shampoo and then rinse thoroughly again. That should do wonders for softening her coat. I know some people who show dogs who shared that little secret with me for improving their coat before a show.

Oooh, thanks Val! Hopefully she will not try to tear the wrap off her!

Good food will DEFINITELY get her coat in shape over time, and you can also use this waterless shampoo called Bounce -- you just massage it into their coat and it has a bunch of moisturizers that help their skin and the coat's luster while also cleaning it without giving them a bath. I also use Paul Mitchell's oatmeal leave-in spray conditioner (for dogs) 2 times/week and have great results. Between being on Blue Wilderness and quality coat care products, their coats look great and are soft as can be.

For her weight --She'll put it on over time. At 2 yrs old, Danika was only 36 lbs when I got he in March. I JUST got her to 42 lbs and it has been a long, frustrating fight to get there w/some setbacks along the way (ie, I've gone out of town twice for 4 days each time and couldn't take her only to return and be informed that she didn't eat a single solitary morsel while I was away -- no kibble, no wet food, no treats, no raw or cooked meat, no bones, nothing. Total hunger strike) ... Just be patient, keep her on good foods that are high in protein and fats and give her lots of love ... she'll catch up eventually

In her saran wrap, lol.. she is being so good about it just laying in her crate!



She is doing pretty good on chicken and brown rice. A little of the rice just passes through her but not much. She only is pooping 2-3x a day and they a mostly firm, have form, and small.

"Rogue's day at the Spa"

SO CUTE!!

lmao still laughing at that, she looks pissed haha

She really didn't mind, I put her in her crate and she was hmm whatev! Her coat does feel a lot better though!

Why does the saran-wrapped rogue post have a negative rating? I seriously don't think there is any issue applying coconut oil to a dogs fur... regardless of age...

She looks like she's got daggers for you in that 2nd pic though!

Not sure why someone took a treat away from you Heather, but I gave one back. That pic is too funny! I love it! I'm glad she behaved well for you, hopefully her coat shows some improvement.

Thanks for posting a pic, that is just too hilarious!

Lmao, maybe that FB chick joined to hate on it! It worked great. Her coat is so much nicer feeling and she isn't being irritated by her coat as of yet.

Don't know why some people have acted like this is abuse. Sat on for 20 and rinsed. Worse that could of happened was allergic reaction in which case, rinse right away. No huskies were harmed during this adventure my friends!