my 4 year old Tango is to skinny

renee · #1 18-10-11, 06:48 PM

My german shep tango is 4 years old my vet changed his food a few month ago due to severe allergys ,good news is no more earinfections or itching or loose stools . The new problem is even so I let him eat how ever much he wants he dropped from his ideal weight 80 lbs he is a tall boy to 56 lbs . He had a complete workup no prasites no worms nothing . The vet put him on antibiotiqs now just in case something didn't show up . I need to know if anyone here has this problem ? If something happens to him and he looses anymore weight not just me but my son will be heartbroken ! I need help please . Any suggestion be appreciated. My e mail is tizmerenee@gmail.com thank you

lauraburns · #2 18-10-11, 06:55 PM

What is the food he is on now? And what food was he on before? Did the vet say what it was he was allergic to in the food?

Stuart · #3 18-10-11, 06:58 PM

Hi Renee, welcome to the forum,... good news that Tango is clear of his allergys

I think the average weight of a four year old will be able 70lbs, so he is a little under, but not a great deal,..how long has it been since your vet suggested the diet change?,..it could be that its going to take a couple of months for the body to get used to the new food, and is about to build his weight back up again.

... but I wounldnt worry about anything serious happening, you are not going to lose him I am sure.

If you keep us informed, there are many people here that are very capable of reading danger signs and will tell you if they are concerned in any way

renee · #4 18-10-11, 07:28 PM

Tangos food was changed severall times over the past 12 month he was on large breed lamb and rice iams he was on a duck and potatoe and he did very well on large breed pedigree puppy . 2 month ago I switched him to pedigree adult food because the vet said with german shep he has seen a lot of problems with the lamb and rice and that the food is to rich for them ( to much of a good thing he said ) so now he eats carrots ,plain pumkin and pedigree .just in those 2 month he went from 78 pounds to 56 he looked really good at 2 years weighing 85 lbs he was on eukanuba than but he itched and chewed his feet and got a lot of earinfections . And he can't have treats he gets diarreha very easy . So treats are carrots and apples and he loves pumpkin and watermelon

jesterjenn · #5 18-10-11, 07:38 PM

To me, I wouldn't have any dog of mine on Pedigree. In my opinion, it isn't a good food! The loss of weight, I would suggest his food doesn't suit him.

If he suits a protein & potato type kibble, there is a Skinners Duck flavour - that's meant to be good. There's Wafcol Salmon & potato. Wainrights I think do a fish or duck one. I've heard Fish4Dogs is brilliant (and to be fair, when Harley was on it, he thrived on it).

If you can, if you add potato, tripe or pasta into his meal, that should help him put on weight steadily.

LOVEGSD · #6 19-10-11, 11:27 AM

I was thinking of tripe but you need to be careful that he then doesn't go the other way and become obese....x

renee · #7 20-10-11, 02:51 AM

I am sorry but what is tribe ? I am willing to try just about anything I have to be carefull so he gets diarreha very easy . Vet thinks he may have problems absorbing what he needs .if he wasn't boneshowing skinny you would never know something is wrong . He is playfull active and he eats and drinks . Has a wonderfull glossy soft coat .

Bet · #8 20-10-11, 06:58 AM

Its cow/sheep stomach, you need to ask for green tripe from an abattoir, some butchers still slaughter their own so ask round

Don't get the white bleached version for human consumption. I pay approx £3.50 for a large whole cow tripe and carve it up before freezing..it stinks so its a job best done outside lol. You can get frozen tripe from pet stores in blocks but to me its nothing like the real thing and it works out more expensive to buy. No prep necessary with raw green tripe, just feed as it is.

renee · #9 20-10-11, 02:34 PM

Thank you I will try that. I also am going to switch his food slowly to deer and potatoe diet see if that helps

LindaM · #10 20-10-11, 03:14 PM

Hi - do you know which foods exactly his allergic too. Vet can do a blood test. They tend to be reluctant to do allergy tests saying blood tests are not accurate but I would most def consider getting one done if you have not already done so.

I boiled fish and potato for a dog of mine for two months only to find out he was allergic to fish (and incidentally also to lamb).

My GSD does not like lamb. I use a rice and chicken kibble and he has prepared food bases on rice and turkey/duck/rabbit mixed in but I stay away from lamb as he isn't fussed on eating it.

I would stay away from wheat. Some dogs seem to do better on a potato based kibble rather than rice.

Also the treats you give such as carrots, melon are fairly low in calories so he is filling up on low calorie foods. Also they are 'sweet' and he could have developed a 'sweet tooth' and prefer those foods. Fruit and veg would be good for a dog needing to go on a diet (it would help them feel 'fuller') if they would eat that sort of thing.

My GSD won't touch fruit or veg.

It sounds like you just need to get the balance right. Once you find a food that he is not allergic too I would feed more of it and less fruit and veg.

He sounds as though he is fit and well so try not to worry.

You are right once allergies (and food intolerances) are erradicated, then skin, ear, eyes problems disappear or just about.

Good luck, keeping posting and don't worry about asking questions.