# A bit skinny



## mihalymm (May 15, 2011)

Hello, 

I recently adopted a 13 month old V.
She was living in a cage of 2 sq meters, on a diet of cheap dry food 3 times a day, and some table scraps, with almost no exercise, I think she hasn't been on a walk for 3 months.

She is quite skinny, and I am wondering if I should restrict exercise?
We go on a 30 min walk, 3 or 4 times a day. 

Should I maybe just take her out to do her business until she gains a little weight?

We are on a diet of cooked meat with rice and vegetables, with a pinch of flax seed oil, 3 times a day, and a bit of dry food, from time to time.

Laylah is a quick learner, well behaved and very loving. 
She brought me a lot of happiness. 

Tnx,
Mihaly


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## Chilli monster (Sep 16, 2010)

I must my girl is 15mts now a she was that skinny since she was 6mts old.. she had lots of food but also lots of walks...

I wouldnt restrict walks... what could be better for Vizsla then walks and freedom (lost of cuddles of course) and eventually would give her a bit more food if she needs it and wants it..

She is good looking girls and great job that now has a family who loves her!!! Very well done to you!!!


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

She could be Copper's twin sister! My Copper is 13 months old and 41 lbs! Yes he just started eating 3 times a day. Some days the dog just wouldn't eat at all!


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## Kailua (Feb 12, 2009)

I say to keep up the excercise and the great meals. I'm sure she'll eventually pick up weight and get use to her loving environment.


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

Pumpkin (10M) is skinny too. She is a very picky eater! We have been through a few dry food changes, gourmet, specialty can food that looks better than what I pull out of the crock pot, raw etc. etc. Some days it's hit or miss. It baffles me, because we have never owned a dog that wouldn't eat just about anything that wasn't nailed down : None the less, we never cut back on her exercise. Vs need to stretch their legs off-leash & on, and it may help stimulate the appetite. Good Luck!


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## mihalymm (May 15, 2011)

Laylah is not a picky eater, that's what I like about her  And always hungry 
I know they are generally skinny, especially when still growing.
We will see  But every other person on the street goes: 'omg, she's so skinny...'

....and we just got our first period...


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## Keneomac (Oct 12, 2010)

We have the same issue with Darwin, we just can't keep the weight on him. He is skinny enough where we get asked regularly if he is a new rescue! He came back negative for any sort of medical issue, so it just seems to be a mix of his activity level and super high metabolism. He is 14 months and maybe 43 pounds. Someone recommended trying to feed him Satin Balls as a treat, maybe this will help all the other skinny Vs out there too. Essentially it is a raw ground beef based treat that is super high in fat and protein. Needless to say he loves them and they seem to be helping out. Here is the recipe we used and where we got it from:

3 pounds hamburger
3 cups oatmeal
1/3 box Total cereal
1/3 jar wheat germ
4 large eggs
1/3 cup safflower oil
1/3 cup blackstrap molassas
3 packets of Knox gelatin

http://redbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/09/for-thin-active-vizsla.html

We have been giving him around 4 balls a day as treats on top of his normal food for one day now. I can let you know in a couple of days how it is going, but maybe you would want to try these too!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Congratulations on the adoption of Laylah! She is a very pretty girl, and I know you will have years of fun together! You're right, though... seems like she could use a little more weight. I was going to search around for the Satin Ball recipe, and then I saw the post from Keneomac for Darwin's treats. I'm sure it's the same recipe. It is used to help very emaciated dogs get up to a healthy weight. I volunteer with the Michigan Humane Society, and a lot of the foster homes use it for that purpose.

When I adopted my Willie from the dog pound, he was downright skeletal. I fattened him up with a 50 lb. bag of puppy chow, then switched to a more normal calorie level for adult dogs. He has never been picky either, I think because he actually experienced starvation and hasn't forgotten it. Good luck with Laylah!


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## szalpeter (Apr 3, 2011)

Szerencsetlen! Keep the exercise and love her to bits all the time and she will be the best friend on earth!))


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## Keneomac (Oct 12, 2010)

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that after 3 days on the Satin Balls, Darwin has put on a ton of weight. We can no longer see individual ribs just the outline of the whole set! I would definitely give it a try if you want your pup to gain some weight!

Plus, he will do just about anything to get one! Might be the best training tool ever!


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Great news that Darwin is seeing some benefit from the Satin Balls!! I'm not really surprised, though, because of what I had heard about them before. I'm sure Willie would love them, too, but he doesn't need them now... in fact, I'm trying to take a few pounds off of him!


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Mihalymm,

I'm not sure whether you already said this, but have you seen a vet just to be sure there isn't any medical reason why she's very hungry and still thin? Probably not, but would be good to rule out if you haven't already. 

Rosie was a picky eater as a puppy, and now eats everything in sight and tends to be pudgy in spite of lots of exercise. I think one thing that contributed to her putting on weight was our solution to her picky eating--a dollop of canned food on top of her dry to make it tasty. I wonder if canned food is more fattening...

Sarah


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## Big Rick (Apr 14, 2009)

Dexter would eat anything you put in front of him the first 8-9 months. Then he became very picky and would only eat if we added something to the food like green beans, grits, green peas, etc. We tried Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild, and a few others to no avail. One day in PetSmart there was a lady there that represented Nutro foods. She suggested we try Natural Choice Venison and Brown Rice so we did. He hasn't refused to eat a single time since then. Had to the vet this week and he's 68.8 lbs. Before that he was down to 59 lbs. He's a little over 2 years old. You just have to find something they like. Too bad they don't sell trial sizes of dog food. Fortunately Scarlet will eat anything so we didn't waste any food. She weighs about the same and she's 1 1/2 years old.


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## sarahaf (Aug 17, 2009)

Yes, Big Rick--dogs love that stuff. Our puppy class and obedience class instructor recommended using it for training.


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## mihalymm (May 15, 2011)

Hello all,

Laylah is doing much better!
She gained 5-6kg this spring/summer.
This happened after her 2nd birthday.
CHICKEN SKINS worked for her 
Last autumn/winter, i started giving her chicken skins in her diet, and then she sometimes gained a little weight, and then lost it immediately.
I don't know if she gained the weight because of the diet, or because she isn't developing anymore (after 2 years).

Tnx for all your replies!
And other skinny Vizslas, try some chicken skins, yum yum 

Mihaly


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