# Need advice to help malnourished pup please ;)



## Sandie28 (Jan 15, 2014)

I am bringing my little rescue dog home tomorrow. Her background is unknown, and when the shelter took her in last week they thought she was 10 weeks old and had been living rough for some time. The vet now says she is around 17 weeks old as she is developing her adult teeth, but looks younger as she is malnourished and is not yet eating properly. 

I would really appreciate some advice now - do I treat her as a 'normal' 17 week old or will her development have been delayed? I don't even know if she is toilet trained, and if she's not, do I train her as a pup or as an older dog?

Any suggestions for food that may appeal to her and will help to build her up?

I do know she will need lots of TLC which she will receive in abundance, and I would be very grateful for some practical advice.


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## Waggintails (Jan 13, 2014)

I don't think the training matters on the age. Just give her good quality food and a good home. Mine are mostly on Kibbles (Taste of the Wild) but I give them a raw egg and raw meat several times a week.


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## Rayneiac (Jun 18, 2012)

Get her on some good food! If the shelter had her on some junk you will need to make the transition slowly so her system doesn't get torn up. And her system may still be "learning" to handle good dog food! 

You could look up the recipe for "satin balls", easy to make and packed full of yummy things.

Feed her multiple times a day....if she should have 2 cups, perhaps break that up into 1/2 cup feedings. Keep the nutrients in her system and it helps her learn that wonderful yummy things come from you and that food is not scarce in her new home. 

Some dogs are picky about food. That may be her. You may just need to try different things to find out what excites her. My dog will go nuts for fish and duck and lamb. But will give me silly looks if I give her food with a high beef protein content. Like "You don't REALLY expect me to eat this do you?"

Train her as a pup for the housebreaking I'd say. She may have zero clue on that, and even if she does....it can't hurt to reinforce every bit of the basics. I would treat her as a 17 week old pup to the extend that she is capable. For instance, she may not be able to play as long as some, but will build up. She may or may not have trust issues, anxiety issues etc. Take it slow and easy, but keep at it.


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## Lappdog (Dec 2, 2013)

I'm actually having a similar issue, though with an older dog who became malnourished during a 3 month stay at the local pound. Who knows WHAT they'd been feeding those dogs because they all came out in rough shape, but one had been in there longer and was just terrible looking. I'm giving good quality food (I'm giving him canned food, as well as leaving dry out for him all the time. Once he's got his condition back up he'll probably get a bigger proportion of dry food), as well as supplementing with Missing Link (it's a vitamin and omega 3 supplement made largely from flaxseed and dessicated liver) and Dulse Powder. The Dulse is actually an unusual addition but it's a high-mineral dry seaweed which is a good iodine supplement. My dogs came with symptoms of hypothyroidism/iodine deficiency, and many dog breeds have a tendency to hypothyroidism and iodine deficiency. There's actually a thread in the nutrition forum about iodine deficiency so you can see some of the effects there, but I'd come to that conclusion before I came here and it's just made a WORLD of difference with ours, behaviorally and physically. None of ours minded the taste of dulse and you can get bags of it for about $5 at Vitamin Cottage and similar stores (a small bag will go a long way, they just get a pinch with every other meal, and a bit of the Missing Link the other meals). I also think there's no need to skimp on treats at this stage, especially healthier ones (plain meat; canned mackrel is a _great_ one, also full of Omega 3s; boiled liver, though she can't have much of this at all, and maybe none at her age). I don't have too much other advice nutritionally, in fact I'd be interested to see what others have to say on the topic. 

I agree with Rayneiac about feeding multiple times a day, and about training starting with the basics. Even if she knows it all, you can reinforce the basics and give her some time to settle in and adjust to her new home. Besides, you don't know how much harsh training she's had; training in gentle ways starting from the basics can help you define your relationship.


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