# My Dog eats a lot but loses weight



## Vivian146n5 (Oct 18, 2009)

I have a 13 months old pure breed Chihuahua. We got him from a friend that was going to take him to the shelter. 
When we got him they were feeding him dry cat food. Their excuse, it was cheaper. Stupid, but true. 
So when we got him he wouldnt eat dog food, and the vet said absolutely not to feed him cat food. She said once he got hungry he would eat it, and he did. After two days of not eating he finally ate the food. He would go two and one time even three days without eating and lost 1 1/4 pounds. Doesnt sound like much but when his total body weight is 3 3/4, 1 1/4 is a lot. 
So the vet told me to switch him to wet food, and well he LOVES it. He eats three of the packs a day. But recently he looks skinny and has had diaherra. My mom says that dogs get diaherra from wet food but he has been on wet food since mid-June and just started the diaherra, and after weighing him on a baby scale he has lost 3/4 of a pound. 
Any ideas what I can do? Should I switch him back to dry food. I tried mixing it together and he just picked out all the dry food and sat it on the floor next to his bowl and ate the wet food.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

You should probably find him a high quality dry dog food.

I know some dogs will have diarrhea on wet food but if he's eating that much he shouldn't be losing weight...

Did the vet check his stool or anything? It's probably a good idea to worm him to make sure he's not losing weight because of worms.

Some I like are:
- Innova
- Wellness
- EVO
- Orijen
- Solid Gold
- Eagle Pack
- Blue Buffalo
- Instinct
- Fromm
- Acana
- Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

I would go back to the vet. While it could be the food, he could also have picked up some kind of parasite. Take a stool sample.


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## Vivian146n5 (Oct 18, 2009)

She did take a stool sample on Friday, or rather I took one to her. But she said it would be three days before we know anything, so I figured I would ask someone on here.

He has been wormed. Thats one of the first things we did when we got him, after a bath and flea treatment. This may sound like a stupid question but does a worm treatment need repeating? Well I am sure it does, but how often?

I will look for the foods you recommended. Is the list in any particular order? Like the first ones listed you recommend more?


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

My 5 pound toy fox terrier was like that. He was kept in a plastic cat carrier for 3 years and ate nothingbut wet food and boy did his teeth reflect that. I have him on a mix of wet and kibble with a little water aned he gobbles it up now. That way his teeth get cleaned and he still gets the wet food he loves. I also think the litlel fella must have worms. Why would it take 3 days to get the results back... that's just wierd. All a fecal exam requires most times is a float test or microscopic exam .


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Cat food costs a lot more than dog food.....

An all-canned-food diet isn't a bad thing, especially for smaller dogs. Kibble has almost no effect on cleaning teeth anyway. Most small dogs will need fairly frequent professional dentals no matter what they eat.

So...if's he's been tolerating the canned food up 'til now, there's no reason to switch. There must be an underlying health problem causing the diarrhea. Definitely have the vet take a look.


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## SandyPuppy (Aug 8, 2009)

Vivian146n5 said:


> She did take a stool sample on Friday, or rather I took one to her. But she said it would be three days before we know anything, so I figured I would ask someone on here.
> 
> He has been wormed. Thats one of the first things we did when we got him, after a bath and flea treatment. This may sound like a stupid question but does a worm treatment need repeating? Well I am sure it does, but how often?
> 
> I will look for the foods you recommended. Is the list in any particular order? Like the first ones listed you recommend more?


What kind of worms did you de-worm for? Most people worm for roundworms but not tapeworm. And tapeworm is one that will cause weigh loss. 

I feed my puppy Kirkland brand dog food from Costco. It has premium ingredients but at a super great price. Since I switched Sandy my cats(of course the cats get the kirkland cat food not dog food) to it they all have super soft and silky fur.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

Has the pup been tested for heartworm?


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

I have to disagree... I have seen a DRAMATIC change in my Toy Fox's teeth just with some good old fashioned milkbone therapy and kibble in his wet food. His teeth were practically black with tartar when he came here and with in 2 weeks the difference was amazing. I absoultely think that unless you want to be at the vet office every 6 months for dentals to make sure he gets some kibble or milkbones (has to be the name brand not imoposters) daily. It will also go a long way to helping firm up the stool s abit if he has been cleared of parasites... that along with some plain yogert.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> I have to disagree... I have seen a DRAMATIC change in my Toy Fox's teeth just with some good old fashioned milkbone therapy and kibble in his wet food. His teeth were practically black with tartar when he came here and with in 2 weeks the difference was amazing. I absoultely think that unless you want to be at the vet office every 6 months for dentals to make sure he gets some kibble or milkbones (has to be the name brand not imoposters) daily. It will also go a long way to helping firm up the stool s abit if he has been cleared of parasites... that along with some plain yogert.


I'm not entirely sure. Nia was eating kibble for a couple months and I noticed that on her very back teeth in the crook of the teeth (both sides) there were brown tartar. Not much but definitely there. Then I started feeding her wet kibble to make sure she has enough water since she doesn't drink much because it's getting cold. I checked about after 2 weeks and the tartar was gone! I have no idea why. I suspect it's because while she's eating the hard food she HAS to chew and the kibble bits get stuck between her teeth and when it was wet soft kibble she just swallowed it and it didn't even get in her teeth so there was no tartar from when the kibble was stuck there...


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## paux (Jul 26, 2009)

RAW is GREAT for whitening a dog's teeth. Nakoa's teeth weren't horrible when she was eating kibble, they were mostly just yellow but there wasn't any gross build-up. However, once I switched her to a RAW diet, all the yellow disappeared and her teeth became a nice clean white color.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir It could also be that depending on the quality of the food and if there were dyes in it that it just could have been staining her teeth and not really been getting stuck in there. usually you'll see some on the crowns of the teeth but it's unusual to see it on the sides.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> Michiyo-Fir It could also be that depending on the quality of the food and if there were dyes in it that it just could have been staining her teeth and not really been getting stuck in there. usually you'll see some on the crowns of the teeth but it's unusual to see it on the sides.


Thanks. I think it's because Nia has GIANT teeth and a tiny little mouth. I heard from other Pap owners that Pap teeth are pressed very tightly against the side of their mouths and things have trouble getting out. She doesn't have anything on the crowns of her teeth because I brush them everyday. For some reasons I can't get the tartar out of the sides in the indent of her very back teeth. 

I was feeding Orijen/EVO when I noticed. Not sure if it was staining or tartar.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir have you tried one of those finger tip brushes or a good ole fashioned piece of gauze with baking soda paste on it? those usually work pretty well for the toy fox. Never knew that about pap teeth tho... thanks for the info.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Penny's teeth get seriously gooey from kibble. I think because she chews instead of inhaling her food like the boys do. So that's how I know kibble has no tooth-cleaning benefits. I have to give her raw beef ribs now and then to get her teeth clean. She's always been like that. She nearly needed a professional dental before she was 2 years old, before I figured out the raw ribs thing.

Maybe Milk Bones do some good. I've never tried that.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

I swear by milkbones. They are so dense that you can barely break the large ones in half. I have never had issues with kibble causing more teeth issues but it really does help. If you feed a kibble like biljak that is bound with black strap molasses then yes you're looking at major dental issues by 2 yrs old. Others use corn syrup as a cheaper form of binder so read your labels! The only thing that worries me about any rib bones is that all my dogs (my boston included) can crack them and they splinter horribly.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> Michiyo-Fir have you tried one of those finger tip brushes or a good ole fashioned piece of gauze with baking soda paste on it? those usually work pretty well for the toy fox. Never knew that about pap teeth tho... thanks for the info.


Finger brush doesn't fit in her mouth at all. I can barely fit a tiny toothbrush in. 

I have dog toothpaste that I use. I think I'm going to buy a new toothbrush soon because the one she has is getting a bit old and the bristles are starting to point every which way. Her mouth is just so darn tiny! 

The vet said it doesn't matter if she has tartar in the crevice of the tooth as long as there's no tartar on the gumline it won't cause gum disease and most dogs don't get cavities anyways. Plus it's actually gone now since I've fed wet kibble for the last 2 months or so and now raw. She has shiny pearly teeth


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Thats cool. My toy fox has a tiny mouth as well that's why I thought the gauze would be more helpful than the finger bursh. I really don't like the doggie toothpaste. I dont find it abrasive enough but some good old arm and hammer and water makes a nice abrasive pate.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Dog_Shrink said:


> I swear by milkbones. They are so dense that you can barely break the large ones in half. I have never had issues with kibble causing more teeth issues but it really does help. If you feed a kibble like biljak that is bound with black strap molasses then yes you're looking at major dental issues by 2 yrs old. Others use corn syrup as a cheaper form of binder so read your labels! The only thing that worries me about any rib bones is that all my dogs (my boston included) can crack them and they splinter horribly.


Yeah milkbones are pretty hard. It's even hard for me to break them to pieces to feed the dogs. But the thing is Nia refuses to chew a whole milkbone. Even if I give her a large chunk she will mouth it, try to chew it once then spit it out if it doesn't crack. She's always been like that with any kind of food. Even when I give her bones if the chunk is too big she will mouth it and then spit it out and lick it a few times and just give up.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Michiyo-Fir said:


> Yeah milkbones are pretty hard. It's even hard for me to break them to pieces to feed the dogs. But the thing is Nia refuses to chew a whole milkbone. Even if I give her a large chunk she will mouth it, try to chew it once then spit it out if it doesn't crack. She's always been like that with any kind of food. Even when I give her bones if the chunk is too big she will mouth it and then spit it out and lick it a few times and just give up.


Awww what a little princess


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

LOL I'd like it better if she chewed! Then I could give her whole chicken wings and stuff instead of having to chop it all up! Especially bones that bleed when you chop it! Yuck gross. 

But yeah unless it's something really meaty like chicken jerky more likely than not she's going to spit it out. Nia's a picky bum >=(


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Dog_Shrink said:


> If you feed a kibble like biljak that is bound with black strap molasses then yes you're looking at major dental issues by 2 yrs old. Others use corn syrup as a cheaper form of binder so read your labels!


Yeah, I've seen those labels! Kibbles 'n' Bits (and similar semi-moist foods) is really high in sugar. No, Penny eats Chicken Soup....no added sugar. When she was younger she ate Natural Balance (no added sugar). So I don't know what causes the tooth gunk. 

When I used to buy biscuits (haven't for a while), I just got the generic kind---the big bag at Sam's Club. I may have to try actual Milkbones.


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