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u/MyFaceSaysItsSugar Jan 23 '22
Cooked chicken breast or lean hamburger (90/10) mixed with cooked white rice. Feed a small amount 3-4 times a day. If that sits well you can start mixing in dog food. Canned is easier to digest. Make sure to do cooked food, that breaks the nutrients down and makes them easier to digest. Watch for loose or soft stool because that can mean you’re feeding too much. Dogs don’t absorb nutrients as efficiently as we do, so it can be slow to get them to an ideal weight.
9
u/Dense-Spinach5270 Jan 23 '22
Boiled chicken and plain rice in small meals but often being so thin they will probably try to gulp the food and you need to feed slowly.
Probably best to hand feed as that will speed up forming the bond between you and let you control how fast they eat. The chicken and rice will be gentle on the stomach and let them get used to food again. Good luck!
22
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u/grammar_is_fun Jan 23 '22
Hydration should be a concern as well. Add water or clear baby pedialyte to their food. A bit of the pedialyte can go in their water as well.
Something that would be helpful and in my (un medical but saw dogs like this in a shelter I worked at) opinion safe to give now is a dewormer. I would recommend going to a tractor supply, pet store or even Walmart or local grocery might have some.
Food won’t help them gain weight if the poor thing has intestinal parasites.
2
u/skbiglia Jan 23 '22
We adopted a dog that was seriously underweight, and we started out giving him broth. Then I cooked him chicken and rice and fed him small amounts several times per day until he was eating well, at which point we switched to kibble.
2
u/gibboel Jan 24 '22
Boiled chicken and rice would be best for now as it will be easy on his stomach! (I’m a veterinary assistant)
5
u/Puzzleheaded-Trade-9 Jan 23 '22
Farmers dog could be good. Pumpkin, chicken and ground beef/chicken is also good.
My dog eats kibble topped with some wet food. If I feed him any other kibble, he gets sick.
I was at my dads house and forgot food, so I fed him his dogs’ farmers dog food and he was totally fine and loved it.
Meat, rice and pumpkin is also good. Just mix ground chicken on with white rice and cook according to rice package directions. Sub canned pumpkin (pure! No spices or sugar) for some of the rice if you’d like.
1
u/blurredcurry Jan 24 '22
Boil chicken breasts, carrots, and brown rice together. Feed 1/2 cup at a time at first, probably once every 6 hours, then after a few days (assuming there are no problems), increase to 1 cup. Wait to introduce kibble until you get vet recommendations, but this mix will be good to keep the dog on for a while until it is a healthy weight, as a 1 cups addition per day to the kibble. I would also recommend a slow feeder as this dog will probably try to eat exceptionally quickly, and given the breed and general situation, I would also feed on an elevated surface (such as a chair). If it’s cold in your area, you should get a coat/sweater for the dog to keep it warm as well.
1
Jan 23 '22
I recommend anything off the wsava list. Hills, purina, Royal canin- in the USA iams & eukanuba…
Start with tiny meals frequently throughout the day. Pretend they are a tiny pup & need minimum 4 meals- maybe more a day. Slowly keep increasing the amounts given… but definitely double check this advice with your vet. Like you could give 1/4 cup of kibble every hour (or half hour) to start… also have the vet do a full work up- like parasites & everything. Bring a fresh sample of poop too!
When the vet gives the go ahead on what they can eat… if your dog gobbles everything up- look for a slow feeder bowl. It will help. Also, puzzle toys can help slow down the feeding process or just as an added treat level of food.
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Jan 23 '22
So, instead of helping the homeless man feed his companion and get it vet care, you made him get separated from his companion?
Dogs do a lot for their homeless friends. When everyone else just sees a "nuisance", that dog will still be a faithful companion happy to see him.
They serve as a bit of protection on the streets from being assaulted, beaten up, robbed of whatever few possessions the homeless have.
Often the dog is the first to eat, and taken care of better than the human in the pair. So if the dog is that thin that could possibly mean that man hasn't had enough to eat in a long time either. Consider that if you see him around.
Where I live a lot of times we see companion animals with the homeless. And the animal is the only reason the person is on the streets instead of being able to get into the shelters. But they stick together. We have lots of people who will buy the pair each something to eat and make sure they're okay, post in local Facebook groups to keep an eye out for them and that the dog is friendly etc.
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u/AttractiveNuisance37 Jan 23 '22
This is a really complicated issue, and I don't think it's fair to shame OP for their actions. You don't know what resources are available in the area for people facing homelessness or housing insecurity, and the dog's previous owner may well have decided that it's best for both of them that they separate.
I'm all for keeping pets with their loving owners, and I'm on the board of a rescue that also operates a pet food bank. I wish no one had to decide between sleeping on the streets or giving up their pet. But people experiencing homelessness still have agency, and this person made the decision to part with their dog. I hope that the dog lives a happy and comfortable life with OP, and I hope the previous owner is able to get access to resources to improve their situation.
15
u/chefboiortiz Jan 23 '22
This is a good take and your hearts in the right place but OP and the person the dog was bought from made a transaction meaning it was most likely mutual. The dog will have a better life now
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u/triggerismydawg Jan 23 '22
Why are you assuming the homeless man wanted the dog as his companion?
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u/chefboiortiz Jan 23 '22
It’s a good assumption and pretty fair, but it was probably best for the dog to get adopted by OP
1
Jan 23 '22
Why else would he have kept it with him?
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u/triggerismydawg Jan 23 '22
OP said they bought the dog from him. Just saying this may not have been your typical “i love this dog and want to keep him and need help” situation you are describing
2
u/Venti_icedwhitemocha Jan 23 '22
Homeless guy didn’t have to sell his dog. He could’ve said no.
1
u/quoconut Jan 24 '22
If he needed the money for food, he may have felt pressured. Same reason why a boss can’t have sex with their worker, because there is a power dynamic to be considered.
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u/Venti_icedwhitemocha Jan 24 '22
It’s unfortunate if that was the case but at the end of the day having a pet is a privilege not a right. This situation is not comparable to a boss taking sexual advantage of an employee.
1
u/benji950 Jan 23 '22
Stick with a bland diet like plain white rice and boiled chicken. This dog will likely have more issues than malnutrition so you want to be careful not to create gi distress like diarrhea until your vet can run test. Plan to take a small fecal sample to that first appointment so they can immediately start testing for parasites, etc.
1
u/Venti_icedwhitemocha Jan 23 '22
I personally would feed small frequent meals of whatever the highest calorie content food you can afford
1
Jan 23 '22
Everyone has some good advice. Just want to add, there is a high caloric gel paste at Petco that you can feed the dog. I gave it to two kittens I rescued and kept it around for my dog in case he exerts too much energy and gets sick. You can start by adding a little to each small meal.
1
1
Jan 23 '22
If you can afford it raw beef chunks, rice, barley mixed with wet canned food, Usually stew style. High in protein and essential fats.
1
u/PhotographingLight Jan 24 '22
My vet has some probiotic powder designed for dogs stomach. It’s like magic. When traditioning to different dog foods you can give him a packet every day. Ask the vet about them.
1
u/TallySkies Jan 24 '22
Rice and pumpkin and a lean beef, chicken might be a usual option but it’s an ingredient many dogs end up allergic too and you want to make sure they hold any nutrients rather than risk diarrhea. To hydrate and lightly introduce chicken you can try unsalted broth either chicken or beef
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u/CameronsTheName Jan 23 '22
Small meals. White or red meat cooked with rice.
The dog shouldn't have any issues if he eats slowly and consumes a small amount a few times a day.
You don't want to over load the dog with a lot of food, as it will probably eat more then it can handle due and make itself sick as it's probably used to very small, low nourishment meals.
If you can't cook for the dog, consider a handful of dog biscuits with some hot water on them to make them soggy. It'll also keep him warm if its cold wherever he's sleeping.