Well, Harley is recovering

So, Harley got spayed on Friday. Ahh, the sigh of relief.

She was very sick the whole day after. She was throwing up and crosseyed. (poor thing). the vets were worried about her because I told them how mcuh weight she had lost and she wouldn't eat.

I ended up boiling a HUGE chicken breast for her, and she willingly wolfed it down. She has been pretty good with her stitches, and has only gone at them once to try and clean the area.

She was still bleeding (what I think is quite abit) afterwards. Because she was puking and heaving, it seemed to pull at her stitches and start the bleeding again. She was much better this morning and even picked up her ball to play.

My question is why such a huge weight loss!? Seriously, when she stands, you can see her spine, every vertabrate, and each rib is perfectly defined. Its almost embarrassing! It looks liek she hasn't eaten in weeks! She seems a little more "meaty" today, but not much.

Is this common?
Any good recipes for some quick weight gain are welcome. Please.

 

Well I am glad to hear she is doing good.
This recipe from the holistic dog website is great for putting on weight.
I used it for a punkin when she had parvo she began to gain her weight back in a matter of days.
http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/nutrition.html
10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
1 lg. box of Total cereal [or comparable natural brand]
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil
1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs
10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.

Divide into 10 quart freezer bags and freeze.

Thaw as needed.

Uses

I take a frozen pack to dogs shows with me, kept on ice, and never have had any trouble with it spoiling, even in the heat of Texas summers...

All my dogs go crazy over this stuff...but you have to be careful, it will put wt on the dogs pretty fast if you feed enough....I feed a pack a day...half in am , half in pm.

When I want to increase the weight on a dog, I feed more; so far I haven't got to the point where they won't eat anymore, and believe me, Satin has eaten a lot at one setting. It will put on the weight, make the coats soft and blue black (on black dogs at least, that's all I have).

The dogs stop all the itching and chewing at their coats/skin, their eyes get this bright look and the energy level goes out the roof(not that Belgians need any more energy).

The bitch that I got this recipe for is a picky eater, but when this in on the food(I long ago stopped trying to "bury" it the other food; they just hunt it down to eat first, and making a mess trying) she eats much better. It seems to whet her appetite.

Comments

Per the information received after having the Satin Balls recipe checked by several vets/labs:

Satin Balls is a total canine diet. It can be feed by itself or as a supplement, for however long you wish. My dogs have been on Satin Balls for over a year; the only time that I have fed it alone is when I had a sick dog needing to be built up or an underweight dog that I plan on showing.

The only problem with feeding it by itself is figuring out the amount. It will put weight on a dog in a few days...that's why it is so great to feed just before a show. If you have a dog that is in good weight, but you just want to build coat/endurance, you would have to figure out how much to feed (cal per kg), or you would end up with a fat dog in a very short time. At one point, I let Satin eat as much as she wanted, just to see how much she would consume. I never got to that point! After a pound pack, she was still looking for more, so I stopped. I have been told a dog will stop eating when full on it, and that you can then gauge the amount needed to maintain weight!

I just fine that per the pocketbook and ease, my dogs do very well on it as a supplement. I give about a 1/4 pound each night to maintain beautiful coats, energy level, and a full appetite...no picky eaters here.

Just don't try to hide it in the kibble...they will make a mess throwing out the kibble, digging for the Satin Balls! My dogs have never gotten sick on Satin balls...not even when I am at a show and feed only that. I feed less kibble, so I saves money there. There is also less stool to pick up as the dogs are able to digest all of the Satin Balls.

I have been playing with the recipe. I now use the Knox Joint Gelatin instead of the plain Knox unflavored gelatin. Since this is high in vit C and protein, and is good for the joints, it would be good for the dogs. They don't seem to mind the added flavor.

I am also adding Flaxseed oil. They probably don't need the added oil, but so far I have not seen it hurt anything.

Fix some up and let your dogs enjoy. They will love you forever.

 

Thanks Gina.
she could definately stand to gain a good 10 pounds.

 

Poor Harley. Sounds like she really had a bad time at it. I'm glad she's feeling better. Grace went through her spay like no big deal. The next day I even had to settle her down some what so she wouldn't break anything open. It was a little incision. She didn't even notice it enough to even lick it. As far as gaining weight, GinaH has what looks like a pretty good receipe. Harley will love all the extra attention. Sounds like she really deserves it. GET WELL SOON, HARLEY!!

 

Oh no!!

So sorry to hear that Harley wasnt doing so well. Hope she is feeling better now!! Buffy looked pretty bad for a day and a half she couldnt even keep water down and I was worried that she would get dehydrated!! Luckily Friday night she started eating a little again and is now back to her old self. Did Harley have surgery with a scalpel or with a laser? We had laser surgery with Buffy because the vet said that there would be less pain, swelling and bleeding. I hope that Harley's weight is up soon (I gave Buffy some baby food when she could eat and she kept that down great). Keep us posted and I will keep her in my prayers!!!

 

Thanks mamabear. Glad to hear Buffy is good too. :lol:

I believe she had scalpel. She has not had any swelling to the area and this morning she was pretty hyper. She was happy mommy got to stay home longer this morning because like a dumb ass I locked my keys in my car while it was running, so I had to call a locksmith. ARGH! $40 down the tubes.
In case you're wondering why I had to let my car run, I have not had the pleasure of Spring yet, and it snowed another 2 inches last night.

Anyways, thanks to you all for calming my fears. She is doing very well.

 

Poor you! I bet you are sick to death of snow! It has been 85 here.
So how is Harley doing?

 

give harley some hugs n kisses. and keep those chicken breasts up! that recipe gina put up sounds good! cheap hamburger mince is pretty fatty so that is sure to put on the kilos.

 

Harley is doing great! The first couple of days were iffy but now she just wants to play, only in moderation for now.

She is so good, she has not once gone for her stitches, just cleans around them.

Gina, feel like fostering me and Harley until it warms up? :lol: :lol:

 

Im so glad Harley is doing better. I know it is a relief to have that over with.

 

Glad to hear Harley is feeling better!!!

:mrgreen:
Give your doggie a big hug and kiss for me!
I am glad she is feeling better.
Gina, Great recipe ! I am going to use it for a shepherd I am nursing back to health.
PS I have a new american pit bull terrier. Her name is Daisy May
She is my shelter rescue.
She has been in a shelter since January. I could not leave her there any longer.
She is wonderful
I miss all my friends on this board. Never enough time lately!!!
Susan

 

Susan!!
So you ARE alive! hehe
I was beginning to wonder what happened to you. Glad you have a new member of your family.

Feel free to post pics at any time. :mrgreen: