Kannon is 9 months old TODAY and he is still thin, i expected him to start filling out more by now! He is on Hills I/d for his boxer colitis, but hes always hungry. Even after i feed him! I was wondering if this was a normal thing?

He eats 2 cups and 1/2 can wet food 2x a day. Then at about 8 i feed him again 1 cup dry food. He eats WAY more than peyton and is still so thin. Any ideas?

Thanks

With his condition can you supplement his diet with raw food or homecooked food? I don't know much about Hill's products other than that is what vets always promote since that is what they sell at their clinics.

I also really think that Boxers go through a "lanky" stage at this age. I had a foster (Roxie and her bum leg) who was 12 months old, and skinny skinny skinny.

Hills is promoted by vet clinics, what is the ID formula for? Normally if a vet perscribes a food, I look for one I like more that meets the same criteria.

Also - I am not sure but there is a recipe out there for Satin Balls some where. It is very rich, but it does help put weight on dogs.

Also- my dogs always seem hungry too. I wouldn't worry about that so much.

Good luck!


PS: I am really proud of you and all the work you have done with your dogs! Working rescue, I know a lot of people who would have given up by now. Props to you and BF for sticking this out and doing what is best for your pups!

Nedra is on Hill's I/D Allergin Free now, as this is the ONLY food that she can tolerate. We've burned through 7 different protein sources that she now cannot tolerate and this is the only thing that we've found has worked for her.

My take? If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it. It sounds like he's doing great on the Hill's food, and because of your pup's outstanding health issues, I would be hesitant to change anything or add anything to his food. Sounds like he's finally gaining weight for you and maintaining a solid stool which is great. I know that you've walked a long road with him and I'd hate to see you have to take a step back where his health is concerned.

Satin balls are about the last thing that I would try for a dog with Colitis and/or IBD. Colitis, IBD and food intolerance is a protein problem. Loading up on proteins with a dog that has protein sensitivities is not a good idea.

Granted, I strongly recommend *against* Hill's products for generally healthy dogs, but I also feel that you have run the gamut with your sick dog and that you should now continue on with what is working for him.

I agree with the others that he's still a pup. That he is gaining is a good thing. Just stay your course and keep at it. About the only thing that I would consider is to add a digestive enzyme and probiotic supplement to his food. I give Nedra a heaping teaspoon of Nature's Farmacy DogZymes Digestive Enhancer in powder form at each meal ( http://www.naturesfarmacy.com/DOGzyme.htm ). It takes some of the stress off of her Pancreas and promotes the growth of good bacterias that aid in digestion in the colon. I also add a quarter tsp to Mia's food, as I believe in supplementing this in times of stress, growth and during courses of antibiotics.

Good luck! It sounds like you're on the right track!

thanks for being so helpful, i will just try not to overfeed him when he pouts, since i know that can be just as bad for him! I will look into those supplements as well.

Yes, definitely do not over feed him. I was accidentally overfeeding Nedra at one point, and she got loose stools again. Make sure to stick with what it says to feed on the back of the bag. Since he's a puppy, you will have to guestimate what he will weigh as an adult and adjust his food intake accordingly.

Oh, I also wanted to tell you to split his meals into three separate smaller meals over the course of the day. This is another thing that has really helped Nedra.

We feed:
Once at 7:30AM
Again at 5:30PM
and Again at 9:00PM

She's getting about a cup and a half at each meal, but she's big girl (76lbs).

Good luck!

Thanks!

I wasn't sure what irritates IBD or not. It is always nice to learn things!

I have no experience of IBD or Colitis so can't help here, but when Monty was experiencing skin problems the choices were Hills or Royal Canin prescriptions for allergies (can't quite remember the specifics - Ultra something!), the vet explained how they worked etc and left me to choose, I chose the Royal Canin purely on the food grade ingredients, it also didn't seem as greasy as the Hills. Not sure if this helps but I guess if he's eating the Hills it's probably best to stay with it.
I'd say try not to worry too much, young lanky boxers are pretty normal in my experience, all that energy and bounce! Monty is now 21 months and has just started to fill out over the past month.
Good luck with Kannon

I feed Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach. My boss recommended either that or I/D (intestinal diet) for him. He told me to try sensitive stomach first since it is cheaper because it is not a "prescription" diet. The results have been amazing. I have been feeding it for awhile. Kato was once lanky, bad gas, lots of goobies, and lots of loose stool. He now looks great. He put on 10 pounds in probably 6 months. Family members who live away from here who haven't seen him for months just can't get over how "huge" he is (in their words). He also has a very slick shiny coat. Unless something changes I swear by this product and will never change his food. Unthinking I bought some "cheaper" food to mix. Duh! I work at a vet's and I should know that I should not do that. What is the point of him being on sensitive stomach if I mix food? He had such bad gas that I immediately stopped feeding it.

I don't have the phone number on me right now but your vet office should have it. They have a number for feedin recommendation where you talk to the vets at science diet and explain your problem. The vet should also have a book that explains in detail all the science diet food's and what they are used for. It is very informative. Good luck!

ps Kato didn't fill out until he was over 2 1/2 years old.

There really isn't a whole lot known about IBD right now. Most conventional vets only treat the symptoms, so the actual root cause isn't fully or totally known by many people. Through my experiences with the disease, however, (and the experiences of a few fosters that have come through our rescue program) the dog responds much better to diets that contain a novel protein that has never been eaten before, and diets that are low in protein. Over feeding is almost always a good way to spark a case of the runs with any of these dogs as well.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_infla...el_disease.html



http://www.belfield.com/article1.html



I followed some of this vet's protocol (in combination with another vet's protocol - Dr. Plechner) when treating Nedra's problems. It turned out with her that her Adrenal glands were shot, which were the underlying cause of all of her problems.

Hope this helps!