Hello,

My wife and I have just rescued a dog ( German Shepherd ) from the RSPCA kennels, which they only had in a couple of days.  She is thin and doesn't seem to be eating as much as we thought she would after being a stray  (for how many days we don't know).  She is about 2 years old and seems to have had pups perhaps too earlygoing by her saggy belly, which we hope will fill out as she puts on weight.  The kennel staff told us to feed he dried food only consisting of chicken and rice which we do but she isn't too keen on it.  Does anyone know if it would be ok to mix in some tinned meat food to add some interest to make her eat more?

She has a wonderful temperament and the last thing we want to do is cause her any harm by trying to help her eat as she doesn't seem too interested in the dried food alone.

Thank you for reading this and any expert advice would be most welcomed indeed.

Hi,

Congrats on your new dog!  

I'm guessing that you were told to feed only chicken and rice because your dog may have a bit of a sensitive digestion right now.

If you want to stick to chicken and rice only you can always add some real chicken to the dry food.   You could even simmer chicken in water with vegetables (no onion, no salt) until it is tender, then break it up a bit with some of the broth and veg and add it to the dry.   Or, you can add some Naturediet Chicken & Rice to the dry.  Naturediet also have a Sensitive variety, which would most likely be fine too (although it is not just chicken and rice.)

It's been a while since I've had a GSD, but I don't remember one ever needing more than two cups of premium dry food a day. Whatever the amount was - it was probably 1/2-2/3 of the amount recommended by the manufacturer. Even though you may think you dog is not eating a lot, she may be eating enough for her.  If she is truely underweight- meaning her ribs are visible - then one of the higher kalorie premiums would be good.   Arden Grange, for example (which my Waitrose sells).  You can also try the performance range - most premium brands have one -- and they are generally higher in kalories, fats and proteins than the standard ranges.

If she recently had pups and was not well cared for she will be thin and out of condition.  Give her a good chance to settle into her new home, feed her twice a day, and don't worry too much about the quantity she is eating at each meal, and she will gradually gain weight.

Stacey

Hi - You don't mention what food you have been trying to feed. I would check your food label on the back of the bag. Don't be fooled by those foods labelled "with Chicken .." you will probably find that means only 4% chicken. If there was a reason for the rescue home advising on feeding dry complete chicken & rice you could try Burns or Oscars which are 85%+ chicken & rice based dry foods. The cost per bag is expensive but feeding rates tend to be lower. I know our local RSPCA officer uses Burns. If you need to put weight on the dog I use puppy / growth foods for dogs recovering from illness or who are very underweight. I don't mess about with adding chicken etc as I find it can lead to a fussy dog in the long term. I have several freinds with German Shepherds - most of them have found gluten free fish & potatoe dry complete foods have worked well in terms of palatability and helping with sensitive stomaches.

Congratulations on your new girl. 

When I first got my rescue girl, she was the human equivalent of anorexic.  Very food intolerant too, wouldn't eat and had chronic loose stools. But after she settled, we got her stabilized on a good performance diet, dry with a little bit of wet mixed with it; she went from strength to strength.  Both of my GSD's can be intolerant to some foods.

But I can't see any reason why you couldn't add a little bit of wet food to the dry to increase palatability.  Just a tablespoonful and mix it really well.  You can always wean her of it later if you want her eating dry only.  Nature's diet is a good food; they do a chicken & Rice or a sensitive.   Natures menu is also popular with some dogs.

Hope you have many, many happy years together and the very best of luck.

Thank you very much indeed to everyone for the advice and goodwill messages.

She has had some breakfast this morning and even after just 3 days is eating with more enthusiasm and is without a doubt a little stronger already.  She will be much loved and cared for and will not want for a single thing regarding food, love and health care.

Best regards to all that have taken the time to help us!  We have a lovely dog here!

Id try some actual, real chicken, and real rice (or mashed potato would probably work).

It could also be taht she isnt used to a large amount of food, and you may be over facing her with too much?

Em

I have rescue dogs and without fail, all have been a bit off their food in the first few days in a new home.  It's all part of the settling in process and I wouldn't worry unduly, unless her appetite doesn't pick up within a couple of weeks.

For sensitive stomachs, I swear by James Wellbeloved Duck and Rice.  You can also mix in some Naturediet to encourage her to eat it.  Both are very good foods IMO.  Naturediet is better than excellent - I have a 15 yo Yorkie who was in a bit of state when I rehomed her, she will not touch dry food and feeding Naturediet only has seen the years drop away from her.  Unfortunately, feeding only Naturediet to a GSD would probably be rather expensive!  My other two dogs are feed on JWB with a small amount of Naturediet.

Good luck with your girl.  It sounds as if she has fallen on her paws!

Thanks again to everyone for helping us.  She is now eating well and by the looks of it disposing of waste healthily,  plus her coat is looking a little better and she is without a doubt getting stronger!  It's so nice to know there are lots of animal caring people out there!

Now it's getting her introduced to our 2 cats safely!  All good fun!

Best regards to everyone!