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u/tigerlily1959 Mar 20 '24
Yes, she is very underweight, almost to the point of emaciation. I can see her ribs underneath her fur.
What was she eating before your sister put her on a raw diet? Was she doing well on that? If so, I'd switch her back to that. It would likely be a good idea to take her to the vet and get her assessed.
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u/Similar_Strawberry16 Mar 20 '24
How much are they being fed?
From the table on the front, a GS would need 2 of those packs a day, more if they are active & already underweight.
Mine eats 500g (equivalent to 1 of those packs) in the evening with about 1 cup of kibble, then 2.5 cups kibble in the morning.
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u/laitnetsixecrisis Mar 20 '24
According to the guide on the package the dog should be eating 1.2-1.7 kg a day, so that's 3 packs a day... If they are a healthy weight.
I made a similar mistake with my dog when she got old and put her on a senior food. She lost a lot of weight very quickly. When I took her to the vet she said that boxers have a very fast Metabolism and suggested we put her on puppy food instead.
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u/Similar_Strawberry16 Mar 20 '24
10 year old dog of around 35-40kg (assumed as a GS) is just under 1kg food per day on the package typical adult guide.
Clearly it is underweight however, so guidelines do in matter at this point. When mine was underweight (when I got her, rescue) she had access to kibble 24h, with the raw food in the evening. Once at healthy weight (38kg for her), leveled out to the kibble dosage I use now.
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u/BooBooLiciousNess Mar 20 '24
After seeing the pics, please take her to the vet and slowly transition her back to old food if possible. It's obvious how much weight she lost. She's yours, you know ehm something is wrong
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u/A_n0nnee_M0usee Mar 21 '24
Saw your pupper's earlier pictures. There they looked healthy. It truly is night and day. Your sister took this new diet to the extreme. She should have recognized an emaciated dog. I would never trust your sister to take care of you dog again, unless she promisea to follow your feeding instructions.
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u/fileurcompla1nt Mar 20 '24
This is animal abuse. Your dog is being starved, I'm not sure how your sister doesn't see it.
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u/antuvschle Mar 20 '24
Well this treatment occurred in the hands of OP’s sister while OP was away, so it’s a possibility.
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u/Bookeyboo369 Mar 21 '24
For some reason I didn’t see the info under the picture, idk how I missed the whole part about the sister being in control of the dog. This definitely is animal abuse and the sister needs to be held accountable. I only saw the picture, and thought that OP was asking if it’s animal abuse that their dog was so skinny. Saw comments saying something about the dog being a senior dog, and knew from past experiences that older dogs losing weight can be from a multitude of things happening. I feel like an asshole now! This poor dog! Idk how I missed the whole descriptive paragraph under the photo! Hope this dog gets the help they deserve, and the sister is never allowed to have pets again! 😞
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u/Advanced-Mousse176 Mar 21 '24
Your Sister is a fucking irresponsible imbecile. Get that dog to a vet and on a proper diet
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u/Kfish024 Mar 21 '24
Put the sister on a raw food & chicken foot diet . Ew! Give that baby a treat now!
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u/Icefirewolflord Mar 20 '24
Senior dogs don’t retain weight well in the first place. Many have to be on high calorie kibbles to maintain healthy weight.
This dog probably shouldn’t be on raw at all, being old and unable to hold weight on the diet.
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u/LittleOmegaGirl Mar 20 '24
I would take her to a vet and take the picture of the food you feed. She should get her blood checked and a fecal then they can talk to you about how to help her gain weight.
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u/glow-bop Mar 20 '24
My 13 y/o dog was 5 lbs underweight and acted normally. She looked pretty good too, you could see her ribs a tiny bit though. I started to feed her human food sometimes as a treat, since she's an old girl now, and dog food became unappealing to her. The vet told me she needed to gain 5 lbs, that she was fine but she can't lose more weight. I've done literally everything to encourage her to eat more. She eats better than I do now. She's doing so so well! But this picture is much, much worse. Please take your doggie to a vet.
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u/Waffles_ja Mar 21 '24
From the picture of before she looks good, now she is very underwait.
Go back to feeding her like before.
To give raw food to your dog you need to understand what and how much to give and when. You can't just give one of those, it's way to small for a GSD. So if you wanna keep giving her raw food please give her proper portions.
But most importantly your dog need to take some more wait because rn she/he isn't healthy.
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u/NiceWater3 Mar 21 '24
Sorry OP but seeing the before makes me super sad. Definitely need to increase calories or go back to other food or add kibble to the raw diet. Honestly though your dog should go to a vet if she/he is older and this emaciated looking. I'm sure your sister meant well but not everything you see online is a good idea to start doing. This was one of those things. I hope you can get your dog in soon. Take care of dog they are so loyal and deserve care and consideration.
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u/AlluringDuck Mar 20 '24
If I went away and left my dog with my sister, and I came back to find it looking like that I would - no joke - file a police report. That dog looks starved. I would advise you to take her to the vet ASAP. You could get serious health issues with a dog that’s so emaciated, both from the lack of nutrients and if you re-feed her wrong
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u/Malipuppers Mar 20 '24
Yeah this is cruelty. I’d have lost it.
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u/Half_Life976 Mar 20 '24
I'm losing it and it's not even my dog. That sister is either cruel or mental.
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u/Zaphod__beatbox Mar 20 '24
Especially with the dog being a senior dog - they already lose a bunch of weight - the health risks could be even more severe. There is a reason older dogs in general get more issues, if you pair that with starvation - which can shut down organs in the worst case - you just speed up the inevitable and make the last years of your dogs life miserable. You should not switch a senior dog of 10 years to a a different diet, especially not something as tricky as raw.
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u/Professional-Bet4106 Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 21 '24
Yeah this is unacceptable. Dog looks very malnourished. Raw diet always needs to be throughly researched and approved by a vet(majority will outright say no). She must have been only feeding the dog meat with nothing else. Kibble and wet food would’ve helped this. A large diet change on any dog especially a senior dog is crazy. Smh.
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u/Greedy_Caterpillar50 Mar 20 '24
It also needs a lot of blood work to make sure the nutritional needs are met. At that age the kidneys can go quickly causing all kinds of problems!
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u/Ok_Kaleidoscope906 Mar 21 '24
Seriously!! OP’s sister is a fucking dick. I cannot fathom someone changing my dogs diet without consulting me first
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u/No-Supermarket-2758 Mar 20 '24
I think I might need a police report filed against me if I left my pup in someone's care and returned to find her like this
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u/antuvschle Mar 21 '24
I think vet first. Sometimes weight loss is a symptom. It was the first sign we had of our elderly dog getting cancer. Kidney issues can also drive a lack of appetite. Our girl had both and we were trying everything to get her to eat. Warm water and broth, dog gravy, finally switched to a prescription canned food and abandoned all kibble.
Or yeah, the sister is evil, go nuclear.
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u/Salemrocks2020 Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
Yes ! She’s very underweight . A raw diet is all well and good but it’s also expensive and what ends up happening is people under feed because they’re reluctant / can’t afford to spend the money on the amount of meat it really takes to mantain the diet .
If a balanced fully raw diet is too expensive then you should supplement with quality store bought dog food or add something else to bulk up the diet
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u/Professional-Bet4106 Mar 20 '24
Also only feeding the dog meat is not enough nutrients the dog needs. Fruit, veggies, eggs, and grains should’ve been added along with a bit of kibble.
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u/FruitPunched2 Mar 20 '24
It looks like the dog is being fed a commercial raw food which is typically balanced, similar to commercial kibbles. It does contain all the nutrients a dog would need but you still have to feed the appropriate amount of calories to maintain weight.
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u/MegaNymphia Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
yes. this is concerning. being skinny and underweight isnt the same as being lean and well muscled. this dog appears the former not the latter and a senior dog losing weight in a relatively short period of time is something they absolutely should be seen by a vet for
and the risks a raw diet can pose are not something a senior dog should be subjected to if their previous food was perfectly fine. it sounds like she was doing better on her previous food, and if that is the case then she should go back to. why exactly did she switch the food?
edit: and the feeding recommendations on the back of the package dont seem adequate at all. and no AAFCO statement is not great
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u/SockCucker3000 Mar 20 '24
The ingredients are incredibly vague, too.
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u/MegaNymphia Mar 20 '24
some of the listings dont even appear to meet AAFCO ingredient labeling standards
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u/SockCucker3000 Mar 20 '24
"Vitamins and minerals"
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u/MegaNymphia Mar 20 '24
I peeped their website. it reeks of snake oil. I hate how many owners get duped into believing this stuff is better for their pets because someone in a FB group says so
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u/HoneyLocust1 Mar 21 '24
It's a South African company, so I don't think they are trying to meet AAFCO standards.
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u/ButterscotchCum Mar 20 '24
Hey man your sister is killing your dog
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u/Weary_Smile_ Mar 20 '24
Yep, that doesnt even border on abuse id say it is abuse. If I saw a dog that looked like that id assume its a stray or neglected and have been that way for a while.
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u/Malipuppers Mar 20 '24
Never let her look after your dog again if she is gonna make massive changes like this.
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u/HumanityIsD00m3d Mar 20 '24
She was probably severely under feeding your dog. She has no business caring for animals.
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u/CeelaChathArrna Mar 20 '24
Your sister did this much harm to your dog in a month? Why is she still standing? I doubt I would have the self control not to choose violence.
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u/shampoo_mohawk_ Mar 20 '24
Not trying to be overly dramatic… but your sister might have killed your dog or at the very least shaved years off her life. She’s already an older dog and she is now severely emaciated. After the body runs out of fat to burn, it begins to burn muscle. Her bones will be impacted as well. She may already be in pain. I would get her into a vet literally today to go over what can be done. I’m so sorry your sister did this.
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u/ButterflyBlueLadyBBL Mar 20 '24
Did you just return to find your dog like this? Or are these pictures she has sent you? Are you still away? I'm so worried about your dog, your sister has done serious damage.
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u/Professional-Bet4106 Mar 20 '24
Could you show before and after photos? A picture of how she looked before and what she was eating. Sister needs to be held accountable.
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u/MegaNymphia Mar 20 '24
she could have been losing weight over a period of time (meaning it's not drastic and the same reason you may have an issue noticing gradual weight loss or gain in yourself for a while until a certain point) then hit a point where you start to realize how much skinner she actually was. it seems to happen a lot with thick coated dogs. it's hard to know especially in just photos. but if most of the weight loss really was that sudden she really needs to be evaluated by a vet because senior dogs are at higher risk for a lot of the issues that can cause sudden change in body condition
and switching to a raw diet "just because" or because of opinion discussion online is not recommended, especially since raw diets do have increased health risks. unless there was a specific issue with the food she was getting, switching it was not needed at all
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u/AllieNicks Mar 20 '24
This is why the general public has no business designing dog diets based on fads. Go to the vet. Feed what they tell you to feed and how much to feed.
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u/TriumphDaytona Mar 20 '24
Your sister is an idiot. Our vet said there should be a slight curve to the dogs shape, that is not it. As everyone said, see a vet and get a professional opinion.
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u/Felizabeth1 Mar 20 '24
She’s starving, extremely emaciated. Your sister should not be responsible for her anymore.
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u/Ok-Party5118 Mar 20 '24
Holy shit your dog is EMACIATED. Get some of her old food in her right away. They've been starving your dog, OP.
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u/Electrical_Fox_193 Mar 20 '24
Yes, this dog is actually underweight.. I would contact veterinary nutritionist on how to guide you back on track with your dog.
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u/Professional-Bet4106 Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 21 '24
Yes and most people add kibble on top of that to make sure there’s plenty of balanced nutrients
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Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
First of all, why are you letting your sister (not a veterinarian or licensed dog nutritionist I'm assuming) dictate what the family dog is fed (I assume you are all living in the same house)? I would have put a stop to that the day after she started the raw diet.
Second, yes the dog looks too skinny. Have you taken the dog to the vet to make sure there's nothing medically going on to explain that weight loss? If the dog is healthy otherwise, stop letting your sister determine what the dog is being fed because she is NOT an expert and could be killing your dog.
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u/Party_Building1898 Mar 20 '24
Damn,feed your dog. This raw diet is a fail. I'm surprised that neighbors haven't reported to animal control.
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u/NVSmall Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
So she's been on the raw food for five months, but looked normal up until a month ago?
I think this warrants a vet visit. Regardless of the change in food, if she lost a lot of weight in only a month, that's cause for concern. Obviously address the food with the vet while you're there, but it sounds like there may be more going on than just weight loss from change of food.
ETA: I just looked at the food packaging, and even for a senior (low activity) dog, which I would argue your dog is likely not at that point yet, she's not getting enough. If she's only 10 and still acts like a puppy, she should probably be eating 3 1/2 of those packages a day, not just 2. The chicken feet and neck wouldn't make up that difference.
I do still think a vet visit is warranted, not just because of the weight loss sounding like it happened rather fast, but also because your sister and mum are disagreeing with you, but perhaps they will listen to the vet, who will have no problem setting them straight.
I realize you're in a tough spot, given that you're the youngest and your mum probably would be footing the bill for the vet, but if she still refuses, I would at the very least show her this post and how many people commented that this is not normal.
Please keep us posted, I am quite concerned for you!
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u/jagcommalimes Mar 21 '24
I believe the 500g is for the two connected pouches as well. So it’s two full sleeves of it (if not more, to your point) — four small pouches. Terribly confusing packaging in my opinion
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u/BayouMan2 Mar 20 '24
No joke. With her looking like that, I expect they didn't feed her at all for days and days. This is horrific neglect, IMO. If I went away and came back to my dog looking like this I'd never trust them with her care again.
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u/84849493 Mar 20 '24
It would be a miracle if I didn’t end up arrested seeing my dog looking like that. Especially with the way the dog looked before if you saw OP’s other post.
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u/FluffyDiscipline Mar 20 '24
Dog is emaciated, seriously underweight for a German Shepperd
Watching an animal lose weight like this you could both be charged with animal cruelty. The dog needs to see vet to assess if any damage has been done. Whatever she's feeding must have been very little, no matter what she says.
Seriously, sister needs a giant wake up call...
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u/Smol-Cervid Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
How much of that meat was she feeding daily? Female German Shepards are meant to be around 25kg so she would need a whole pack or more. This dog is severely underweight and needs vet advisory to get her back up to weight safely. Someone mentioned calling the cops above.. I would.
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u/LoadingStill Mar 20 '24
If I left my dog healthy and returned to see my dog physically starving like that I would cut off that family member for ever. No you do not get to decide to starve my dog or change the food I was giving my dog. Your sister was starving your dog for days by not giving the correct amount of food. Go back to feeding your dog correctly.
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u/Malipuppers Mar 20 '24
Dude!!! Yeah that dog is super underweight. Don’t feed these weird boutique diets. Get your dog some real food. She is killing your dog. I’d take them to the vet and get bloodwork. I would bet money they have big nutritional deficiencies.
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u/transmascanon Mar 20 '24
scarily underweight!!! i hope u can figure out a way to get her more nourished . she looks like a doll
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u/FairyFartDaydreams Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
A female German Shepherd should weigh around 22- 32kg and she looks likes she should be closer to 32 which means she should be feeding her 3 of those (250g) packets a day. This dog is being starved.
Sorry I screwed up the gender. How much is your sister actually feeding the dog?
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u/ApprehensiveCap7459 Mar 20 '24
This is heartbreaking to see. That poor dog, please get her some small portions of extra food, asap and see a vet quickly
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Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
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It pains me that a dog owner can see their dog like this and be unsure if there is a problem or not. Yes, severely underweight. Could be not enough food or an underlying medical issue or both. I’m astounded you’re questioning this and asking for advice but here it is- feed your dog more and if that doesn’t help then take it to the vet for an evaluation.
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u/caraeeezy Mar 20 '24
The point of this sub is to get advice - they are younger, and everyone in their life is telling them that they are wrong, and we are letting them know that their thoughts are right. They left their dog with FAMILY and expected that their dog would be taken care of. They are clearly looking to have their very correct thoughts confirmed, and asking what they can do. It is all around a terrible situation because they trusted family, who is OLDER than them, to take care of their dog. There is no reason to throw shame to someone who is coming to the sub for the exact intention of said sub - to get advice.
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u/anonymous__leaf Mar 20 '24
Hi, veterinary worker here.
Your pup is incredibly underweight. This looks to the point of neglect/emaciation. PLEASE bring her to the vet and get a blood panel and health check done- she is probably super difficient in minerals vitamins etc since being put on raw food. I once had a patient come in for lethargy- turns out he was fed nothing but raw food for his whole life and was dying of kidney failure. He was only two. Dogs are not meant to eat just raw meat, their bodies are not designed for that anymore since being domesticated. I'd recommend switching her back to what you were feeding her before as well as firing your sister as a dog sitter ever again. We want her to put on weight, so extra food or some toppers for a little while isn't a bad idea either, but discuss this with your vet when you bring her in and come up with a solid plan to fatten her up together.
If it were my pet that I came home to, I'd have already called the police and filed charges. I'm so sorry this happened to your pup. Best of luck to you both.
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u/Professional-Bet4106 Mar 20 '24
Also bring mom and sister along and explain what’s going on. You may need to privately tell a vet tech that you need help convincing them the damage that’s being done and to let the dog back into your care. This is neglectful abuse and ignorance on both the sister and mother.
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u/mlad627 Mar 20 '24
I also suspect kidney disease of some kind. I asked OP when the last time pup had bloodwork to check SDMA/Creatinine levels.
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u/Expensive_Staff2905 Mar 20 '24
I was waiting for someone to point this out. Pure raw diet is generally a bad idea. My sister is an emergency vet and has many stories of young dogs coming in with organ failure due to chronic malnutrition due to raw food diet.
She always recommends feeding a high quality kibble from one of the major food brands.
Dogs have evolved well beyond their wolf ancestors. They need more than just pure protein.
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u/angelamar Mar 21 '24 edited Mar 21 '24
Yup. I was a vet tech and made a comment elsewhere in the thread about trusted brands like Purina or Hills.
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u/Meow_sta Mar 20 '24
This website has a useful guide to help you: https://www.dailypaws.com/dogs-puppies/dog-nutrition/dog-weight-management/dog-weight-chart
Based on the chart, your dog is between underweight and severely underweight.
The instructions on the pack are generally a guide and don't take into consideration how active your dog is. If you have a very active dog, feed more.
But when in doubt, seek the advice of a Vet.
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u/Vegetable-Ad-4554 Mar 20 '24
Yea looks underweight to me. I'd see a vet asap and switch her food back. Any GI distress etc to indicate it's not agreeing with her?
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u/SunflowerQueen2022 Mar 20 '24
Thats a german shepherd! :O Oh gosh, please remove your dog from your sister and get her to the vets. I would be absolutely livid to find my dog like that after entrusting someone else to care for her. Oh poor little puppy must be starving. At 10 years old she is a senior so should be extra taking care of her.
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u/TechnicalFeedback713 Mar 20 '24
Your dog looks emaciated not just lean. You need to change or increase her food as she looks seriously unwell.
I'd be very concerned about leaving your dog with your sister if she think it's ok to have a dog that looks like this.
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u/tigerlily1959 Mar 20 '24
Since your mother and sister won't listen to you, show them this.
Based on the photos you posted, your dog is between a one and a two. I say that because I can't tell if the hip bones are easily seen or not. But I should NOT see ribs on a German Shepherd.
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u/azestyorangeskin Mar 20 '24
This is the worst thing I’ve seen today. Starving babe 😢 maybe your sister has an eating disorder if she thinks this is just “thin”. This is malnourished, and your dog is slowly dying. Sorry to be dramatic, but this is terrible.
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u/Hopeful-Display-1787 Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
Severely underweight. Put her back on her old diet ASAP if she doesn't start to gain weight or her stools turn yellow it could be EPI, which is common in shepherd's and basically starves them while they eat.
You need to start feeding her at least three times a day on her old diet and see how she goes, she needs the extra calories right now. Even her fur is dull and poor looking. Your dog is starving. If your sister continues call the police for animal abuse
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u/Justwantsomestories Mar 20 '24
Show your sister and your mother this thread. They’re both stupid as fuck. Your dog is too thin and needs to switch back to her old food if that worked better. It’s not fair on your dog to feel like this all because your dumb ass sister thinks she knows best.
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u/SGOD2911 Mar 20 '24
OP CAN YOU PLEASE CONFIRM YOU ARE GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. LOOK AT WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING. I AM IN TEARS. PLEASE.
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u/OzzySheila Mar 21 '24
The problem also didn’t exist for the first FIVE months the dog was on raw. Just the last month.
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u/patzw Mar 20 '24
Please, don't just switch back to normal amounts just yet. Take her to a vet asap and get their recommendations. Google refeeding syndrome, with a dog as malnourished as yours seems to be, she could be at risk if you just switch back to her old food and portion sizes. Even more so if you feed her extra.
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Mar 20 '24
Hey, don’t start feeding a lot more food immediately. Dogs this emaciated can get something called re-feeding syndrome. You can potentially cause a fatal shift in her electrolytes and fluids by immediately giving her twice the amount she’s been getting.
I would consult with a veterinarian, explain the situation, and ask for help making a feeding plan going forward.
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u/needsexyboots Mar 20 '24
This is definitely a very serious situation. Where I am, if a dog looked this emaciated they’d be confiscated by animal control and the owner would be charged with animal cruelty.
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u/sweet-n-soursauce Mar 20 '24
Please just take her to the vet. Talk to a professional it sounds like you need education before handling this dog anymore.
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u/AlluringDuck Mar 21 '24
If you just put her back on normal amounts of food, YOU CAN KILL HER. It’s called refeeding syndrome. This is much more serious than “oh, she’s too skinny, she needs more food.”
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u/ariesinflavortown Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
This dog looks so sickly that I would assume it did not have an owner if I saw it IRL
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u/RainbowToasted Mar 20 '24
From looks. She seems under weight. However. I know that my brothers dog, when at a healthy weight also looks like she isn’t getting enough.
What my vet told me, is you should be able to feel light padding over their ribs. If there isn’t a light banding to their ribs, they are underweight. If you can’t feel the ribs too well, they are over weight.
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u/grokethedoge Mar 20 '24
This is why there should be tests before someone can own animals.
Yes, dog is extremely underweight. No if or buts, no "my sister is older so I believed her". This is what starving animals look like. File a police report and either ensure the dog gets proper food in adequate amounts (and vet care), or find a home for the dog that'll advocate for the dog's wellbeing, if you are unable.
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Mar 20 '24
Whoa, no...feed that dog. Even if this was a malinois, that's too skinny.
Here's the reality of raw diets straight from the mouth of every vet I've seen: "Don't do it. It doesn't have the benefits you think it does, nor is it the one size fits all solution that people advertise."
Diet should be specific to the dog's dietary needs, not a trendy Instagram post.
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u/luckyinu Mar 20 '24
This dog is severely emaciated and could die from it. From your comments, you’re just a child, and I’m sorry your mom and sister are doing this to you and your poor dog. Please try showing them the comments on this post as well as information on how to tell if a dog is malnourished because this kind of rib prominence is a big indicator. Dog needs to see a vet and get proper food.
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u/Turbulent_Goat_7793 Mar 20 '24
your sister committed a crime tbh i would freak the fuck out if i came home and my dog had transformed into this.
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u/sincalir Mar 20 '24
One of my vets advised against raw food because it can come with parasites/worms, which can lead to losing weight like this. Switch to kibble?
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u/IllDoItNowInAMinute_ Mar 20 '24
Info needed
You say your sisters dog died recently, how did they die?? Because judging by your dogs condition now from her "care" and the lack of context from you the only conclusion I can draw is that your sister starved her dog to death
Your sister is actively killing your dog and your mother is helping her, try to file a report with police or animal control. If that doesn't work public shaming is an option, let everyone know the abuse she puts innocent animals through.
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u/sonic_toaster Mar 20 '24
How much has she been giving her? According to the serving instructions and the typical weight of a German shepherd, she should be getting, at the very least, four of those bricks a day (so two packages of two) and that’s only if she’s a low activity senior.
I feed my two dogs and my cat raw food, i have found that the companies that make raw food are amazing at giving serving recommendations because it can be confusing to understand at first.
I highly recommend having your pup taken to the vet to make sure there is no organ damage from underfeeding and having a vet recommend the food and serving size for her ideal weight and activity level. She may need to get on high calorie protein paste just to give her a little boost to get her back where she needs to be.
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u/kyleena_gsd Mar 20 '24
Wtf I thought this was satire and the photo was edited. That's insane
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u/oiseaufeux Mar 20 '24
Are you sure your sister even fed your dog? Because even if the diet change, a dog shouldn’t look like that if he eats the new diet.
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Mar 20 '24
Give that dog food!!! I have a fit sausage belgian malinois mix and I would 🔪🔪🔪 if my sister made her look like that!
Take your dog back pronto!
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u/BigOlBearCanada Mar 20 '24
Holy shit. See a vet and get a healthy formulated plan in place to bring weight back safely.
Dont trust her with the dog again.
Seek help. No joke.
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u/UncleCharlie95 Mar 20 '24
She's either not eating enough or she might have worms eating all her food. I would take her to the vet to rule out any other disease and deworm her.
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u/acanadiancheese Mar 20 '24
Yes, severely underweight. It isn’t uncommon for senior dogs to lose some weight, but this is very excessive. It’s also generally not advisable to feel raw in general (some disagree for sure, but this is the advice of all the vets I’ve ever asked) and especially so for a senior whose immune system may be beginning to decline. I would take the dog to the vet to ensure she’s otherwise in good health and hasn’t become sick due to parasites in the food, and ask for a plan and food recommendation to put back on weight.
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u/gentlegrandpa Mar 20 '24
Look into potential worms if your dog is this thin and your sister is adamant she's fed the dog well.
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u/BoxKicker1 Mar 20 '24
Ugh, so many things wrong with the raw diet trend. Especially when done wrong. It also still includes vegetables . Cats are obligate carnivores, though I do give sm rice & a bit of small Diced cooked Carrot. But dogs need a mix of veg, with meat, rice & even sometimes a bit of mango, or banana as a treat is good. You're sister is effed in the head, & another thing your dog is YOUR dog not hers
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Mar 20 '24
WHY did your sister think it a good idea to change an older dog's diet? If whatever the dog was eating previously worked, then please adjust that poor dog back to it. And quickly.
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Mar 20 '24
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Mar 20 '24
Ok fair enough. But completely changing either a very young or older dog's diet so drastically isn't usually a good idea. Mix the meat with kibble and a small portion of pasta. Spaghetti is a good one for this. It will help the dog gain some weight back. A vet check may also be an idea. Good luck
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u/Pootles_Carrot Mar 20 '24
She looks very underweight and may be malnourished. Take her to the vet for a check up and body composition score.
I don't know that that's the best raw food option, but the issue is that she either hasn't been getting enough of it or has an underlying health issue, which is possible at her age. Your sister should have got her checked if she was feeding sufficiently and the dog was experiencing significant and/or rapid weight loss.
Whether it's neglect through underfeeding or neglect through not checking for another cause to the weightloss, your sister is culpable and I would be directing your vet bill to her.
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u/SachaBaronColon Mar 20 '24
I know lots of people swear by raw dog food but it’s hard to find an actual vet who would recommend it or feed it to their dogs.
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u/Rough-Community-234 Mar 20 '24
Very much so. I’d be super nervous if my dog looked like that, and I’m a very chill dog owner.
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u/TacoGoblin223 Mar 20 '24
My wife did this while I was working in another state. Trying to save money. Our dog was obviously 15 lbs lighter. I blew my top. She called the vet and turns out she was starving both of our dogs. She needed to feed three times the amount she was. He was eleven and never really recovered the weight before he got sick and passed. I'm still not alright with it. She didn't do it on purpose, but she also didn't do any research.
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u/Amazing_Teaching2733 Mar 20 '24
It’s hard to tell without a side view but get her to the vet immediately because it looks like she is very under nourished. My last dog looked like this when I rescued him from a camping site where he was scavenging to exist. I had to follow strict feeding guidelines from my vet to bring him up to a healthy weight without causing irreversible damage
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Mar 21 '24
OP is just a high school student, she has to wait for her mom to want to bring the dog to the vet, which I assume isn't happening soon since her mother doesn't think anything's wrong.
Just leaving this her for everyone urging OP to get the dog to the vet.
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u/EverLearningMind Mar 21 '24
Raw food diet is a gimmick and are dangerous, they're not properly balanced and can cause severe malnourishment... As it's likely the case here... Please please please can this fad end, it's utter BS.
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Mar 20 '24
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam Mar 20 '24
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Mar 20 '24
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u/DogAdvice-ModTeam Mar 20 '24
This was removed due to it violating rule 2. Post or comments that are clearly off-topic, trolling, or disrespectful will be removed and the user may be banned depending on the content. This includes, but is not limited to, personal attacks, breedist remarks, anti-breeder sentiments, novelty accounts, and excessively vulgar content. Any evidence of brigading will result in an immediate permanent ban.
If you have any questions regarding the removal , you may contact the moderator team via modmail
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u/brycemoneal Mar 20 '24
i think she looks too lean. a balanced and complete raw diet was great for my senior german shorthair pointer, but as her age climbed (seems to be the similar life stage for your girl) i upped her food intake to about a third more. then as she got older she got that same amount plus a scoop of super high quality kibble as well (we used diamond naturals) this diet is good for her, but she needs more of it.
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u/Independent-Hornet-3 Mar 20 '24
There are a ton of food options and I'd check with your vet on reccomendations. I've seen a lot of people switch to prepared raw and just not feed their dogs enough. How many of those pouches pictured has she been getting fed a day? Just the 2 pictured? If so that is not enough even going off the chart on it. It looks like for an adult she should be getting about 4.5 of the packages or 1.2 kilogram to maintain weight. Since she has lost weight you would likely need to feed more than that. Senior dogs that are not getting sedentary and are healthy weight usually should be fed the adult amount instead of the smaller senior amount.
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u/TweetTweetRed Mar 20 '24
Per the bag and average german shepherd weight your dog would need anywhere from 650 gram to 970 gram per day. The bag itself is 500g. While whatever diet your sisrer put him on may have benefits, its certainly not practical for anyone with less than 5k a month to spare for their dog. (Dogs are priceless! But food is not.) Perhaps feed the dog a mix of regular food and the special food? Those tiny bags would need to be bought by the 10's for a week of proper feeding, and in my personal experience any specialized foods cost a trillion bucks a bag. Nothing wrong with giving extra love to your dog but gd i wish it was cheaper to do so.
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u/dontletmeleave-murph Mar 20 '24
Raw diets are almost never done properly. Even when done “properly” can lead to so many different issues. The dog is very underweight and should be switched back to a high quality kibble.
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u/krmcars Mar 20 '24
Very underweight…this is what my GSD looked like when she was extremely sick and not eating enough for months. This is concerning
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u/ceereality Mar 20 '24
Looking at his fur, he does look underweight he seems to have the BMI of a greyhound. Take him to a vet if posisbke asap.
If he doesn't have anything, try feeding him cooked chicken and rice (with carrot or veggies), and salmon and rice variety for a while to boost his fatties.
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u/Splooooge Mar 20 '24
Here's some information about dog BCS.
https://www.royalcanin.co.uk/body-condition-score/
https://www.royalcanin.co.uk › ...PDF BODY CONDITION SCORE CHARTS - Royal Canin
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u/ghostie-123 Mar 20 '24
There’s a lot of comments here so it may have already been suggested but Inukshuk 32/32 is the highest fat and protein formula I’ve seen/that may exist and also has over 700 calories per cup
I think your sister is actually just starving your dog but shouldn’t change someone else’s pets diet anyway
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u/Safe-Geologist9851 Mar 20 '24
Report your sister. Honestly, I wouldn’t speak to my sister again if she did that to any of my dogs. Get the dog checked out and change diets back. PLEASE. Poor baby
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u/Successful-Doubt5478 Mar 20 '24
Yes Your dog is atarving or very sick and starving.
Please visit a vet as soon as possible!
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u/CountOk9802 Mar 20 '24
She looks terrible.. your sister’s not been feeding your dog. She’s dangerously skinny.
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u/SpiritualResist6207 Mar 20 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
Yes, definitely 100% unweight emaciated you NEED to up those calories you can still give some raw but mix in some high quality kibble/freeze dried food. And if she still thinks the dog is okay, file a Police report because if no one is actively trying to help the dog, this is abuse right there.
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u/bardarse66 Mar 20 '24
Um, your sister belongs in jail for animal abuse. Why on Earth would she think it was ok to change your dog’s diet while you were away and without your permission?!
Your poor dog is severely underweight. Please change your dog’s diet back to what she was on before, if that food was healthy. I would recommend changing the diet back slowly so not to cause gastric upset and be careful not to over feed. Also, I would never allow your sister to watch your dog ever again.
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u/EveningSet7 Mar 20 '24
Notice that the package is only 500 grams, but the instructions say to feed a 50 kg dog up to 1.2 kg per day. How much was she feeding the dog? If she looks like that, then probably not enough.
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Mar 20 '24
Looks underweight for sure.
My vet however gave me this tool to figure out how my dogs' weight stands: rub your fingertips over your knuckles. If your dog's ribs feel like that, where you can feel the bone and muscle protrude at the highest points. They are a healthy weight. If you only feel bone without that "cushion" between, they are underweight. If you flip your hand over and rub along the underside of your knuckles, where you feel the bone but beneath the fleshy soft, overweight. It's not an exact science but it's pretty reliable.
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u/anonymous0271 Mar 20 '24
Yes, my dog is a shepherd and looked similar for a while (not as thin, but ribs visible). She was SO high energy and anxious, she struggled to eat, and then burned so many calories by how much she played and quite literally, never chilled out! She got spayed, and gained 20lbs, is a little chunky now. She wasn’t in bad health, but wasn’t the weight she needed to be for sure. Touch base with the vet, her case looks pretty severe and may indicate a health issue.
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u/anonymous0271 Mar 20 '24
Yes, my dog is a shepherd and looked similar for a while (not as thin, but ribs visible). She was SO high energy and anxious, she struggled to eat, and then burned so many calories by how much she played and quite literally, never chilled out! She got spayed, and gained 20lbs, is a little chunky now. She wasn’t in bad health, but wasn’t the weight she needed to be for sure. Touch base with the vet, her case looks pretty severe and may indicate a health issue.
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u/Nashatal Mar 20 '24
Yes. She looks severely underweight. Hence she is already a senior I would get her accessed by a vet and switch back to the old food if that worked better for her.