luudee Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 We bought them 2 1/2 years ago at a flea market. We regularly visit the vet, get all shots, etc. Get regular deworming treats ... They look healthy and are playful, nothing apparent wrong with them ... It's hard to tell from the pictures, they are very skinny and eat VERY little. When we showed them, it becomes obvious how skinny they are. They are purely outside dogs, have their little house for when it rains. We have tried every dog food available in Thailand. From the various dry foods to the various mushy canned stuff. Now we buy bones at Makro and cook them. They seem to like that. Visited several Vets, nobody has any idea. All we get is try different food. Anybody experienced something like this ? Any ideas/ suggestions? Many thanks, rudi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slip Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Lovely dogs. I don't have much useful advice to offer. We get minced cooked chicken carcass from the local market and supplement it with chicken offal. Edit: In that photo they don't look too skinny, they look healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darksidedog Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 I had the same problem with my two dogs. Whatever I put down they kind of turned their nose up at. Even really expensive dog food. One day when it was bucketing down with rain, I saw a couple of chicken breasts in the freezer and put them in the oven. Cut them up and poured the juice over the top and they went nuts for it. Ate the lot and licked the bowls clean, which I had never seen them do before. One of mine is nearly 30kg and the other just under 20. I cook about 8-900g between them and sneak a bit of dried dog food in, which not only works, it saves me a fortune. Costs about 50-60 baht a day between them. Only other time they go nuts at the food bowl is for minced beef, but that gets expensive very quickly. I think dogs just need some real meat from time to time, and not scraps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatOngo Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 Are you sure they didn't eat one of your Chinese drill bits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritManToo Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 I had a dog in Thailand once, it ate leftover steamed rice, or it didn't eat. Same as all the Thai owners fed their dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marty147 Posted July 26, 2018 Share Posted July 26, 2018 I can only suggest the food solution. My two (both 35kg) recently went through a fussy few days of refusing expensive food that they'd always eaten previously. I changed things around by mixing in some dry food (Pedigree brand) with steamed rice and chicken blood. We bought the blood at the local market in solidified form - not sure how readily available it is elsewhere. That did the trick. ?? As long as they are not lethargic or showing any obvious signs of distress then it may simply be boredom from eating the same food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overherebc Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 Try cheap cans of fish in tomato sauce. If your feeding dried food start with mixing one can with it, I try to do it with as much of the tomato sauce removed as I can manage. Slowly reduce the fish content and they will end up eating the dried stuff on it's own. Or if you're near a local market buy a couple of fish chop it up raw, bones guts everything and mix with the dried food. General rule. Dried food puts on weight. Fresh meat doesn't. Strike a balance. Give them heart worm and worm tablets regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dick dasterdly Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Some dogs are just fussy eaters, but as others have said - your beautiful dogs look perfectly healthy and as long as they're still they're normal selves, I wouldn't worry too much. Having said this, they are part of our family and we love them so it's always worthwhile trying to provide them the best possible diet - which (IMO) will include a variety of foods, not just kibble/tinned dog food. Added bonus, dogs love it too! There's a very interesting thread on this forum on the subject. (Edit - Food ideas for dog) Unfortunately, I think we tend to worry if they're not slightly overweight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Guns Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Give them pleanty of exercise. I walk my 36 kg Goldmaraner for 7.5 kg then let her rest for 1 hour then feed her. She always finished the lot. My dogs are a bit fussy so I change the menu each day ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob12345 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 They look healthy, and as long as they are active they should be fine. Short-haired dogs are easier to judge, but you should normally see their ribs when they run or walk. As your dogs have long hair, you could just feel how much tissue there is over their ribs. It should not be much. I wouldn't worry much at this point, until they start being lathergic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 how often do you worm your dogs? dissect some stools, have a look at your dogs arse when its asleep to see if any tape worm is hanging out when you worm your dogs you should worm yourselves as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally123 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 I'd get the vet to put them on a drip and get their blood tested. I had a Retriever that went the same way. He had liver worms. But other parasitic infestation could be a cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonymous Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 This is pretty much a repeat of what I wrote on another thread. Your dogs do look thin. I suggest that you weigh them both now and monitor weight change over time. if you follow my advice below, you will probably see weight gain. I have been a dog breeder in the past and reared many healthy dogs. Our current dogs are age 16 and 11, healthy, and they are a breed with a 7-10 year life expectancy! That's due almost entirely to a lifelong healthy diet. Our dogs have always been fed RAW meat (chicken mainly, beef occasionally and a little chicken liver - never raw pork). Meat is the base and added to that pureed brown cooked rice (cook and puree in a blender to help digestion) and pureed boiled veggies (carrots, kale - essential to puree veggies for dogs as they cannot be digested otherwise) and fresh fruit in season for all day snacks (bananas, mangoes, lychee, lamyai). Bones to chew on are great when teeth are strong, but NOT cooked. The only supplement we ever give is a once daily fish oil capsule in the morning meal, which is very effective to keep the skin and that long coat of hair looking healthy. Feed twice a day morning and evening. Your vet probably has very little idea about nutrition (just like most doctors) and if they ever recommend anything other than kibble it will be that Hill's Diet crap that is only sold by vets. Unfortunately kibble and canned dog food mush contains very little that is nutritious and plenty that is unhealthy over time (just read the labels). The pushing of pet foods through industry advertising (and vets) is the most likely cause of the ever declining life expectancy of pedigree dogs as recorded by Kennel Clubs. Most dogs will go crazy for raw meat and bones and you'll be amazed by the change in appetite that will result. You can introduce these right away. Add the pureed rice and veggies a little at a time as they will not be used to it. Same with fruit - try a little as a snack and find out what they like best (bananas usually preferred). If you want your two lovely dogs to live a long and healthy life avoid kibble (dry biscuits) and canned commercial dog food. It is true that Thai dogs you see roaming the streets survive on scraps (of anything) and cooked white rice, but they tend to get sick and die young. please don't follow any advice that suggests you do the same for your pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenny2017 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Try some milk mixed with dog food, we also feed them bones we receive from the market for free. There're some places where they sell pork legs and they keep the bones for us to pick them up. Feed them the red rice together with the usual dog food, there's a lot more vitamins and minerals inside than the white rice contains. You've got two lovely dogs, please make sure that they feel good. It might be worms in their stomachs, try a different vet, our vet is such an <deleted> who only wants to make money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertson468 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 On 7/26/2018 at 6:08 PM, Arjen said: Well, on the first place, NEVER, NEVER EVER give your dog cooked bones. Bones you should feed raw, or after keeping 6 weeks in freezer to kill parasites. NEVER COOKED. I REPEAT. NEVER GIVE YOUR DOGS COOKED BONES. After having said this, your dogs look OK, not skinny, but OK. Not to fat. When they are happy, and play, then you should not need to worry much. The first signs you should look for sick dogs is change in behavior. When they are used to eat, or used to play, and suddenly are not interested, it is a sign for a sick dog. When the dog never has been a big eater, well, then he/she is not a big eater. We had a very skinny, but further healthy dog. The dog was so skinny that some of our visitors returned with a bag of dog food, or/and gave money to buy food for that particulair dog. She just did not like to eat. When you are in a doubt, have them checked for parasites, but be not surprised nothing is wrong. Good luck! Arjen. I completely agree with this advice. I have four dogs who are in great health. Monday to Friday we feed them BARF lunch time and evening. BARF stands for Bone and Raw Food, which includes appropriate vegetables, but check on the internet which veggies are not good for dogs. On Sunday they get raw bones for lunch and dinner, which is great for their teeth and gums. We used to feed our dogs commercial biscuits and tinned meat, but sorry to say, after reading up on the contents of the biscuits and tinned meal, I will never feed them this again, what I consider, dog junk food. One of the females who is a terrier mix, eats a little slower than the other, one chocolate lab and one yellow lab and a little female soi dog eat their BARF like there is no tomorrow! Labs will eat you almost out of house and home, but they do love their BARF; are very active and look great. The chocolate Guy's coat is so shinny too! If you do go down this route, do it over a week, slowly introducing the BARF as a rapid change can upset their digestion.......same as us going from stogy european food to thai spicy food! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonymous Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 I see that one well meaning poster suggested feeding milk. Please don’t feed your dog milk! Dogs the age of yours are usually lactose intolerant and so GI upsets (diarrhea and flatulence) will almost inevitably occur, usually within 12 hours. More seriously they may also develop pancreatitis if they eat high fat dairy products. Will dogs eat milk if you give it to them? Yes most likely. But trust me, it is not good for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamkyong Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 have you tried the postman?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodysfriend Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 We take care for 9 dogs , 2 Rottweilers and the rest are adopted Soi dogs . It was 12 , but 2 have been run over by cars , and 1 died from heartworms after an expensive therapy . We feed them meat from the local market , chicken and pork , cut to small pieces and boiled in a big pot with mixed vegetables and POTATOES . They love boiled potatoes and potatoes are good for a dog , much better than rice . ( google ...) They all get a lot of exercise , and we never have left over food ... All are in good health , but need to be vaccinated and neutered . Try meat from the market , chicken may be fed raw , other meat boiled ... and Potatoes . Your dogs do not want factory food anymore , not healthy ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenny2017 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 45 minutes ago, Antonymous said: I see that one well meaning poster suggested feeding milk. Please don’t feed your dog milk! Dogs the age of yours are usually lactose intolerant and so GI upsets (diarrhea and flatulence) will almost inevitably occur, usually within 12 hours. More seriously they may also develop pancreatitis if they eat high fat dairy products. Will dogs eat milk if you give it to them? Yes most likely. But trust me, it is not good for them. Really? My dogs, a female Husky and her daughter, a mix of a street dog, and Husky, love milk. They only get little milk mixed with rice and they love it. But now after reading your post, I'll have to do my research, thanks for pointing that out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goegoe Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Maybe they need some love and a good sofa to sleep on ? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taotoo Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Did each of the vets you visited do blood tests, and did they all come back okay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensmann Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 ludee, had the same problem in the last half year with our two sheperds. they got a virus from tics. make a blood test. the vet had special medication for that. both were fit in one week. good luck ps: they get since 11 years every the same food: pork and liver with rice. 50% meat 50% rice. they were always very healthy..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonymous Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 58 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said: We take care for 9 dogs , 2 Rottweilers and the rest are adopted Soi dogs . It was 12 , but 2 have been run over by cars , and 1 died from heartworms after an expensive therapy . We feed them meat from the local market , chicken and pork , cut to small pieces and boiled in a big pot with mixed vegetables and POTATOES . They love boiled potatoes and potatoes are good for a dog , much better than rice . ( google ...) They all get a lot of exercise , and we never have left over food ... All are in good health , but need to be vaccinated and neutered . Try meat from the market , chicken may be fed raw , other meat boiled ... and Potatoes . Your dogs do not want factory food anymore , not healthy ... All good, but in case anyone else reading this has an idea to feed potatoes... Potatoes that are peeled (no skin) and boiled are OK for dogs, but there are a couple of important caveats. First is that uncooked potato, potato skin and leaves are poisonous (contain solanine) and should never be fed to dogs. Second is that you shouldn’t feed very much potato as they can raise blood glucose levels significantly and lead to diabetes in dogs. FYI, here are the values of 100g of boiled potato vs 100g of boiled brown rice. Brown rice has a better balance than potato for dogs IMO, with more fat, less sodium and about one-third as much sugar. Brown rice Boiled potato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodysfriend Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 15 minutes ago, Antonymous said: All good, but in case anyone else reading this has an idea to feed potatoes... Potatoes that are peeled (no skin) and boiled are OK for dogs, but there are a couple of important caveats. First is that uncooked potato, potato skin and leaves are poisonous (contain solanine) and should never be fed to dogs. Second is that you shouldn’t feed very much potato as they can raise blood glucose levels significantly and lead to diabetes in dogs. FYI, here are the values of 100g of boiled potato vs 100g of boiled brown rice. Brown rice has a better balance than potato for dogs IMO, with more fat, less sodium and about one-third as much sugar. Brown rice Boiled potato Thanks ,You are right ... potatoes contain vitamin C, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, and many other nutrients that dogs need , but too many potatoes won't be good . We always boil them until they become soft , the dogs love them but would never eat a raw potatoe . sometimes they get rice and sometimes pasta , too ... they eat better than some people here If you live near the sea , it is good to collect some of those white squid " floaters" that can be found sometimes . It is pure calcium and good for the bones . Just scrap it off with a spoon and mix ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesMad Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Don't worry, they look like smart dogs.... When really hungry, they will eat everything ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian57 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 We have two thai dogs. neither would eat dried food until we mixed in a raw egg. now they eat it all everytime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddinChonburi Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 When a dog is hungry they will eat. Just a good quality dry food should be plenty with a few treats added in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeptic7 Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 If not sick, then spoiled rotten. Have been living on people food obviously. Give them healthy dog food Of YOUR CHOOSING and when they get hungry enough they will eat it. Problem solved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shouldhaveknownbetter Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 Cook them some scrap chicken from Macro. inexpensive. Bye the way. nice yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luudee Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 Many Thanks to all the replies !!! Yes, we do the blood test on a regular basis (about every 3 months). I get my property sprayed for ticks and insects on a monthly basis (we tend to lock up the poor dogs for that day. But we do find ticks once in a while ... so yeah, we will do another run to our regular vet. One thing I am confused about: Why should I not cook bones? They tend not to touch raw bones. I will start doing the chicken and rice/potato thing ... we feed them twice a day ... Yeah, there are no signs of them being sick or unwell. They are very playful and clever (I'm trying to teach them to say "I Love you", lol They are getting really close 555) Again many thanks for all the great advice !!! luudee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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