Mariah is a good deal underweight.

[Alexah]

Mariah is my approximately 2-year old english spot foster. English spots are a breed I have very little experience with and I've noticed that she seems underweight to me. Before coming to me a week ago, she was seen by the vet and was proclaimed healthy though a bit underweight from where she should be ideally. She was taken from a neglectful situation and she isn't accustomed to having food on a regular basis.

She is getting about 1/2 cup of a timothy/alfalfa blend pellet daily along with unlimited hay, 1-2 cups fresh veggies, and daily treats of either fresh or dried fruit. She eats everything I give her, but she doesn't seem to be gaining weight. And, unfortunately, she wants nothing to do with oats when they're just plain.

However, last night I had some leftover pellet/oat slurry from when I gave some to the babies. They didn't want anything to do with the slurry and I didn't want to throw it out so I gave some to Mariah thinking that she'd eat it. And she gulped it down and then even looked for some more. So, since I'm making the slurry for the babies, would it hurt to give some to Mariah at night to help put some weight on her?

I hope so because I don't want to have waste and I don't want Mariah to be underweight...so maybe this will kill two birds with one stone (so to speak)?

 

[mochi_ball]

1/2 cup of pellets seems like a good amount along with the extra slurry at night. I would think you couldincr the veggies too to balance out the amount.

 

[naturestee]

She's only been with you for a week, how can you tell whether or not she's gaining much weight? Even with a proper scale, it's too soon to see real changes. Healthy weight gain is slow because it's a build-up of muscles as well as a small amount of fat. Fast weight gain is pure fat.

Also keep in mind that English Spots are built very slender. I don't know how you are basing your opinion of her body condition but visually she should look much more slender than, say, a Dutch. You'll need to base it off of how she feels. How ribby is she? Does her belly sink in behind her ribs or is she fairly solid there? How easily can you feel her spine? Although that is more easily felt when a bun doesn't have much back muscles due to lack of exercise/proper cage. I'd trust the vet who thought she was slightly underweight. Tthe wayyou worded it, it sounded like he wasn't very concerned so it must not be bad.

You've also added a ton of new stuff to her diet in a very short time. I wouldn't let her have any of the slurry and cut off the treats for a week or two so her gut has time to adjust.

As far as waste, a pellet slurry should last a few days before it needs to be tossed. Keep it in the fridge though.

 

[Alexah]

Naturestee, thanks for your advice. I tend to get a bit hysterical where the buns are concerned and I appreciate your level-headedness and the advice you offered.

As far as how thin she is, you can definitely see that her stomach is sunken in and her ribs are very easily felt. Her hip bones also jut way out, but that is partially due to the way she's built (I think).

I did speak to the vet after posting this and he suggested increasing her pellets to 3/4 cup daily along with the unlimited hay and 1 cup veggies. He, too, told me to stay away from the slurry and the treats which I'll be doing. Mariah was 3.9 pounds at the vet's office last week and according to my scale today she is exactly the same - so no gain in the last week.He was concerned initially when he saw her because she is a good deal thin, but he wasn't incredibly worried and thinks that we're on the right track.

I'll admit, I do tend to go overboard because it breaks my heart to see them sick or suffering. But Mariah's made leaps and bounds emotionally in my opinion and I need to look at the whole picture and not just her physical shape.

Again, thanks. I really appreciate the objectivity and the advice offered.