Shirah - a puppymill rescue

My foster Gigi http://www.dogster.com/dogs/1080333 was nearly starved to death when I got her. The one picture of my wife behind her was taken on the day I picked her up. Hard to see just how thin she was from that picture though. After getting her home I checked the internet for suggestions for her diet. I settled on one receipe made up of raw ground beef, rice, wheat germ, and molasses. I also picked up some high quality canned puppy food to mix with it. In addition I went through the freezer and got out fresh fish, pork, and chicken. For awhile there she was eating much better than me. :wink2: I fed her 4-5 smaller meals a day along with some other quality snacks like cheese or turkey or ham lunchmeat in between. I gave her dog vitamins and a capsule of fish oil. As her health improved, I gradually switched her over to a high quality dry food along with a couple bites of canned dog food. She's looking so much better now.
 
If you do end up feeding her kibble. Would it be better to feed her puppy kibble, since there is more fat in it than adult dog food? That'll help her put on weight faster.
 
She's eating her 4 meals a day well. She is enjoying the raw too :lol: We thought she might have trouble with it since we were told that she'd been fed RICE ONLY at the mill. I thought about the puppy kibble too!! And that's what we are feeding her. She's enjoying having to chew on crunchy things I think. Vibrant Pets seems to be helping with her coat - it feels softer now. Just started adding some wild salmon oil to her diet too.

She doesn't have good teeth (esp the molars). I'm thinking of letting her gnaw on a knuckle bone to try and scrape of some of that tartar this weekend. Might help with her breath too.

Noticed last night that the whites of her eyes are abit yellow. A sign of jaundice?? But what that means for her health overall, I don't know. She's at the vet with a rescue worker (this lady ferries dogs to the vet for the fosterers) and I've mentioned that to her already so she'll check with the doc. Hopefully it isn't serious.

Also, her pink gums seem to be a healthy nice and bright pink in the evening but a little bit more pale in the morning before breakfast. Is this normal?

My dad's been tasked with teaching her how to be playful. :lol: He tries every night but she's such a gentle dog it's going to take some time!

Gave her a pig's ear the other day. She picked it up and walked around and around with it and didn't want to put it down or lie down to eat it. I'm not sure if she's doing this coz she's afraid some other dog will take it away or she just doesn't know how to deal with it. I know she wants to eat it coz of the looooong line of drool from her mouth!! She did eventually lie down to munch on it for a while but then finished the rest rather quickly standing up!!
 
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Haha! You're probably right! Her fur was like a bristle brush before!

tim15856, Gigi is GORGEOUS! She's such a beautiful girl! And you're doing wonders with her!! God bless you!! I'm taking your tip on the quality snacks!

Just heard back on Shirah's vet review. The vet is very happy with her improvement! She doesn't have liver problems anymore as the enzyme levels are back to normal. Her platelet count has gone up and is in the normal range as well. She's also not as anemic and is well on the road to having normal red blood count at 26% (from 11%). She gained only 50g tho! :lol: I guess I'll be feeding her 5 meals at 5% of her body weight then? The vet said she's a little dehydrated too. Which was strange, as she drinks alot at home and pees clear. Vet said the yellow eye whites are ok. I'm guessing she thinks they'll go away as her health improves?

I'm happy with Shirah's improvement! Now to pack some weight on her skinny frame!
 
I'm happy to hear that she is doing so much better! When you feed her kibble, you may want to add some water to the kibble. That's what the vet recommended we give to Lexi to keep her hydrated after her spay.

She really does look loads better--and happier. Keep up the good work!
 
She looks so sweet and very humble! You all are doing a wonderful job with Shira..Now look what you've done, you've made me teary eyed :sadsmile:..
 
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