Caring for emaciated dog.

@puddin18, Wow. Thank you for saving her. I do not have experience in this topic but is she getting plenty of fluids? As long as she is getting fed small amounts of food over a repetitive amount of time, it seems ok. My only qualm would be that maybe her food is too rich? What if you fed her only dry food for now? The wet/dry mix probably has a lot of flavor and is very rich. That is my only guess on how to help. Sorry I don't know any more. Bets of luck to you and the little girl.

See page two of this link: Caring for a Starved Emaciated Dog | petMD.

Thanks for taking her in, and good luck with her. Keep us posted on how she does.

@YourSoJelly She will not eat just dry food. She did the first day then stopped. Only dry caused the stomach issues as well. I have read through many websites and asked the vet and the canned food is OK. I have always been told dry food is actually harder to digest. Many people will only feed canned because of this. From what I understand there is no way around the diarrhea. I was just wondering how long it will maybe last as long as it's just because of her being malnourished and nothing else. But thank you for the suggestion. I understand the concern about it being too rich. I was a little concerned myself.

@bpatters As I told YourSoJelly I have looked at many sites and that was actually one I came across but thank you for posting it. It was informative. As to be expected she mainly sleeps, goes and does her business, then returns to her safe spot (her bed). Other than eating and drinking and wondering around the yard a little, that is her routine. I think she feels safer now and I can tell she has a little bit more energy as each day goes by. I will let you know how the vet visit goes.

You can add a probiotic to her diet. You can give her nonfat Greek yogurt three times a day or can look for a probiotic formulation for dogs in Amazon. It will help with the diarrhea. God bless you for rescuing her.

A spoonful of canned pumpkin (plain, canned pumpkin, no spices or anything added) twice a day may help. It has helped my dog in the past.

Since you just got the worm medication, worms or the medication could cause issues. I have a beagle and they tend to have very finicky stomachs, so it could be awhile before the tummy gets used to food and settles down. They also tend to drink a lot of water so make sure you have water available at all times. Beagles are also prone to ear infections so your assessment of that was right on! Mine has had two in the 5 years I have had her.

I LOVE Beagles! They are awesome! Good for you for taking her in. One of my beagles has tummy issues sometimes. I would stop feeding the wet food, as that tends to give pups loose stool, especially if they're not use to it. If she was starving, then she won't turn down plain dry food. If she does (highly unlikely) add warm water. Canned pumpkin works, but if you give too much it will make the loose stool even worse. Boiled chicken and rice helps with tummy issues also, just feed the same amount as you would dry food. The main thing is several meals of very small portions. It could also be worms, was she tested? When I got Lulu (beagle ) as a puppy she was infested with Whipworms. You can not see them with the naked eye, but boy are they there! If she has a lot of mucus or any blood in her stool, it's most likely worms. Sadly, since you don't know her background, you don't know if she is allergic to any ingredients you are feeding her. If everything else has failed and you have had her tested for worms, try a limited, grain free diet. Highly suggest more than 1 worm test, as sometimes they do not show the first time. Good luck! EDIT: Does her ears have a brown discharge? Do they smell yeasty? Over the past 6 years (I can't believe it's been that long ) My beagles have only had 3 yeast infections in their ears. They do get a clear waxy material sometimes, but I just wipe them out when I notice. Any ear cleaners that I have used, have always made their ears worse. My other Rottweiler mix has the worst seasonal allergies and has had dozens of yeast infections in her ears. Poor girl! I really believe it depends on the genetics, not so much the breed (as long as you take care of the breeds grooming needs).

Also, not all worm meds get rid of ALL worms. Whipworms (all worms can, though) also can cause severe weight loss. Sorry but beagles are kinda my thing..

@puddin18 , wet canned food is not the best, many dogs will get tummy issues from it. It will also give them terrible tartar on their teeth. I work in a boarding facility, and we have quite a few dogs come in with "owner's can wet food" and the pet is always miserable and ALWAYS have terrible tarter build up. Most of them also have loose stool. Dry food is always best (unless it's a raw diet, but that's a whole other topic), since it scrubs the teeth as they chew. The thing about the dry is it's dehydrated, so adding warm water will make it softer and most of the time pups will gobble it down. She may just be trying to adjust to actually being fed something especially if it's most likely been a while since her last good meal. Just like us, if we go with out greasy food for a few months, then go on an eating spree, you are bound to have some stomach issues.... Since you are taking her to the vet in the morning, ask about anti diarrhea med to help her through this until her tummy get more accustom to eating again. Probiotics work, but they take a while to kick it.

We just got back from the vet. She came home with antibiotic ear drops for a very bad ear infection. Her right ear was worse. It had white blood cells in it and the vet said they don't see that too often. She also came home with some of the canned food they give dogs when they have stomach issues. I have used it in the past for my cats and dogs and they seem to do well on it. She also gave her some tablets that should help firm up her stool.

The vet was as surprised as me that she had no fleas. They did pull a few more ticks off of her though. I am going to give her heart worm and flea prevention this weekend. I am not sure she can handle it right now.

She was heart worm negative, so that was good news. The bad news is she does have mammary cancer. She has two masses. Right now the main focus is to get her well weight wise and ear wise and since she is a senior dog and she has not been in good shape we are not sure she could make it through surgery anyway. We would have to get blood work and x-rays to see if shes up to it. As of right now since she is older, I think we will just get her back to as normal as possible and keep her comfortable.

She was very exhausted, so after she ate and got her meds she went back to sleep. Hopefully those ears will clear up quickly. They cleaned them out really well, so I am sure that made her feel a little better. They smell really bad, so I knew it was more than likely a bad infection.

@Melissa123 I understand your argument about canned food being bad for their teeth. A lot of people feel that way including my mom. I personally think there is no right or wrong. I think it just depends on the animal. We don't give our dogs canned food very often. They get it more for a treat every couple of months or for their birthday, but there teeth still get bad. My cat doesn't digest dry very well and seems to do much better tummy wise with canned.

Also she did turn down dry food. Even with water mixed in she wouldn't eat it after the first bowl. She didn't eat all day Sunday until I mixed it with canned. This could be because it seemed more appetizing, especially with her having cancer. I really couldn't afford to wait for her to give up and eat the dry since she is so emaciated (10-12 pounds underweight). I think with her being so starved anything that is real food would have been too rich next to possibly eating nothing.

Thanks for everyone's concerns and replies. I will get with the vet next week and see how everything goes one day at a time.

Melissa123 said:

@puddin18 , wet canned food is not the best, many dogs will get tummy issues from it. It will also give them terrible tartar on their teeth. I work in a boarding facility, and we have quite a few dogs come in with "owner's can wet food" and the pet is always miserable and ALWAYS have terrible tarter build up. Most of them also have loose stool. Dry food is always best (unless it's a raw diet, but that's a whole other topic), since it scrubs the teeth as they chew. The thing about the dry is it's dehydrated, so adding warm water will make it softer and most of the time pups will gobble it down.

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Actually quite the opposite. Dry food does not "Scrub" tartar off, it actually provides the starchs that those bacteria feed on. Usually high quality canned food doesn't have or shouldn't have these starchs since it doesn't need them to hold the food together. Most of the canned foods I will feed my dog and cat (they are raw fed) are 95% meat, with the remaining water and vitamins, thus nothing to help grow tartar.( side note, cats should always be fed canned or raw, as they require a high moisture diet, feeding kibble and giving a bowl of water isn't enough) Low quality common can foods have crappy starch, and many of those animals get fed table scraps, contributing to tartar, also most owners won't brush their dogs teeth and always wait until the tartar is very bad to get them professionally cleaned. And adding water to dry food is not a very good idea, it can breed bacteria that may be lurking on the outside of the food, making tummy issues worse.

@puddin18 Thank you for taking in the dog. Usually tummy issues when introducing new foods can last a few days to a few weeks, it just depends on the dog, her stress level, and how long she's gone without. I worked in shelters where dogs who have been there for weeks to months and still had runny poops. Just my own opinion but those "prescription" diets vets sell are low quality crap, it probably will work for a little bit because they are usually full of plant fiber, but it's crap.

PrincessAngel said:

Actually quite the opposite. Dry food does not "Scrub" tartar off, it actually provides the starchs that those bacteria feed on. Usually high quality canned food doesn't have or shouldn't have these starchs since it doesn't need them to hold the food together. Most of the canned foods I will feed my dog and cat (they are raw fed) are 95% meat, with the remaining water and vitamins, thus nothing to help grow tartar.( side note, cats should always be fed canned or raw, as they require a high moisture diet, feeding kibble and giving a bowl of water isn't enough) Low quality common can foods have crappy starch, and many of those animals get fed table scraps, contributing to tartar, also most owners won't brush their dogs teeth and always wait until the tartar is very bad to get them professionally cleaned. And adding water to dry food is not a very good idea, it can breed bacteria that may be lurking on the outside of the food, making tummy issues worse.

@puddin18 Thank you for taking in the dog. Usually tummy issues when introducing new foods can last a few days to a few weeks, it just depends on the dog, her stress level, and how long she's gone without. I worked in shelters where dogs who have been there for weeks to months and still had runny poops. Just my own opinion but those "prescription" diets vets sell are low quality crap, it probably will work for a little bit because they are usually full of plant fiber, but it's crap.

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Most cats do very well on dry food in my experiences. It just has to be a high quality brand that is meat based. Adding water works just fine as long at they eat it asap and not let it sit. I guess we all have our different opinions on this subject. I disagree that any canned food is good for their teeth, but that's my opinion. As a once in a while treat is fine, but not everyday. I actually do not give canned wet food at all. Just a good quality brand of dry food and their dental chews to help with tarter and breath. Some dogs and cats will get bad tarter regardless of what you feed, other's won't. It just depends on their genetics. That's why your supposed to brush a dogs teeth at least every other day or get dental cleanings once in a while. @puddin18, sorry for high jacking your thread!

@Melissa123 That's ok. I am not sure there is really any solid proof either way, but I also think the best way to prevent dental problems is to brush their teeth and or get regular cleanings. Sadly it's not always easy to brush their teeth. My dogs will refuse to open their mouth and my cat would bite my hand off. I have only had one dog who would allow her teeth to be brushed. Even when I have started as puppies the dogs I have now still lock that mouth and refuse to open. You had a point about genetics as well. We have a toy poodle and his teeth were bad from day one. He has had to have almost all of his pulled and hes only five. I think little dogs have problems with teeth a lot anyway. At least all the ones we have had and friends have had. They just have tiny mouths.

Everyone has their own opinion, and that's what makes the world go round.

@PrincessAngel I agree that Science Diet is not the best food and I do not personally feed mine that, but for now if it helps since it is more bland I will use it. It is just a temporary thing. The vet even said use it until this weekend then restart her on the Blue Buffalo or some kind of puppy food, but since Blue is a good quality that it should be ok. We just want her to gain muscle and not all fat back.

I was wondering how the beagle baby was doing?

@SheWolfSilver She seems to be doing a little bit better with every day that passes. She is still a little weak, but she is eating good. Her stool seems to be better as well. Her ears still hurt her quite a bit, but hopefully the drops are working.

We are just going to take it one day a time since its is more than likely the tumors are cancerous. There is two of them and the shape points to malignant. I am not sure we will opt to do surgery since she is older, but right now that decision can't be made anyway because of the shape she is in. Right now the plan is to just make her feel comfortable and cared about.

Thanks for asking!

puddin18 said:

@SheWolfSilver She seems to be doing a little bit better with every day that passes. She is still a little weak, but she is eating good. Her stool seems to be better as well. Her ears still hurt her quite a bit, but hopefully the drops are working.

We are just going to take it one day a time since its is more than likely the tumors are cancerous. There is two of them and the shape points to malignant. I am not sure we will opt to do surgery since she is older, but right now that decision can't be made anyway because of the shape she is in. Right now the plan is to just make her feel comfortable and cared about.

Thanks for asking!

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Awe, the poor thing. I hate how people just kick animals out when they are no longer wanted, hoping they will get killed.

Firstly, I'd like to thank you for saving this dog! I have two dogs at my parent's house and one of them has digestion problems- his food goes straight through him at times- I forgot the name of the disease. Anyway, we have to mix (special) dry food and canned food (it's something bought at the vet so maybe they can help you). This mixture helps him actually digest the food so maybe this type of thing could help you.

Also, I have had a cat that has gone missing twice and both times that we have found him has been EXTREMELY thin. I know, cats and dogs aren't the same, but it did take my cat a week or two to get back to normal.

I wanted to update anyone who wanted to know about the beagle. I named her Effie after Effie Trinket because she has good manners and seems to see the upside of even the bad things. She is very slowly gaining weight and I think her ear infection is cleared up for the most part. Sine the vet believes the tumors she has are cancerous we are just taking each day at a time with her.

Good to hear she is improving. Thank you for making her life so much better!