Maui starts the "Beefcake" Diet today

edited July 2008 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
So Maui had his vet appointment and his blood work has been sent to Michigan State. Our vet knew the Doctor some of you mentioned we should send his blood work too - so that was reassuring. She has been doing research on Maui's issues... that makes us feel good.

Anyway, one of the issues Maui is having is weight. He will not gain weight and is losing weight and getting very thin. He looks really bad - the dog just will not eat much.

Prior to the vet visit Jen did a lot of research and found some homemade weight gain diets. We had our vet check them out and she said they were fine.

So we started Maui on the diet today - hopefully he will gain some weight. Here is the diet and some pics:

- 2 Cups of crushed dog food [we used Innova due to its high calorie content]
- 2 Packs of Cream Cheese
- 1 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
- 1/2 Cup Oil [we used Olive Oil]
- 1 Cup Cottage Cheese
- 1 Pound of Meat [we used fatty ground beef]

Mix until doughy, then spread on a pan and let it set in the refrigerator.

Here is what it looked like:

IMG_3299

IMG_3301

Pretty gross huh? Maui liked it tho - so that's good.

Our hope is that we will be able to "normalize" his weight on this diet and then move him back to his kibble w/ a little more higher calorie items mixed in. Obviously this diet is not a long term deal since its horribly unhealthy long term... but if it gets some weight on him the we [the vet and us] feel it is worth it.

I'll get a weight on him as of today later so we can track his progress.

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Comments

  • edited November -1
    I didn't mention - you cook the meat before you add it. This isn't a RAW diet [not that I am against RAW].

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  • edited November -1
    How many feedings is that recipe? Looks like cookie dough.

    I hope it beefs him up!
  • edited November -1
    I threw up a little.

    Which generally means a dog will love it!

    Good luck
  • edited November -1
    do you not feed raw to the shibas anymore?
  • edited November -1
    Um, it looks like it's already been eaten. GROSS.
  • edited November -1
    I know... it really looks gross. lol. It does look like its already been eaten. lol!

    I think that makes like 2 weeks worth of food for Maui. You are supposed to feed it to him throughout the day - I'll ask Jen tho, she will be more familiar with how much of that stuff he eats and how long it lasts [she isn't home right now, so I'll post it later].

    We do feed the Shibees RAW - but this recipe called for cooking the meant to make it even more tempting for him... it will also keep longer.

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    For Maui, this is what we are going for...













    Joking of course!

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  • edited November -1
    Everyone else thinks it looks gross, I think it looks like cookie dough? What is wrong with me. I was even thinking that without the dog food, it's almost a good dip. Add some curry paste in there and you could have a peanut buttery, creamy, beefy, curry dip!
  • edited November -1
    Or stuffing for chicken, hehehe.

    Good luck with Maui's bulking up!
  • edited November -1
    I hope he plumps up like a pig before going to market. ;-)
  • edited November -1
    Good luck on Maui....that gunk would fatten anyone.
  • edited November -1
    Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is more gross than putting raw beef liver in a food processor and hitting frappe. I nearly hurled three times.

    Ronan isn't thrilled with raw meat as he is with cooked. He'll eat it, but not nearly as much. He also won't touch peanut butter - silly boy!
  • edited November -1
    Ok, my gross meter totally went off the rails wen I thought about what this concoction would look like coming out!!!
  • edited November -1
    how is maui doing on this beefcake-gunk so far?

    btw - how cute would the name "beefcake" be for a dog!
  • edited November -1
    So far so good, he seems to like it - tho he will not eat a whole portion in one sitting so we have to spread it out a bit.
  • edited November -1
    Well, Maui stopped eating his Beefcake food. :o( He may have gained a pound, at most. We just dont know what to do with him - he's so odd.

    We spoke to our vet about him and we are considering just putting him on the thyroid meds before we get the blood work tests back just to see if he improves - the vet didn't feel it would hurt him.

    What do you guys think?

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  • edited November -1
    I know it would be a huge pain, but maybe taking him to an Internal Medicine specialist to get an abdominal ultrasound?
  • edited November -1
    if they don't think thyroid meds (hyper?) would hurt, then why not?
    BUT I have heard - with no experience in the matter - that thyroid meds might do a number on their immune system.. i don't know under what conditions.. and if you are giving him supplements - make sure none will interact!
  • edited November -1
    Hope he gets some weight on keep us posted
  • edited November -1
    hummm....I think the results can take several weeks to get back.

    I am not sure ....placing him blindly on meds without some backup verification seems tricky. My thinking is ....Thyroid meds can alter endocrine & metabolism and if you need more testing, then the data will be skewed if he is on something he does not need. If you vet feels it isn't a problem though, i guess go with what he recommends.

    It's a tough call...you want Maui to start eating and feeling better soon.

    Snf
  • edited November -1
    I agree, its kinda hairy [putting him on meds]... and the strange thing is he feels fine, he acts totally the same he is just slowly getting emaciated. :o\

    He is really a frustration.

    Hopefully the tests will yield some results, quickly.

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  • edited November -1
    Poor little man.
  • edited November -1
    I agree with Snf, putting him on meds blindly is pretty tricky. While a thyroid condition may seem like the leading candidate, if it isn't, the effects of the drugs could mask the diagnostic symptoms they would need to actually find out. Then you would have to detox him so they could perform the test they need and you may loose a few more weeks before you get some answers. How long has it been? Can you hold out another week or two? I know its a huge hassle, but it sounds like a specialist might be something to consider seriously. Of course I'm the poster boy for getting good results with a specialist.

    Sorry he's being such a pain, I know how tough it is to not be able to figure out what is going on and not be able to fix it for him. Keep your chin up, things will get sorted out. You just have to be patient and continue giving him the love that you do.
  • edited November -1
    I'm watching the beefcake episode now and thinking of Maui :P
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