My new dog is malnourished and possibly pregnant. How can I help her?

Hello, and thank you for rescuing the puppy. You can feed any national puppy food & do very well with it. My favorites are Hills Science Diet, Royal Canin & even Purina. They are all excellent without being gimmicky. Have her seen by your vet soon for parasite protection & vaccinations & she should grow healthy & well. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It's great that you are adopting a dog, congratulations and have fun with her! Start by feeding a bland diet (boiled/boneless/skinless chicken breast and boiled rice) in small frequent meals. Do that for 2-3 days, and then introduce puppy kibble to her. The puppy food is higher in fat and energy that she needs. Transition to this puppy food over about 2 weeks. Keep her on the puppy food for about 2 months, and then slowly transition her over to adult food. Best of luck with Macy!

There is not much you can do other than to ensure good nutrition and health from this moment forward. I would recommend starting a high quality puppy food. In addition you want to make sure that they are up to date on vaccines per your veterinarian. They should be dewormed at least twice. Finally, you should endure they are on flea prevention and heartwo preventative if endemic in your area. All of these things should improve their overall condition. I also recommend neutering between 6-8 months. Good luck!

It sounds like Oreo needs some blood testing done. Even though she is young she could have a problem with her kidneys or liver that is making her not want to eat. She could also have a problem with her intestinal tract that is not allowing her to absorb nutrients (EPI, PLE, etc) or even some internal parasites. Please get her in for some testing. This is not something you will likely be able to fix at home. If she was eating well you could try diet changes to help with weight gain but the fact that she is not interested in eating is very concerning. There must be an underlying reason and that needs to be figured out. If you have more questions please feel free to post again. Best wishes.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Gaining weight after malnutrition should be a slow and steady process. I would suggest getting a good quality puppy food, and feeding him about 75% of the amount recommended on the bag/day for about 3 days, and then increasing to 100% of the amount recommended for about 1 week, and then 125% for a couple weeks until she is proper size. At that point you can cut back to the normal recommended amount. Also, I would recommend deworming her, as this is often a cause of malnutrition, and also make sure she is treated for fleas, and vaccinated. Best of luck with Pluto.

Feed Rita puppy food to give her extra calories, calcium, and protein. During the last five weeks of her pregnancy, increase her food intake gradually, until she consumes 35-to-50 percent more than usual. Increase her intake slowly and feed her small, frequent meals, as large meals can cause discomfort. Make sure to take her into a vet tomorrow to confirm she is pregnant, and have regular vet visits during the pregnancy. Emergencies happen during pregnancy. While you are at your veterinarian for a prenatal checkup, ask your veterinarian about what to do in the event of an emergency and set up a plan with your family and pet sitter.

Awww. It's very nice of you to take on this type of responsibility. The first thing you should do is to take him into the vet for an initial examination. They will be able to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong, versus simply malnutrition and dehydration. If this is the case, Champ will likely require something to eliminate gastrointestinal parasites. He belly looks very round in that picture, which in young dogs is usually associated with worms. This can be a very common cause of weakness and malnutrition, and the nutrients that he is consuming will not be properly absorbed until the parasites are eradicated. The veterinarian will also probably want to give some fluids, either subcutaneously or directly into the bloodstream. The method of delivery will ultimately be decided based upon the level of dehydration the vet detects. Champ will require a healthy, high quality large breed puppy food eventually. However, in the meantime, I would provide something like a Purina Critical Nutrition or HIll's A/D. These are prescription diets that are very high in fat and high calorie, and are typically not easily turned down by even the sickest of pets. Lastly, Champ probably needs your love, warmth and support. I am sure you have plenty of this.