Looking Very Thin.

[Adam1990 24]

Cheer will get that all sorted

[belucky 713]

I agree with albert64 ,feed him twice a day,with you uping his work and a with the temp droping he will be burning more calories keeping warm.

[littlefish 549]

Sounds daft but could stress be a factor av u ever herd of it? This bitch has had ago a few times. And he wont do anything back to a bitch. Laff if u want but him being "bullied" in the kennel couldnt be a factor could it?

 

It could be no laffing matter if it ends up in a serious fight...............separate kennels are a good idea. People think it will never happen.....but think how you would feel if you came home to a disaster.

[stripes 401]

Adam get yourself used to a regular worming dont wait until the weight is falling of the dog, combination of cold weather and extra work can also be a factor,atb.

[Tiny 7 1,694]

Make sure you worm/flea them both properly right weight ect. Make sure their bed is dry and draught proof. Feed twice day up the fat content and add a handful of pasta.

 

By the weekend you should see a massive improvement.

[paulus 26]

worm and flea treat both your dogs, and start feeding him twice a day, tripe, lamb breast, pasta and if you have to a good quality dry as a mixer

take him away from the bitch when you feed him,is the bitch letting him sleep in the kennel ?he might do better in his own kennel then she cant have ago at him

it could be stress from going into the kennel so a rug might help especially at night

[skycat 6,173]

So look at it from the dog's point of view: one minute he is living in a nice warm house, the next, he's put outside in the cold with a strange bitch that may or may not be making his life hell when you're not around ... and on top of all that he's having a lot more exercise and graft. It's enough to make anyone lose weight!

 

Already been some brilliant suggestions from those who know what they are doing: but what food are you feeding him? You say 'good quality', but what is the make? Anything less than 25% protein and 15% fat is not good enough, and if the first ingredient listed on the bag is 'cereals' or something like that, then his meat intake could be as little as 10%. Real meat is ten times better than anything commercially produced: fatty lamb trimmings, cheap fatty minced beef, chicken carcases: they usually have great lumps of fat on them too.

 

Also, how big is the kennel? How warm is it? Is there a great big gaping hole as a hatch? Letting the cold and wind in. What bedding are you using? Is the bitch making him sleep nearest the hatch in the draught? He'd be much better off on his own unless she lets him cuddle up, which I doubt if she's been 'having a go at him' to use your words. Remember, the smaller the bed space, the warmer the dog will be, within reason of course.

[Adam1990 24]

The kennel is 12ft x4ft and in that is a 4ftx4ft closed section that is insulated and has a stable door on that i leave only the bottom half open. They sleep in standard plastic beds with bedding (couple of old throws) in them. Hes fed on james wellbeloved dry i couldnt tell you the percentages but it costs enough

[skycat 6,173]

4x4 foot isn't very big for two average sized lurchers, but you can do it. Cut a 4x4 sheet of ply with a dog-sized hole in it: not in the middle, but to one side: even better, cut out one corner to use as a hatch way: fix into the space where the stable door is: at the moment you are getting more cold air in than if you had no door at all. If you can, dump the plastic beds, build two deep wooden beds from ply, at least 20 inches in height, that take up the whole space: that way each dog has its own space. Fill beds with shredded paper or straw: warmer than a couple of old throws.

If the kennel is full height, put in a false roof of ply just over a metre up the walls. Insulate with a layer of expanded polystyrene above: just lay it on top of the ply.

 

If the dog's aren't likely to chew them off, also fix plastic strips in front of the hatch to cut the draught.

 

Take a look at this:

http://www.wellbeloved.com/products/dog-food/adult/turkey-rice-adult

 

Whilst this food is meat based, the protein content is low: 21% ... OK for pets but not for working dogs or dogs in training. Also the fat content is only 10%: again, fine for pets, but way too low for dogs who use a lot of energy, whether that be working or just trying to stay warm in a kennel.

 

You can feed this food as a base food, but I'd add fatty lamb, chicken carcases, fatty tripe. It would be cheaper for you to do this rather than go on to a mega high performance complete food such as Iams or any of the others in this range which line the pockets of the manufacturers at nearly £50 a bag! And will surely do the dog more good as well.

 

There are plenty of raw food stockists who deliver to your door these days. Just Google them!

[C Hall 552]

Iron brew

[robin hood 109]

add more fat to his diet and build a box in the shed take them plastic beds out,and make sure you use a good wormer

[paulus 26]

The kennel is 12ft x4ft and in that is a 4ftx4ft closed section that is insulated and has a stable door on that i leave only the bottom half open. They sleep in standard plastic beds with bedding (couple of old throws) in them. Hes fed on james wellbeloved dry i couldnt tell you the percentages but it costs enough

just over an hours drive from stoke on a tuesday evening you can buy 60lb of minced chicken in frozen 5lb blocks for 15 quid, also beef and tripe, australian formula is about 17 quid a bag he also sells red mills and most other premium dried at realistic prices, another way of doing the beds is a raised bedboard with a 9 inch front board and filled with shredded wax paper, i have this setup in a 6 x 3 shed insulated and lined with plywood, i have a heat lamp too if its needed

[Adam1990 24]

Thanks for all the great advice. Another thing thats just come to mind. Hes eating grass when were out and i mean alot like a bloody cow. Hes always done it but latley alot more. Could all this be linked??

[soldier p 6]

Sorry skycat disagree 25+ protein far to much now dogs running get protien bound and cramp up plus to much protien starts to burn fat.

[borderbitch 24]

Gain28