[bocce]

Greetings All!
I've been reading (and enjoying) this forum for some time while I considered getting a doodle and I thought it was time to introduce myself. We lost our beloved golden three years ago and it's taken some time to get over him, I just couldn't imagine loving another dog the why I loved him. Finally, I decided a "dogless" house was not for us. It was time to move on. Two weeks ago we welcomed a lovely goldendoodle into our lives, and hearts. We couldn't be happier with our little ball of love. He's smart, funny, and ever so attentive. The only glitch is that when we got him he was really skinny. I know some of the experienced breeders here have said their pups are often skinny but our Bocce is too thin. Then, to make things worse he managed to get into the kitty litter TWO days in a row. The result was one sick puppy, actually he was so dehydrated that our vet put him on a IV overnight. Thankfully, he's back to his sweet self but he's still too thin. At 14 weeks he only weights 11.5 pounds and he should be nearly 50 pounds when fully grown. Could that be possible? I just can't imagine it! We'd love to have suggestions if you know of any special ways to help Bocce fill out. He has a sensitive tummy so I've been cautious about his food options but so far we've tried boiled chicken (he loves that!), rice, pumpkin, and cottage cheese. I just hate feeling his tiny ribs...

This forum is a great resource and full of good advice, I'm so glad I found it!

Bocce's mom

 

[annabelles mom]

Welcome and congratulations on your new puppy. If you are concerned about Bocce's weight, I would probably talk to your vet and see what they recommend - is Bocce getting sick/having diareaha other than the kitty litter episode?

Maybe a special diet from the vet for a while until Bocce's tummy starts to settle down, some of the canned special diets have more calories per oz

I hope Bocce continues to improve and feel free to post pictures

P.S. do you play Bocce Ball?

 

[Doodlesville]

WELCOME!!!
I would feed chicken and rice for a few days ,numerous times per day, in about 2 days start moistening(let soak for awhile till all water absorb) his regular puppy food (what brand are your feeding/?) and adding to it, after he eats his first meal like this ,,leave dry puppy food out for him to munch on when he wants to,,i also add gerber chicken or lamb baby food (meat only) to entice them to eat
stay away from science diet or vet recommended foods, they are not good quality as a general rule just a fyi
if he still have diarreha Pure pumpkin,,
not too much cottage cheese that can tear their tummys up too

 

[bocce]

Thanks Mary!

Our vet suggested a bland diet and four meals a day. I'll call them to ask about some high calorie canned food - that's a good idea. He's no longer having runny stools so that's a good thing and I think the attraction to kitty litter has passed. We'll return to the vet in two weeks and I sure hope Bocce puts at least a pound or two on by then.

Mary, your Annabelle is lovely, and I've enjoyed reading your stories.

Bocce Ball, we love it!

 

[bocce]

Good idea Nancy to moisten his food. I've been using Nature's Balance and now that I think about it, the food is too large and hard for his little puppy teeth. So adding a bit of broth or water would help. You're right, I should give him chicken more often since that's a big hit but he hates pumpkin - even when I flavor it with a bit of peanut butter.

Bocce came to us with tape worms, fleas, and the worst case of ear mites that our vet has ever seen. I know he was loved (I know, if you really LOVE your animals you should take proper care of them) by the family that we got him from because he is extremely well socialized, trusting, and loving. But unfortunately, the woman was very ill and had young children to care for so the pups didn't get the medical attention they deserved. Bocce is so happy now that he is feeling well and I'll rest easy knowing he's well fed and healthy. We are looking forward to watching him grow, but it seems like he's always been part of our family.

 

[Doodlesville]

Natural balance should be fine, leave a bowl of dry out for him so he can eat anytime, then feed numerous meals a day wet food mixture with chicken and rice, as far as the pumpkin get some gerber lamb baby food the little jar and add a tad bit to the top of it,,i take a knife and swirl it gentlyin the pumpkin,,NO Pup can resist it,,
he will gain weight now that he has been wormed and is on the rite path,, this is just agood way to get it on him faster,

Did the ladys breeder know she placed him with you? thats so sad, im so glad you got him

 

[Tink]

A possibility for packing on a bit of weight would be to buy a cannister of puppy milk replacer and top dress his food with it. When our nursing mom started to lose condition (she was feeding a dozen little doodle piggies) we did this and it made a real improvement in her quickly. Just sprinkle it dry on the food he normally eats. A little bit goes a LONG way and it's perfectly safe as long as you don't overdo it.

 

[Doodlesville]

A possibility for packing on a bit of weight would be to buy a cannister of puppy milk replacer and top dress his food with it. When our nursing mom started to lose condition (she was feeding a dozen little doodle piggies) we did this and it made a real improvement in her quickly. Just sprinkle it dry on the food he normally eats. A little bit goes a LONG way and it's perfectly safe as long as you don't overdo it.

I wouldnt recommend that for a pup of this age, that can cause tummy upset

 

[seazr]

Awwww!!! Now that the cute little guy has a family that's paying very special attention to his needs, he'll catch up!!

 

[Doodlesville]

hey Diane, have i told you lately l LOVE your avatar, that pic just makes me smile every single time you post

 

[Raleighsmom]

Welcome to the forum Bocce and family!!! You are a cute one! Try not to worry too much about how skinny Bocce is...I did that too when Raleigh was little and kept asking our vet, why he was so skinny!!! As they grow they get taller and taller so that they look like all legs!!! At least the labradoodles do...not sure about goldendoodles..Annmarie should be able to help you there...anyway, the vet told me that she would like to see Raleigh kept on the lean side...he went for his 1st yr checkup last week and he is 54 lbs....The vet said we should try to keep him under 60...so I guess that's what we'll try for...
I'm sure his little tummy will straighten out eventually...you've got a lot of good advice from some great breeders here!

 

[annabelles mom]

Mary, your Annabelle is lovely, and I've enjoyed reading your stories.

Bocce Ball, we love it!

Thanks - we think she's special

I wondered if that was where Bocce got his name, he sure is a cutie

 

[gene]

Welcome to you and Bocce! He does look like a ball of fun! I had problems with getting Miko to eat. What worked for me was vanilla yogurt on her food.....now she woofs it down almost as fast as Jonah! :wink: Good luck to you and little Bocce!

 

[Guest]

Hi Bocce!! I had a lot of problems with Maya and her tummy. Her stools are getting a little soft again so its back to pumpkin for a few days. She loves pumpkin but my vet said if she didn't eat the pumpkin I could get some fibercon and sprinkle that on her food.

Oh also make sure you put the kitty litter up. Maya for some reason doesn't get into my cat's box but if she finds cat droppings outside well she cleans it up. I had read that if you put a little meat tenderizer on the cat food or if you can get the cat to eat a little pineapple thier poo is supposed to taste bad so the dog won't eat it.

 

[blueteal]

Welcome to Doodleland
Your pup is just too cute..........
Keep feeding the rice and chicken and add some oatmeal
If not already then feed 5 or 6 meals per day and the weight will come.
Denver at 101 lbs is still considered on the skinny side, but you no longer can see his ribs sticking out and he eats
5 cups of dry per day plus two meals of canidae canned or chicken and oatmeal, per day.

 

[gracielou]

Welcome Bocce hope you put on a little weight soon and stay away from the kitty litter it's not good for you.

 

[Echo]

Welcome Bocce & Mom. Bocce sure is a cutie. Sorry I can't offer any feeding tips, I've never had a pup that didn't eat well. I'm certain you'll get lots of good advice here though.

 

[bocce]

Thanks everyone for the great advice and the warm welcome!

Yes, I'll try the lamb baby food with the pumpkin today. I always have food in his bowl but he just wasn't all that interested. I'll continue with chicken and rice since that seems to be a success as long as it's in small quantities. The kitty litter is now in a "safe" zone, or at least I hope so!

Gosh, our lives have changed so much! In the past three weeks we adopted two 6 weeks old kittens and Bocce. What was I thinking of??? It really is like being a new parent all over again. I thought it was best for Bocce and the kittens to all grow up together and I think that part so far has been successful. They play like crazy then it's nap time, play and then nap time again... that's pretty much our day along with several walks for Bocce and going to work with me. He's a people guy and now that he's beginning to feel better the energy level is kicking up. Everyone at work looks forward to his visits and smiles, he's such a love!

I have a theory that perhaps some of you might have some thoughts about... since Bocce got off to such a rough start I'm wondering if that has enabled him to be even more compassionate/attentive than how he might have otherwise been. If I sneeze, cough, or give a YELP when the kittens scratch me, Bocce immediately rushes up to me with paws on my lap to see if I'm alright. He'll do that EVEN if he's eating or involved in a playful fit with the kittens. I should add that it is the only time he ever puts his paws on me. Has anyone experienced this with a 14 week old pup? Maybe it's normal, it's been a long time since we've had a pup so in my sleepless stupor I'm learning all over again.

 

[River Rat]

It's adorable that Bocce is so empathetic when you show distress! My pup doesn't do that, although she's sweet in other ways. It was also a good idea, apparently, to get the kittens and puppy at the same time. Chouette would love to play with our adult cat but I don't think it's going to happen.

Glad that Bocce is eating better now! I'm sure he'll put on weight quickly.

Where in the Pacific Northwest are you? I used to live near Bellingham, WA.

Leslie

 

[MaxandMe]

HI Bocce and family!!! Glad you joined and you'll find this forum to be great.

I pm'd you ...you need to look at the top of this page and click the box after the word proflie to read your PM aka private messages

HOPE Bocce gains weight ...which he will. Many of us had skinny puppies
and PEANUT hahahah worried my vet as she was too skinny as a tiny pup.
SHE"s now a porky princess on a diet hahahhaaaaaaa
so there is hope :wink:

and Max had severe digestive issues in the past...customized bland diets really do help tremendously as well as "beef" them at the same time

Keep us posted on Bocce's health, weight and more PICS please