Feed the dog only small amounts at each feeding.
If you've recently rescued a malnourished dog, you may be alarmed by the animal's sickly, bone thin appearance. However, your rescued dog is lucky if malnourishment is its only problem, since the condition is entirely treatable. To make sure that this is the case, before you begin your home recovery regimen, take it to the vet for a thorough examination. A neglected dog may likely have many other problems besides malnourishment or that are contributing to the condition, such as dehydration, parasite infestation or infection.
Instructions
1. Weigh the dog so you can get a good indication of how much food to feed the animal as well as for future reference when the dog starts putting on weight. Weigh yourself first, then weight the dog.
2. Offer the dog food, but only small amounts at one time. Check the food bag for ideal portion sizes based on the dog's current weight, and divide that amount by five. Feed the dog that amount every half hour. While some websites suggest adding a supplement to a starving dogs' diet, an article published at the Washington State University Veterinary College website states that those are unnecessary and will not speed recovery.
3. Write down how much your malnourished dog eats at each sitting, recording that and at what time the dog ate. After two days, the dog should be starting to consume the right amount of food for its size if all incremental feedings are added together. If not, try changing to wet food or to another high-quality brand of kibble. If all else fails, consult your vet about whether the dog must be force fed.
4. Continue this feeding schedule for at least three days and up to seven days, when the danger of Refeeding Syndrome passes. According to the Pet Center website, this syndrome occurs when a starved dog is fed too much too fast after an extended period of malnourishment, and can cause muscle weakness and cramping, as well as seizures and heart irregularities.
5. Weigh the dog once in the morning and once at night and average the two numbers together to get a daily weight that is less effected by loss bowel movements or vomiting, which the dog may be experiencing.
6. Allow the dog to sleep when not feeding. Some exhausted, malnourished dogs may sleep all the time that they aren't eating. Give the dog a warm, comfortable bed in which to recuperate. If your house is cold or has cold floors, you might try adding heated bottles of water to the pet's bed to keep it warm.
7. Take the dog on short walks daily after it has regained most of its weight; look for weights of at least 80 percent of the animal's ideal weight. Once the dog seems tired, bring it home immediately.
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