Caring for a neglected and starved dog can
be difficult but fulfilling work. Outlined below
are the steps you can take to help your starved
dog through the journey to healthy and fit.
1. Crisis Intervention
You find a stray obviously neglected and starving.
Your first step is to ensure your own safety-
be sure the dog is friendly and if you aren’t
sure use a muzzle. (If you’re a dog person,
a muzzle belongs with your safety blanket and
spare tire) Get the dog to someplace temperature
controlled immediately, as starved dogs are
extremely sensitive to heat and cold.
Introduce food to the dog in small quantities
(about 15-20% of what you would typically feed
a dog that size) every 20-30 minutes. Do NOT
let the dog gorge himself. Use puppy food or
a high protein performance food if possible.
You should be feeding the best quality puppy
food you can afford- it steals calories away
for them to have to work digesting a lesser
quality food. Keep this dog separate from your
other pets until a veterinarian can screen it.
Most starved dogs will seem exhausted because
they have no food for energy. Let the dog sleep,
keep it warm, and move to step two as soon as
possible. Supplement with 1-2 IU of Vitamin
E per pound of body weight to help the body
recover faster.
2. Veterinary Care
Starvation is rarely caused by a lack of food
alone. Parasites and infection may also be robbing
the dog of energy. Get to the vet as soon as
possible to have the dog examined and for specific
advise in helping the dog gain weight.
3. Fat Building
Once the dog is determined to be healthy, continue
with small to medium meals three to four times
a day. For extremely starved dogs, every bit
of energy goes into keeping them alive, so it’s
typical for an emaciated dog to sleep 22-23
hours a day. Just keep the dog warm and allow
them time for their body to heal. Even as she
gains weight she won’t want to play much
at first. Give treats freely and stuff Kong
toys with peanut butter and yogurt for a high
calorie snack. The dog may gain a few pounds
immediately and stop for a week or longer. This
is normal and just a result of the dog’s
body recovering. If weight gain does not resume
in 2 weeks you should consult your veterinarian.
4. Muscle Tone
Once your dog gets up to 80-90% of their ideal
weight you can start feeding regular adult food
or only puppy food at the noon meal. At this
point it is time to start working on building
muscle tone. During extreme starvation, the
body feeds off the muscle tissue in the body,
so starved dogs may have no muscle to speak
of. (which also explains the weakness in earlier
stages) Daily walks are important to help build
muscle, just watch the dog’s body language
as an indicator of how much exercise is enough.
One rescue in our home walked funny and seemed
to move uncomfortably when because she was so
thin that she just had no soft tissue to cushion
her bones. We thought it was hip problems initially
but after 6 months at a healthy weight, all
joint problems were gone.
5. Maintenance
Once your dog reaches a healthy weight and has
begun to build muscle tone he’s well on
his way to health. You’ll be surprised
over the course of the next few months at the
new, healthy coat that will begin to grow and
how much energy your dog will have. Even after
your dog reaches a healthy weight you should
be considerate of their body and remember that
extreme starvation can have an effect on their
body for up to 12 months. If you want to jog
with the dog or begin agility training with
it you should consult your veterinarian first.
