underweight?

hi, i am a bit concerned about my puppy, a few months ago i went away for 2 weeks, when i cam back the babysitter for my dog had told me that he had not eaten for the hole time i was away, it took a while to get him eating again before i managed to get him eating, but all he will eat now is cat food, he is so skinny but eats 2-4 times a day... plus gets food of my little sisters, i thought he might have worms but i have wormed him several times with the capstar worming and flea tablets, i dont no what else to do, could any one help me? thanks hannah xx

What was he on?
Becky

he was on pedigree dog food but disliked it so i tried him on a various of dog foods, but he kept going to the cats bowl instead and eating that so i just let him have cat food
hannah

He's got you very well trained then! You need to find a quality feed, whether dry or wet and stick to it. He wont starve himself to death unless he's very ill. Leave the food donw for 20 mins then take away. Make sure he can't get at the cat food otherwise he'll just keep helping himself!
Becky

Hi Hannah welcome to Dogsey

Have you asked your vets advice in case there is a medical reason why he is off his food? I may be wrong here, but I had always thought that dogs should not be eating cat food as there is too much protein in it for dogs. What was your breeder feeding him?

I'm not advising it but our Vet told me that he feeds both his dogs cat food as it seems to be the best thing for them. That's what he said!

well... i thought that cat food was good for them i have been on many sites before this and one person said it was highly poisonous for dogs so i checked it out with the vets and they said that it is most certainly NOT poisonous for dogs to eat cat food, i have been to the vets but they keep saying ' give him time' i have been twice to the vets now and they kept saying the same thing, i just keep asuming it was down to being spoiled because i used to have too spoon feed him lmao, but now he is eating plenty and not putting any weight on, i also know that i have to be carefull of how much i give him because they are very prone to getting obese and also prone to getting heart problems.
hannah xx

We've just been through a similar situation with Odi (12 months). I chatted the situation through with his breeder and she told me that he was controlling the food situation.

Next mealtime, go through the motions of preparing food, except put down an empty bowl and walk away - go back as soon as your dog walks away from it and remove the bowl. Do this for 24 hours.

At the first mealtime the next day, put in a teaspoon of food, and double the amount every mealtime until you're back to the amount he should be eating.

I was a bit sceptical but willing to try anything 'cos I had a freezerful of meat!!!!

It worked like a dream. Be prepared for whining and pleading looks whilst the bowl is empty but it puts you firmly back in control of what/when he's eating.

Odi is back on a fully raw diet, although a lesser amount daily than before because I suspect I was over-feeding him.

HTH

thanks for that but the problem is, is that he eats out of my cats bowl because he wouldnt eat out of his own bowl and there would be no way of stopping the dog from eating the cats food

Could you put your cats dish on the kitchen worktop or somewhere higher where he can't reach them?