I have a 16 1/2 year old female sheltie (she'll be 17 in December). She's in good health now apart from some arthritis in her right shoulder from an old agility injury, but she's old and does become ill more easily than my younger dogs. She had a severe UTI a couple of months ago and between the infection and that the antibiotic wiped out her appetite, she's become quite thin, her spine is very noticeable. I did pretty much forcefeed her for 3 weeks while she was on the antibiotic and for a week following it until her appetite picked up, but she's still only willing to eat her usual quanitity of food, and sometimes I have to handfeed her the last bit of that to make sure she's getting it all inside her. All my dogs are on a fresh food diet (from Pitcairn's book for natural animal care). I've been trying to get some Nutrical into her with each meal to boost her calorie intake without stuffing her to the point of discomfort, and have been researching Satin Balls - any thoughts on those? She's due for her next blood panel but since the weight loss followed the UTI and antibiotic, and she's showing no signs of any illness at all now, I'm not expecting the panel to provide any new explanations for her weight. I'm concerned about going into the winter months without getting a little more weight on her and would appreciate any suggestions.

You should definitley check with your vet on a higher fat diet, especially with her age, you could be at a higher risk for developing pancreaitis.

Here are a few recipies I have always liked and use often, again, please consult with your vet before adding these into his diet.

lb (.45kg) hamburger mince (high fat content)
1 package cream cheese
1 jar all natural peanut butter
1 dozen egg yolks
1 cup rolled oats soaked in milk
1 jar wheat germ

Mix thoroughly (with hands is best).
Freeze into meal sized bags and thaw as needed


2 cups Dry Dog food
2 packs cream cheese
1½ cups Peanut Butter
½ cup Corn Oil
1 cup Cottage Cheese
1 pound Browned Hamburger (save some of the grease)

Blend dog food (crushed fine) and add remaining ingredients.
Mix till you have a doughy mixture add more dog meal as needed if consistency is too thin.
On wax paper spread some meal and roll out mixture into log shape.
Refrigerate until firm and slice as needed.
Feed them a slice or two several times during the day. Very high calorie... will put weight on fairly quick.