Hello,

I have two great dane mixes. They are mostly dane, but their mom is a doberman. They are very friendly and well-mannered. They always remain outside and sleep warmly in the garage. They are both sisters and 8 months old.

They were given to us and Fibi eats well and was much healthier than Maya. The more my husband and I spend with both of them, the more we notice that Maya is more submissive and quiet. She seems to be getting skinnier and doesn't seem to be eating enough. We can clearly see her ribs and below her neck her skin is very loose. We compare her with her sister Fibi because Fibi plays, drinks plenty of water, and comes near you when you want to price her with something to eat. She continues to eat very well; however, it is Maya whom we are very worried about.

I do plan to go by Petsmart to see what they recommend. I got her vitamins and my husband tried to put them in her mouth but she spit them out. We also tried giving her a home-cooked meal and place vitamins in it but she also wouldn't take it. We feed them both pedigree dry food.

I appreciate any help or ideas on this. Many thanks..

- Worried in Texas

Please do not go to Petsmart for answers to your dog's problem. The clerks there can only guess as to what her problem is and will sell you a bunch of stuff that may not be needed. Don't try vitamins or anything else that is not recommended by a qualified veterinarian. Spend the money you would have spent at Petsmart and put it toward an appointment with her veterinarian for a thorough health check, including a blood panel. That really is your best option at finding out if there is something wrong.

Read the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171 It is possible one is more Great Dane than the other. They are one of several breeds where it is common for the dog not to eat enough to keep its ribs covered. If that is the case, the best thing is to see to it that it get all the Pedigree it will eat, and nothing else. The less a dog eats, the more important it is that every bite is a carefully formulated chow that is a complete and balanced diet. Home cooked meals an vitamins will never duplicate a good chow.

I do hope you have them on the adult version now. An early switch to adult chow in larger breeds is better for their joints.

I do have one reliable report of putting an excessively thin dog on Pedigree, so stick with it.

Oh, you will see in my sticky that I do agree with RubyPitbull on the vet. There is no mention of vitamins from Petsmart in the sticky.