Ambi has lost weight, I think it is because she is hot, she's not all that hungry and I've been having some stress and she's picking up on it (she's like the littlest mum) So I've increased her food she gets Natural Balance LID (for allergies)dry, and I've now added a wet food to tempt her. Does anyone know of a good weight gaining supplement? I was thinking of doing nutri-cal which I've used for another animal to prevent weight loss when she had a broken jaw.

My other question, Ambi LOVES her red ring, she does 180's and 360's and flies in the air to catch it, on a couple of occasions she's missed and its landed in relatively short grass and even though maybe 2'' from her nose she can't find it, sniffs all around... I've picked the ring up and moved it in my hand and she does track it with her eyes but I'm wondering if this could be a sign of a vision prob. or just dogs don't see red on green as well? (although she finds it at other times). Its very curious.

My vent: walking her last night, loose small dog ran out from behind its yard to come at poor leashed Ambi who was on a public sidewalk-loose dog was definitely posturing then loose dog's owner yelled at us! Ambi did really well, didn't get hysterical and was controllable. But why is it these small dog owners don't apologize and blame the bigger dog??? Maybe its the area I live in but this is happening more and more frequently. Oh well, at least it helps with Ambi's BAT.

For the future, three threads would be better, with real titles. You'll get way more (and faster) help if you have, say, "Dogs seeing color" and "How to put on weight" as subjects. (Really kind of a general note to all of us. )

The "rant" part will probably get lots of agreement! It does from me!

Here's a color start:
At http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40419962/ns/health-pet_health/t/dogs-arent-color-blind-other-surprising-myths-about-pets/#.T_XX_hzxbqc ...

“Dogs do see in color. However, they see differently than most people do and are less able to distinguish between colors. Veterinary ophthalmologists have determined that dogs see like people who have red/green color blindness. Dogs’ eyes have receptors for blue and green shades, but not for red shades. As a result, it appears that dogs cannot easily distinguish between yellow, green and red, but they can identify different shades of blue, purple and gray. Color is only one of many visual stimuli that dogs detect in their environment. Brightness, contrast, and especially motion, are extremely important to a dog’s interpretation of what it sees.”

Also,
http://www.mikeettner.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/dog-vision-color-spectrum-compared-to-man2.jpg



About the weight: ONLY fat has more calories than protein or carbs.

So most of the so-called weight-keeping recipes rely either on fat, or on sugar to tempt the dog to eat more of it. Satin Balls, for example, contain a slew of questionable (for dogs) ingredients and I hate to see them recommended.

Before recommending anything, is there a canned food that's balanced (perhaps a bit high in fat) that causes her to eat more if it's added to her regular food?

If not, there are ways to slowly and gradually add a little extra fat that we can talk about. Care has to be taken about diarrhea and about not throwing the macronutrients in the diet totally out of whack.

PS
I just noticed:

"Ambi has lost weight, I think it is because she is hot, she's not all that hungry and I've been having some stress and she's picking up on it (she's like the littlest mum) So I've increased her food she gets Natural Balance LID (for allergies)dry ..."

To clarify, if she's not eating, not hungry, how will increasing the food offered help?

Is she leaving food in the dish (which was what I initially assumed)?

I'm also asking this to nail down that it IS lack of appetite from heat, etc., and not something that needs a vet visit.

Has there been a fecal done lately?

I read a book on dog senses and it said the best colors for a dog to pick out of the way they see grass is blue and white mixed. Like a ball that had big blue and white areas.

Sorry about that I didn't want to overuse posting.

 Quote: Jodi Moen

Sorry about that I didn't want to overuse posting.

No no! Never an issue to split different topics into their own threads!

I asked about a fecal because of worms. Any evidence, or any fecal lately?

Also,

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

PS
I just noticed:

"Ambi has lost weight, I think it is because she is hot, she's not all that hungry and I've been having some stress and she's picking up on it (she's like the littlest mum) So I've increased her food she gets Natural Balance LID (for allergies)dry ..."

To clarify, if she's not eating, not hungry, how will increasing the food offered help?

Is she leaving food in the dish (which was what I initially assumed)?

I'm also asking this to nail down that it IS lack of appetite from heat, etc., and not something that needs a vet visit.

She had a vet visit about 3 months ago, fecal was negative. She eats, but sometimes will turn her nose up if it doesn't have the acceptable topping. She is eating but leaving some food in the dish. I think she is just burning more calories, we are walking a bit more, quite a bit longer walks morning one is about 6 miles, evening is perhaps 3, and she is playing her fetch. She lost about 5 lbs but she is little around 60lbs or so. I added the wet food thinking it would tempt her more. She has a good attitude, bright eyed and alert, and curious otherwise. Poop is normal looking, not smelly. Coat is shiny. Her itching and skin have improved since she's been on LID diet. Enjoys her treats and cookies, just doesn't seem to have as much appetite for the dry food.