animal abused?

Im really angry right now and think i need to vent here considering i've used up all other possible venting ... locations.

I just got my puppy back from one of those Kennel's you put your dog in when you go away for on vacation. He's 6 1/2 months old and has been there for four weeks.

Looks like this puppy: http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/america...e_pit_bull.jpg, only much cuter.

He's an Amstaff - official name for a breed of the pitbull.

Before i took him in, he was lean and weighed about 22kg - now i have him back his ribs are showing, he seems stressed out and quite scared.
I'm really not happy with how my dog has been treated, im taking him to the vet this week to get him weighed, and im thinking about calling the Kennel and talking to them, or perhaps going to someone else.

Has anyone else been in this position? seems silly but id really appreciate some advice.

I can understand your concern but 4 weeks is a long time to board your dog. Was this your first time boarding your dog ? Have you ever left your dog for this period of time before ? What was the kennel like ?
The longest I ever boarded my dog I think was 10 days and it was torture for me. When we went to pick her up it turns out she had developed kennel cough while she was there. I never took my dog back to that place. Now whenever I have to board her, I take her to my vet and she stays there.

First time yes.
He was only feeding him once a day - which i think is far too little for a puppy.

didn't they ask how often he is fed at home ? If not I am surprised.

They didn't ask, i made a point of informing them.
This is my point, it's not like im whining that my dog wasn't treated like a god - i'm complaining because he was treated very poorly it seems, and is acting emotionally distressed.

He is generally fed twice a day, with the best of the best, i feed him both nutritious dog biscuits and great quality meat + an egg.

I didnt expect him to be fed as well as i fed him, but he's a growing animal, and as you can tell from his breed, has high levels of energry.

IF you have to board your dog another time, check with your vet to see if they know a reputable place. Not all places are bad.
I'm really surprised that they did not ask how often your dog is fed. At my vet, they always ask how often is your dog fed and what type of food (dry or moist and brand).
Did your dog get any excercise while at the kennel that you know of ?

The kennel came recommended by the vet.
My cats go to an amazing catery - though they both come back a little fat each time.

Yes he had excercise, apparantly. I was told he had to be isolated at one point - he gets excited i mean, he IS a puppy, but i have a feeling they didnt let him out

I've worked for a vet for 4 years now, and we boarded pets at our clinic as well.

I wouldn't be surprised if stress has a lot to do with the weight loss, especially if your puppy is used to having someone with him (her? sorry) almost all the time, and/or has anxiety/separation issues. It can also be stressful if your puppy isn't used to being around other dogs. It's very likely he had some contact/ interaction with other dogs which can be very overwhelming for a youngster (also depends on the breed).

I trip to the vet is always a good idea though, if you're really concerned. Another possibility is worms, as well. They're extremely common in puppies, and can cause dramatic weight loss, so you might want to bring a fecal sample to your vet to be tested.

Hmm..what else..A change in food can also cause sudden weight loss. Did you leave your pup's regular food with it? If not, your puppy may not have liked the food they provided so he may have eaten less than usual, or the sudden change could have caused an upset stomach and therefore weight loss.

There are a lot of different reasons why your puppy could have lost so much weight. I'm sorry to hear about it though; that's really upsetting! I hope it wasn't a case of mistreatment, but having your vet check it out is probably your best bet, especially with a puppy!!

He had a sore ear, an infection, i gave the kennel the antibiotics and it seems like they havent distributed them to him, nothing has changed.

Yes he is generally around others, but this place was meant to have one on one time with him, but like i said, he was apparantly isolated.

Four weeks for a mature dog is a long time. Four weeks for a six month old puppy is a life time. I don't know what happened at the kennel, but if you ask me limajean a puppy should not have been baorded. Puppies are babies and babies need attention to develop emotionally. Can you imagine a baby not having a parent around for four weeks, and four weeks in a dogs life is longer than a human. Being left alone for four weeks was a mistake. You have to share some of that blame.

I really had no other option, at all, and because of his breed, most people were not willing to take him.
But yes, i take some of the blame, infact i feel absolutely terrible.

limajean, I agree with Virgil and with *Classic*...no doubt he was really confused and had separation anxiety. My son and his wife used to watch their friend's dog, Gizmo once in a while. He was kind of hyper and once he went to the bathroom and threw up all over their dining room. It was just from stress. He was gated in during the part of a day while they were out; but he had been used to being there before this. Dogs aren't much different than humans, and really to take such a small puppy (baby) away from it's owner for 4 weeks is a bit excessive. It is not like you can say to him 'this is temporary, I will return.' He probably thought you abandoned him. Well, have him checked out and I hope he gets over this trauma and gains his weight back. I feel badly for him and for you. He probably didn't like their food and his routine was greatly altered, as well. Add all those factors up and one can see how he would lose some weight. Just love him and treat him with extra attention now and he will probably come around fine.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by limajean

I really had no other option, at all, and because of his breed, most people were not willing to take him.
But yes, i take some of the blame, infact i feel absolutely terrible.

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Well, don't kill yourself over it. What's done is done. Now what the pup needs is regularity, attention, and exercise. By regularity I mean feeding times, playing times, walking times, and sleeping times. It's regularity that socializes and structure, probably for humans too, though I have not had the prevlidge of raising a child. The pup will be ok. Just will need a little extra effort. :)

Oh i love him to the point its insane.

Bath him every single day, speak to him, make sure he gets great excercise, socialize him with other animals, lord - his bed is better than mine.

I'm really upset though, i'm hoping he'll get better, it was going to cost nearly 2000 to bring him with me ( country to country ) and him being a puppy, he'd be near open roads etc.
I really feel awful, like i've broken his trust :\

But yes, i agree Virgil, structure, he'll get there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by limajean

Oh i love him to the point its insane.

Bath him every single day, speak to him, make sure he gets great excercise, socialize him with other animals, lord - his bed is better than mine.

I'm really upset though, i'm hoping he'll get better, it was going to cost nearly 2000 to bring him with me ( country to country ) and him being a puppy, he'd be near open roads etc.
I really feel awful, like i've broken his trust :\

But yes, i agree Virgil, structure, he'll get there.

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Unfortunately you had no good choices. The trip might have been just as stressful.