I am not expert in any canine or medical field, but I agree...it is absolutely ABNORMAL for dogs to be in that condition.
To be fair, there are foods that lack any form of real nutrition...little to no protein, fat, etc...and you can feed the dog large quantities of those 'foods' and they will still lose weight rapidly.
A similar thing happened to a large breed (Shep/Lab) mix of mine in the '80's...she went through a 15-20 lb. bag of food...free feeding...in a week and lost sufficient weight that it was noticeable, so I switched her food like magic and she gained back the weight she'd lost. That food was highly and proudly advertised and not a cheap ($) product, but is no longer sold...didn't last long on the market (I wonder why? lol), and has been extinct for decades...but I am aware of others, too.
Pet foods sold in 'dollar'-type and 'cut price' stores can be notoriously devoid of anything worthwhile to consume. There is also a lot of misplaced trust in commercial foods...a lot of people just don't know a healthy/quality product...or maybe cannot afford one...or think they cannot, not realizing that the better quality the food, the less quantity is needed.
If the dogs are being fed ultra cheap (quality) commercial food...foods that are basically 'filler', there is a possibility of some element of 'truth' to the story. Regardless of whether the dogs are getting no nutrition from inferior food or getting insufficient amounts of appropriate food...if dogs are being fed improperly and are losing weight until ribs and spines are sticking out...well, wrong...wrong...wrong...and 'shame on them' for not changing their feed LONG ago to correct the problem. The dogs need help...proper food would be my first guess...or maybe they need to checked out for intestinal parasites, tapeworm, etc. if they are eating an appropriate quantity of quality food...but something is definitely wrong.
I have rescued dogs in similar condition...one dog was so weak and emaciated she couldn't keep food down at first. She bounced back and filled out beautifully though, and was just the sweetest, smartest thing...I found her a wonderful furever home with 2 young boys...she LOVED little boys!
Another large breed mix (Shep/Lab) was about 70-75 pounds when he was rescued and came to my house...at least 2 or so years old...in 1999. It was temporary, supposedly...lol...but that baby lived with me until Feb. 2011 when he passed. His average, healthy, weight was about 120 lbs. and, again, food made the difference.
I don't know if the owner just needs to learn better care for her dogs, or if they need a better owner, but, if there is anything you can do to help those dogs, please consider assisting. |