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.

I have a very sad update...

I did contact animal control and the officer convinced the owner to give the dogs to a rescue because she was unable to care for them properly. I found out that both dogs had severe cases of parasites and were obviously extremely malnourished.

I know a local police officer and he informed me today that she is now being charged criminally because the black lab has died. She was 2 years old and only 37lbs. I am so extremely sad. I wish I could have done something sooner to save her life. :(

The whole situation is so extremely sad. Why do people have animals if they aren't going to take care of them? I will never get that so I don't even want to think about it.

You did the right thing and all you could do. The lab would've died anyway and followed by the other dog. At least now, the second dog has a chance. Thank you for stepping in and doing what you could do! :thumbup:

I am so sorry to hear this...so sad. You did what you could, and bless you for what you did for those babies. I hope you can find some emotional peace in spite of this tragic situation. {{{Hugs}}}

I agree you did what you could.

How can people be so cruel... Our local Humane Society has a 'Feed the Hungry' program for animals. A simple call for help (food) will bring massive amounts of donated pet food. There is no excuse for having a pet that is not fed properly. Likewise for Spay/neuter. I'll bet that if you dig into the owner's background, you will find abuse and neglect... The same factors that create abused/neglected children will create similar conditions in pets. The conditions do not seem harsh to the perpetrators. Cruelty begets cruelty... Humans do not need to demonstrate competency to have babies or pets. I suggest to you that the people who were neglecting their pets would also be neglecting their children if they were present. It's a very, very sad situation, and for the present, unsolveable.

It could be this person would rather spend their money on themselves rather than on food for their pets. No wonder they fight. The poor dogs are dying of hunger. It could be they also have some serious worms but that would not account for them being that thin.

You really do need to report these people. Call the local shelter or police or animal control officer. Tell them you want a report about what was done. They may give her a warning but if they do they need to have a date to come back and check on how the dogs are doing. I hope someone helps them soon.

I just saw your update. How sad. At least you did what you could.

An update for those of you who replied to my original thread:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...made-news.html