[Dailydrool] How do you put weight ON a Cushings Basset

[Heidi I Sarver]

I just returned from a week+ in Pasadena, CA  and since I couldn't  
find a house sitter the pups were boarded at my vet.  And of course,  
to add to the boarding cost, both Buford and Guinness (the cat) were  
due for all their annual vaccinations, physicals, etc....and to add  
insult to injury, Della developed a lovely UTI prior to my  
departure.  That's the bad news.  The GOOD news is that Buford's  
annual tests all came back GREAT and for the first time in ages  
things seem to be "under control."

Except one itsy bitsy thing:  his weight.

The boy had gone from 65 to 48 about 2 years ago and I've managed to  
get him back up to between 52-55 the last 6 months.  Since starting  
him on the Trilostane for Cushings he's managed to gain a couple lbs  
and has maintained 57 lbs for the last month.  But his is thin  
regardless.  You can feel ribs and shoulder blades, and his spine has  
little meat on it as well.  To look at him you would say he was  
perfect.  But when you feel him, you instantly realize that there is  
not much there.

So without overfeeding the guy (because the last thing I want is  
bloat!) does anyone with Cushing's pups have any advice on achieving  
some mild weight gain over a safe period of time?  I know he has lost  
tons of muscle and now that his energy level better we started our  
daily walks again (Buford hasn't gone for a regular daily walk in  
over 2 years---he simply didn't have the energy to even WANT to go!   
Now?  He drags my sorry butt down the sidewalk!  But he gets tired  
quickly so the return trip takes some time.)  He probably needs to be  
between 60-65 lbs for his body size, and that was the weight he was  
at when he was most healthy.

Happy New Year Everyone!

--Heidi   (Back from the Rose Parade--if you watched I was one of the  
band directors who put the Super/Mega unit together with the Sesame  
Street theme and the 315-member National Honor Band...winning the  
President's Trophy was fun but I missed the pups so much!  Maybe they  
could have ridden with Big Bird and Bob....next time!)
--Buford, OEBE Garbagemeister Extraordinaire (The next time the  
MomPerson walks away from the kitchen counter the chicken breast will  
be mine!)
--Della (I hate UTI's, and they just keep coming back!)
--Guinness the cat (mom shut me up in a cage at the vet's...does she  
really think I'm NOT going to rip the sides off the couch tonight?!)