Hi all,

I recently got a 6 month old Rat Terrier puppy from someone at work. I'll spare you the details, other than to say that had I not taken the poor baby home, he wouldn't be among the living anymore. The people I got him from brought him to me with a sandwich baggie full of adult dog food in huge chunks. I was shocked that they had been feeding him that sort of food, because he was so tiny (about 2 1/2 pounds) and I couldn't imagine him being able to chew it. I was right.

  When I got him home and looked at him in the light I saw how thin and frail he was. His spine and ribs were showing and he shivered all the time because he had absolutely no body fat to keep him warm.

 It's been about a month now, and my little boy is filling out a bit. He eats Iams Smart Puppy in the small breed formula, and he has excellent muscle tone and his coat is bright and shiny. He looks so much healthier, and he's active and playful now, which he wasnt at first. He's up to 5 pounds now, and he has a new best friend, my 1 year old Lhasa Apso. But I'm wondering if my rattie's origional owners might have stunted his growth. He's gaining weight and muscle, but he's still a very tiny dog.  I don't have any previous experience with rat terriers. Any advice?

Welcome aboard.  You will find all Ratties in all sizes if you look around in the Photos:Ratties Forum.  Let's see how well I remember this.  There are two types: A and B, the type A has long slender legs with a slim body and the type B are short and stocky.  I think you can get both from the same litter.  There are also toy and miniature rat terriers.  Rat terriers and chihuahua (chi's) give you a rat-chi.  Some are also mixed with Jack Russell terriers and you get Jack Rats.

As long a he is happy and healthy you'll be happy Rattie people.

Glad he's doing better!  Poor nutrition at the start of life can certainly affect a puppy's health but you probably have a toy rattie, so he's supposed to be small.  A high quality food will help him now and in the future even more.  The Iams is a low quality food with too many fillers.  You can go to www.dogfoodproject.com to find out more about what ingredients are not good.  Also, you won't find the high quality foods at grocery stores, Petsmart or Walmart.  Petco is starting to carry some though like Natural Balance and Solid Gold.

Iams ingredients:

Ingredients: Chicken, Corn Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Fish Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp (Sugar Removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Fish Oil (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Dicalcium Phosphate, DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Calcium Carbonate

Yes,  but it depends on the type of meal.  In this case - Chicken By-Product Meal...see quote below from www.dogfoodproject.com on this:

Chicken Byproduct Meal

AAFCO: Consists of the dry, ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines -- exclusive of feathers except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices. Chicken byproducts are much less expensive and less digestible than the chicken muscle meat.The ingredients of each batch can vary drastically in ingredients (heads, feet, bones etc.) as well as quality, thus the nutritional value is also not consistent. Don't forget that byproducts consist of any parts of the animal OTHER than meat. If there is any use for any part of the animal that brings more profit than selling it as "byproduct", rest assured it will appear in such a product rather than in the "byproduct" dumpster.

lucky you! he looks REALLY cute! and the thing about rescue is the DOGS KNOW! you rescued him! REALLY!!! he is lucky to have found you! I I got Caesar at 18 mons as a rescue from a puppy mill and he has NEVER forgot it!He too was a cast-off and tiny and skinny with mange from poor nutrition but he soon plumped up very nice! and I found medication on- line to treat his mange,I feed the IIAMS smartpuppy-toy too...but I'm going to change next month when boys are 10&8 months EVERYBODY! Is ashy!! but otherwise healthy...Shamus is putting on too much weight,so vet says a change is in order,until then I'm feeding them more raw/;food ,and vegies till then,i'm hoping I can find the Natural here...Im going to have to go to a feed store I think we only have petsmart/petco.I've only been her a couple of months so I need to try to find something else soon...Any IDEAS? 

do ANY of those make a GOOD puppy? If really like to keep them on puppy for a while longer if I couldI have just enough left of IIAMS toswitch over but I don't want to go get more of that if I'm switching...I'll look at there web site though THANKS!I HAVE to have a LOT! of oil, DHA/ OMEGA's or they will be STILL  very ASHEY!

humm LOOK!

You are not logged in [Login Now] View Cart | About Us | Contact Us

well got!!! it!! I'm going to go get this!Sounds ferfect!

well ...just got back from PeTCO!$$ ended up with the(Dick van Pattons) NaruralBalance (small bites duck & potatoe) is says for allergy's and i like the fact that its for dogs AND PUPS!!!so I won't have to change AGAIN! and caesar who eats w/ them is 5 and well see....I just hope its not to fatting for Shamus! its main ingreadient is POTATOES!And I know what they do to ME!for anybody interested its 27.99 +tax for 12 lbs kind of preicy for feeding 3! but with the addition of my vegies that should keep the price down right?

I went to there web site and they said where it was located! Petco had both Solid gold and Natural Balance but I liked the idea of the food for pups and dogs cause like you; Im right on the edge of changing to dog verses puppy food so this works for me price is the same...well see how they eat it! I missed it in the rest of there Iams to get a gradual change,(good Idea)!BUT THEY LIKE DUCK&salmon! so it should work.

I am feeding NB Potato & Duck small bites to Spanky...so far,so good!! His itching has stopped almost completely, his coat is showing some sheen & he loves the taste

oh these guys are nice and shinny but so ashey! and dry the Iams was suppose to help it IT MADE IT WORSE!So I hope it works!the Proplan for( toy pups) they were on before the pulled it was better,so I hope I'm though!