Found a bony dog and i dont know what to do?

I found a bony dog and I don't know what to do. Its so dirty and the dog smells. I gave it some food and it ate. I might go to Wall - Mart To buy some food but I don't know what to get. The puppy looks so weak. should I get the hard rock kinda food? or the soft or can food? Its late and i tried to call the animal shelter but nobody is picking up. It's so bony........... i can feel its ribs.
if you know what to do please tell me.

do you think something is wrong with it? it wont walk it wont cry its just sleeps and its not like any dog i see when i see dogs. they usally wag their tail or something. but this dog is just sitting in one spot and starts sleeping.

First of all, thank you so much for helping this poor dog. Try searching online, in your phone book or call information and see if there are other shelters in your area (No-Kill would be better). Or call up a vet, SPCA or animal hospital and explain the situation. They'll give you better advice than what you'll find on here. It needs emergency vet care as soon as possible. Is it a puppy or a full grown dog? I wouldn't suggest bathing it if it's full grown. Obviously, it's in some kind of discomfort and distress if it isn't wagging it's tail and if you bathe it, it may panic and lash out. It's also very weak, so bathing it would most likely cause it to get even weaker if it catches a draft. Try using a cloth with warm water or buy dog bath wipes. It is most likely dehydrated, so keep a big bowl of fresh water out for it at all times. You should get both canned and dry food. Mix a little of the dry food in with each can of food you give it. I say this because you really shouldn't feed it all dry food in the state that it's in right now. It needs the extra water content from soft/canned food. Don't give it heeps of it all at once, but feed it small amounts all throughout the day. This will help it digest the food properly and put some weight back on. Good luck and I hope everything turns out well.

ASPCA - I think this is only for NY and NJ residents, but they may be able to point you in the right direction. You didn't specify what area you are in, so google it and look for the SPCA hotline:
http://www.aspca.org/
http://www.aspca.org/about-us/contact-us...

Check his teeth and if they look ok than hard kibble should be ok, make sure he has plenty of water, he's probably dehydrated and he could be very sick, he needs to be seen by a vet ASAP. You can wash him if your very, very gentle and if you don't have dog shampoo, you can use baby shampoo or dawn dish soap. Don't use Dawn all the time but it's ok for occasional uses. Make sure you don't get it in his eyes.

Well you should start off with soft food, since the dog is weak.
The food will give it energy which will result in more strength.
Gradually move on to harder foods. Adult dogs should eat hard food if they dont have a problem with it. Try hiding treats in the bowl.

And yes you should wash it, there is also breath mints and perfume for dogs. If his teeth are yucky buy dog toothpaste and brush them.

Do not abandon this helpless animal.

You should wash him up with a gentle soap and make sure he is free of fleas and other insects. Depending on the size of the breed a dry dog food mixed with warm water and an egg for protein will work good for the dog. If it doesn't like hard food a soft food like moist and meaty will work well. websites like www.purina.com, www.vet.com or www.seefido.com may have answers to anymore questions you might have.

www.purina.com, www.vet.com or www.seefido.com complete dog ownes guide

if its really young you could buy the hard kibbles and put them in a little bit of water so theyll soften up or buy the wet food. if its kinda young its your choice. it sounds like its really tired. i would let it sleep or if it smells super bad give it a bath. but you should probably buy dog shampoo cuz im not sure if human shampoo is good for them or not. call the pound in the morning. if its a puppy it should be adopted in no time

Thanks for rescuing this dog-sounds like he needed your help. If you think he is strong enough for a bath, it may help. He is also probably dehydrated, so make sure he has plenty of water available. If you are going to Wal-Mart, visit (www.dogfoodanalysis.com) and find a higher quality food. Maybe offer both dry and canned food.

I would take him in the to vet tomorrow to get some help. He maybe healthy, just severely underweight. But make him comfortable tonight (food, water) and get some help for him tomorrow.

I would def. give it a bath so your mom does not get mad. You can give him/her cooked boneless chicken or beef. The dog is prob. weak from not eating & drinking. Thanks for caring! Your a good person for helping the poor dog. :)

owner of 6 dogs, one was the same way when i took her

take it to a vet for treatment, or phone an animal charity so they can pick it up, look after it and re-home it. Never abandon a weak or stray dog.

He is just weak but there could b something wrong with him just watch him till u can get a hold of a vet if u can keep him warm u can bath him but if i was u i would wait

Get it some dry and canned puppy food,as it has more calories.And don't bathe it tonight,just let it eat and sleep. You can buy doggy wipes at Walmart in the pet section to clean it up a little bit.You can also get some Hartz Rid Worm for dogs and give it to the poor thing may have been lost for a long time,or it may have been abused.The dog should see a vet as well.

Edit: Hartz Rid Worm for dogs is fine.It contains Pyrantel Pamoate,the same medicine that vets use. It is the Hartz Flea medication that is not safe.

If he/she is not too stressed out by it, run a warm, shallow bath with a tiny bit of human hair shampoo and gently rub him and and massage him in it to loosen the dirt. Keep the room as stress free as possible, use very soft lighting, keep people out of it and talk to him soothingly while you wash him. when you take him out just wrap him in 2 or 3 towels and cuddle him - vigorous rubbing could stress him out and cause his heart to fail since he is so malnourished. It is important not to leave him uncovered without a heat source while he is wet too.

I would go and get some wet canned puppy food, warm it just a little in the microwave and try putting it in front of him. I think there is also puppy milk in the pet food section, so if he is too weak to eat you might consider using a syringe to gently try and feed him with it. DONT try and force him to do anything, as it will put extra strain on his heart.
Most importantly, get him to the vet first thing in the morning, or at least contact an animal shelter who will assume care of him, one way or another.

Most likely it weak because of it starving. Hence the reason it doesn't have the strength to wag or walk. Why it problaby want to sleep.

Only give it handful of dry biscuit as it probably hasn't eaten anything in such a long time. If you give him a full meal & he hasn't had a meal in such a long time, then it can cause a refeeding syndrome

Call a vet & ask their exact advice
-I rather not take him to an animal shelter in his conditon because alot of them wouldn't give them a chance.

Could you get to the vet and take him their for weigh in so you can see how much he ways & whether he micochipped?

http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/recove...

Gradually increase the meals slowly.
I would got with the dry food because it higher in fat & you want to put weight on the dog, wet food will help reduce the weight because it lower in fat. You can see if he eats the wet though, but he not going to put on much weight with wet food
Remember you can soften the dry food.

Don't buy hartz-been alot of problem with their brand of worming! Ask the vet if it okay to worm him 1st & the best worm medication to use, the vet may recommended him NOT to be wormed just yet because of his skinny state. Worming will make him loose more weight because the worm medication make him have dirreah. Canned food can also have this effect on dogs. So that why i'm going for the dry.

Look for a puppy food that is High in protein & fats, if you can try & get one with added Omega 3 & Omega 6 if possible too.

Give him water at all times-However you may have to cup the water in your hands to give it to him if he hasn't drunk in a while.

okay well first off go to the store and get SOFT food! do you have any others dogs or animals because if you do keeps them away from it!!! it could have ring worm or mange or something and give it to the other animals in the house. if it doesnt eat you might need to get a serenge and put it in the dogs mouth. but be careful. it isnt your dog so you dont know it well.
but i think before you do any of that go to yellow pages or something and they can find a 24-hour animal hospital i advise you take it to them or ask them first before you do anything.

sounds like the dog is starving and needs to be fed some food. do not give him large quantities of food at one time as he will just devour it and not digest it and not get any benefit from the food. feed in small quantities, and I would get the wet food to feed him at first. he is probably dehydrated also so if you can give him water that would be good too. the dog should see a vet or an emergency clinic as soon as possible, as he probably needs an iv drip and some fluids quickly. if you have an emergency clinic or hospital in your area, take the dog in there now to help save his life. you can clean it up with a warm wet wash cloth, but do not submerge the dog in water or use a hose or anything on him in his current state. he may catch a chill and this could be very bad for him in the condition he is currently in. wrap him in some blankets and keep him as warm as possible. if you have a heating pad, put it on low, and put some towels over it then lay the dog on it covered with a towel or blanket. you really should get the dog to a vet as soon as possible.