Boosting/improving immune system.(vitamins?)

Hey all, so I've had Juno for 4.5/6.5months of his life. Since the time I've had him he's already had a cold twice which in my POV is too much. He'll start with puking a week before for one day then a week after that one day he'll start sneezing and making this weird noise and then he has to be on antibiotics. He also doesn't seem to put on much weight he was 11lbs 2months ago and at 6.5month of age now he's 14.2lbs. so he gained about 1.5lbs/month which I believe is little for a growing puppy(he's eating TOTW). He eats about 1cup or 1.25cups a day and more during training days. I asked the vet and she said he appears healthy, smart, & normal so I shouldn't worry and that he may just be a tinnier corgi and maybe the runt of the litter. Despite the cuteness, comments, and joy everyone has with his size...it is def. concerning to me. As for colds, he had all his shots as a puppy including bordetella & lepto. so it's concerning that his immune system isn't so great.

With that said, I'm wondering if anyone has or knows about using vitamins and just giving that immune system and extra boost health wise. I'm not sure what I can or should give him. Any suggestions would be great!

He's also been sheeding a lot more this past 1.5weeks compared to before(see picture below; clump of fur from brushing today) I know corgies shed a lot but I've never brushed this mass amount of fur off him before and i brush almost everyday. Is there anything I can do or feed him to help with coat or shedding? His TOTW kibble is already salmon and has those fatty acids so I'm not sure if fish oil should be added.

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Permalink Reply by Jane on September 9, 2012 at 2:31pm

I would just up his food and see if that makes a difference before trying anything else. One cup a day is too little for a growing puppy in my experience.

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Permalink Reply by Cindi on September 19, 2012 at 11:25am

Same here. We're very cautious about how much the dogs get fed so as to avoid them getting too chubby. (And after getting Moira at 48 lbs we've learned how to diet them, too!) They're all different. Moira and Dundee, our older corgis, get 1 1/2 c. a day and maintain well. Rainer is a bit larger and gets 2 c. a day and we're about to up that 1/2 c. because he's a little too skinny right now. Harmony is a cardi-corgi and gets about 3 to 3 1/2 c. a day and does well on that. The little ones, Chloe and Maddie, get 1 c. to 1 1/2 c. each. They are both under 20 lbs and very small corgis. We monitor them closely to be sure they stay at proper weight. As for additives, each gets a tbs of cold-milled ground flaxseed with their dinners. The older ones get ground alfalfa seeds/flakes which helps tremendously with arthritis. And the older ones get Arnica in their food for pain. All get brewers yeast/garlic tabs for fleas. It's a lot to keep up with 9 dogs. (Soon to be 7 since the babies are going on transport next week.) But they are all very healthy, proper weight, and their mobility is great.

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Permalink Reply by Aber, Ragnar and Kelso on September 22, 2012 at 10:43am

To boost immune system: Probiotics. You can buy them in capsule or liquid form, add to food, or I just buy kefir at the Wegmans and put some on in their food in the morning. Kefir is low in sugar so it hasn't been ruined the way most yogurts in the store have been and it actually has more active cultures.