i just got a dog from a friend and it seems to be really UNDER weight, how do i get the dog to gain weight ?

Question

ok i am feeding the dog obviously. i am concerned though because it will NOT eat the dog food but when i bring out table scraps it chows them down like it is starving to death.

Answer 1

"Satin Ball" recipe for dogs who won't eat
This recipe is for dogs who desperately need calories and need to put on weight, but who have no appetite. It sounds yucky, but when these are done they are really appealing, even to me.
In my experience, this is a kind of "last resort and hope" food that many sick dogs will eat.
Mix all ingredients (like meatballs). I shape them like thick hamburgers rather than balls because they store easier in the freezer and thaw faster. Freeze in serving portion size. Nothing is cooked -- all ingredients are uncooked RAW and "Satin Balls" are served raw.

This recipe for Little Dogs (1/10 of full recipe) would be a good test to see if your dog will eat them before you make the substantial investment in ingredients of the half or full size recipe. See Notes below about the Total cereal, oats, wheat germ and vegetable oil.

Satin Balls for Little Dogs -- or to try out recipe on your dog to see if he will eat it.

1 lb cheap hamburger (for high fat %)
1 and 1/3 cups Total cereal
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal
1 raw egg
6 Tablespoons wheat germ
1 package Knox unflavored gelatin
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons unsulphered molasses
Pinch of salt

Satin Balls Half Recipe -- recommended amount to mix up

5 lbs cheap hamburger (for high fat %)
1/2 large box Total cereal (about 6 cups cereal)
1/2 large box uncooked oatmeal (about 7.5 cups oats)
5 raw eggs
1/2 of 15oz jar wheat germ (about 2 cups)
5 packages Knox unflavored gelatin
5/8 cup vegetable oil (this is pretty close to 2/3 cup)
5/8 cup unsulphered molasses
pinch of salt

The half recipe, using hamburger that is 20% fat calories, has 12,400 calories. The last batch I made ended up making 22 patties, so each has about 560 calories. I have big dogs (Danes) so if your dog is smaller you might want to make your Satin Balls or patties smaller.

I find that making the half recipe is so much easier that it is worth doing even though you have half-boxes of things around for awhile and have to mix it up twice as often. The disadvantage of the full recipe is the need of a really BIG container and it is very hard work to mix it all up.

Satin Balls Full Recipe

10 lbs cheap hamburger (high fat %)
1 large box Total cereal (about 12 cups cereal)
1 large box uncooked oatmeal (about 15 cups oats)
10 raw eggs
1 15oz jar wheat germ
10 packages Knox unflavored gelatin
1 and 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 and 1/4 cup unsulphered molasses
pinch of salt

Notes:
"Whole Wheat Total" cereal (blue box) comes in large 1 lb 2 oz size (about 12 cups settled) and a smaller 12 oz size (about 8 cups cereal), which would work in Little Dog or Half Recipe. But in the long run, the large size is more economical. Don't get Raisin Total or Lo Carb Total.

Uncooked Oatmeal like "Quaker Old Fashioned Oats" and less expensive supermarket house brand, come in large 2 lb 10oz size (15 cups oats) or smaller 18 oz size (about 7 cups oats).

15oz jar of wheat germ is about 4 cups. Some stores only carry a 12oz jar of wheat germ, which contains about 3 and 1/4 cups of it.

Vegetable oil -- use a good one. I use grapeseed oil, olive oil would be next best.

Tip: I don’t break the eggs directly into the pot of stuff. The first time I broke the eggs into a separate little bowl for some reason. One of the eggs was bad and it would have ruined the whole pot of stuff. I had never seen an egg like that and had no reason to expect it, but I never break eggs directly into anything anymore.

The Satin Ball patties were what Duke started eating when he wouldn’t eat anything at all after his torsion surgery. He still gets one a day.

It is important to stick to the proportions. I gave the recipe to someone whose dog wouldn’t eat, she told me she made them but he wouldn’t eat them. Then she told me what she did to the recipe, changing it so much that it ended up something entirely different (no wonder her dog wouldn't eat it). You need to follow the recipe carefully if you are going to go to the trouble and expense of making it.

Answer 2

Hey. I would say that you should take the dog to a vet to rule out any health problems. Does the dog eat much? Some dogs are just that way. Maybe the dog is a picky eater. Mine is. Make sure you buy only good dog food.No cheap stuff.They dont get all the nutrients they need in the cheap stuff. What was your friend feeding the dog? Was he not eating that food either? I would definetly take the dog to the vet first and remember, gaining weight isnt going to happen over night,its a process!! Good luck!!

Answer 3

Get an automatic feeder and keep food down all the time. The dog will eat when it feels hungry and begin to gain weight on it's own. You may also want to occasionally mix in bacon grease with dry food. Not only is this high in fat, but makes the coat shinny too! You may also want to get some doggie vitamins, they can be purchased really cheap form any Wal-mart for about 3-5 dollars a bottle.

Answer 4

A good quality dog food. Slowly at first dont let the little guy chow down or hell get sick. This has to be done gradually over a period of time. Feed him regular meals same place same times every day. Then once he gets used to regualr feedings he shouldnt scarf too fast. Starved animals tend to do that at first so watch out. If after a few days you dot notice an improvement take him to the vet it could be whipworms or ...anything really. Keep a watch out for bowel movements too you want to make sure hes going ok and not constipated or worse....diareah . Always give him fresh water too all the time.

Answer 5

I do a lot of rescuing and i have helped many dogs to gain weight. DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG STORE BAUGHT TREATS. They might seem good but they will not help. They will not put healthy fat on your dog. This is what you can do. Feed your dog it's normal amount of dog foor per day. Also add some goats milk. Then if you have access to it buy cow heart or chicken heart, kidneys and liver and feed them to your dog once per day or throughout the day as a treat. It's best if you cook them but you do not have to. Goats milk , heart, kidneys and liver and full of vitamin and have no fillers, which will help your dog gain weight in a healthy way. Good luck

Answer 6

First make sure the dog is healthy, no worms, skin conditions, injuries etc. It will not eat right nor gain weight, if it's not. Then find a well balanced food it will eat, give plenty of water and opportunities for exercise.
Also understand the breed, some are actually naturally slim.

Answer 7

You have to be careful not to make it sick, increase its food a little bit at a time, also try a fattier food, like puppy food, its got a lot more calories and should help the dog gain weight. Find a vet to check the dog out too, they may be able to get weight gain bars for you.

Answer 8

I have the same problem with my dog - he'll eat any "people" food, but turns his nose up at dog food.

Check everything out with your vet first. If the dog is ok, just underweight, you might try feeding the dog a slightly fattier food, like "high performance" dog food, or duck and potato.

That said, neither of those things worked for my dog, as he was a stray picked up by the animal shelter, and just not used to eating dog food. The one thing that did work was mixing a spoonful or two of plain yogurt into high-quality dog food. He loved it, and I think the yogurt helped his coat look shinier.

You might also try mixing canned food or "dog gravy" stuff in with his regular food, but my dog didn't really care for that.

Answer 9

Sorry to hear about the condition of your dog. It's better to take him/her to the vet to check if there's an underlying medical condition for him/her being underweight. Diet alone will not remedy the prob. Don't second guess yourself for the poor dog's sake. The fact that your friend gave you the dog in such poor condition could be a sign that this animal was not properly cared for. This should give you reason to suspect he/she may have a medical condition (diseases, parasites).

Answer 10

THE WORST THING TO DO RIGHT AWAYS IS START TO OVERFEED IT.

You might want to take it to the vet for the necessary shots (required yearly)

For now just try to feed the dog healthy doses of good nutritional food and excercise.

If the dog is only underweight and not ill, it will be fine if you take care of it with the proper diet.

Answer 11

feed the dog properly.. use a high protein mix dog food . the dog should start gaining weight. but you must balance the amount of exercise so the dog doesn't become fat. but healthy ya know
~peace~