How do you get an Underweight Boxer up to size??

Question

I adopted a 1 year old Boxer yesterday, and he only weighs 35llbs. He was found extremely underweight, and adopted by a lady that took him to the vet had everything checked out and fixed every problem he had. I'm just looking for advice on how to help him get to a normal healthy weight. He's been on a normal diet for the past month, getting him on a stable diet. So, how do I safely bump that up to put on the weight?

He's on IAMS and Nutro right now mixed. The lady I adopted him from was worried about overfeeding him too soon, but she had him on a once a day meal with snacks for a month, so is it okay to NOW start feeding him more?

Let me add to this again...the dog should weigh 60+ llbs and is currently 35 pounds, you can see the ribs, hips, and spine, so I'm sure he's underweight.

Answer 1

Find something that he really likes to eat.
Red Meat is good, but expensive.
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Answer 2

Underweight Boxer Dog

Answer 3

I consider a one year old still a puppy. We keep our boxers on pup food until about 18 months. Boxers are very active and we have never had an over weight boxer. I would get your boy a good puppy food. We use natures recipe(PetsMart) . it contains no perservatives, wheat, beef, corn, yeast or garlic. We have found that these ingredients tend to cause stomach problems with our dogs which then turns into weight problems (too thin). We feed 2-3 cups in the morning and 2-3 cups in the evening. Depends on the dog. As they get older(or when they start slowing down :)), you can reduce the amount to two cups morning and evening. If your boy does not like the food, add some tuna. They love the stinky stuff, however, you may not want a kiss after they eat! :) This is what we do. Maybe it will help your boy. Good luck!

Answer 4

I believe in free feeding so the animal gets as much as they need as often as they want. I am currently fostering a Dalmatian / Pit Bull cross who was found STARVING with 9 puppies at her side. The vet said that she would have been dead within 2-3 days if we wouldn't have rescued her. She was full of worms and the puppies were literally sucking the life out of her.

We got her and she was about 35 pounds. She should have been about 60. You could see every rib, her hip bones and shoulders stuck out, it was absolutely disgusting.

Anyhow, we always made sure that her bowl is full. She gets Canidae dry food only, no soft food. She ate a LOT at first although calmed down as she soon realized that this wonderful bowl was the "neverending bowl of dog food"!!! She was also slightly food aggressive when we first got her and would go after our other dalmatian. That also subsided as soon as she realized that there was plenty to go around.

Anyhow, she is now at a healthy weight (due to her own accord) has filled out wonderfully and her coat is all shiny again. It's very sad to think that she would have been dead as she is a great dog who is now up for adoption! Hopefully we find a forever home for her soon or I might just keep her!

Answer 5

First, make sure you have him on a good kibble diet. Canidae is an awesome food and so is Nutro. To help add weight on you can supliment his intake once a day with canned food (Junk food). No it does not have all the nutrients in it that he needs, but most of the inexpensive canned foods are high in calories and that will help him to gain some weight. Purina canned food is what we usually use in the rescue to help dogs gain weight that need it.

You might want to get some liquid/gel vitamins from your own Vet and start giving him those daily as well. Just to make sure he is getting everything he needs in his diet.

For coat and skin you can give fish oil which you can find at your local stores, It is in the vitamin section.

Answer 6

You didn't specify which food you were using, but you might want to consider switching to a high grade food like Eukanuba. It has more protein and less filler - which, unfortunatly, is what a lot of commercial dog food contains. There are also some brands available at your local pet store that are comparable to Eukanuba but may not cost quite so much.

As for giving him red meat, that's fine for a treat. I used to buy those cheap $4 hams at the grocery store and give them to my Boxer as a special treat. But be careful that the dog doesn't get "spoiled" on red meat to the extent that they won't eat the dry food anymore.

Also, don't expect the dog to regain the weight over night. It will take some time.

Answer 7

DON'T over feed him.....but increase his intake for about 3-4 weeks....start by feeding him dry and canned food(high quality only) NO cheap stuff it only goes in one end and out the other! Use the feeding chart for the weight he is supposed to be. Boxers are sleek and trim as a general rule.

Answer 8

I would say to feed him some food high in protein. Don't feed the cheap stuff cuz it makes them go to the bathroom too much. Got to a place that sells premium foods. Don't buy food from Petsmart either cuz it's high in corn and they do animal testing.

Answer 9

Ask you Vet,ask him whats the best...if he says our food is good then buy him meat,cook it and see....but ask your vet.
Dont over feed him.because if you give a dog alot of food when a dog didnt eat for 3 days he will die because his stomach is not used to have alot of food.

Answer 10

cook your dog hamburger meat and rice for a while and mix it in with his/her food - it works!
I had the same issue with a dog that i adopted last year. you could also try canned horsemeat, but do not make this a staple in your dogs diet, for it will soften his teeth over time