My wife and I both have dogs that need to gain a little weight. They are both under weight to us. Mine is a Husky/Geman Shepard/Cho Mix. And Her's is a Chocolate Lab/Pit Bull Mix. They are both a little under 30 lbs. now. The Pit/Lab mix is 2 years old now. And the Husky/Geman Shep. Mix is about 1 and a half years old now. They both look a little bit under weight if you'd look at them. You can see the Ribs a little to much.
We've tried just about everything that we can think of from: changing their dog food to puppy food with weight gain in it, to adding Bacon grease {friend told me to try it...Never again}, to giving them some human food from the table {still trying to train them better than jumping on the table}, to giving them Deli Meats {which got very pricy}, to this now... I've been trying just about everything we can think of.
Right now they are eating Purina Puppy Chow with Mother's Milk. I've been giving them a 5 Quart Bowl a Day, plus a 5 Quart bowl of water to.
2007-03-12 20:49:35 · 36 answers · asked by Kenneth F 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
There's probably a reason for your dogs' weightloss. Have you talked to the vet?
My first thoughts would be parasites or allergies. I'm leaning more toward food allergies though and Purina puppy chow is not a very good food at all. Its mostly corn, which is a filler and contains things like soy and beef, which are common canine allergens. Upon that it contains by product, salt, artificial colorants, and "animal" digest... what "animal" exactly is it coming from, I wonder...
I would grade this food an 'F'
If it is food allergies your dogs are suffering from, I recommend you switch them to a higher quality food that contains no corn, soy, wheat, beef, or dairy.
Try **** Van Patten's Natural Balance dog foods.
I had a cat that was losing weight and fur from food allergies, but I switched her to Natural Balance cat food and it worked wonders.
2007-03-12 23:15:49 · answer #1 · answered by marina 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know a couple people who constantly give their dog "treats" - milk bone style treats... and their dogs seem to be paying for it... we are talkin... F-A-T !!!
There are lots of factors into why they aren't gaining weight - high energy and hyper active dogs have a hard time keeping on the extra lbs. Also, some dogs seem to grow faster than they can eat - don't forget that they aren't considered adult till they are about 3 years old.
I'm a firm believer in "open container" feeding, all my dogs have done GREAT with it but have also grown up from being a puppy on it. When they are hungry, they eat. When they are full, they stop. If you want to try it, get a gigantic bowl and fill it up, keep it full and see what happens. It might work for you, but it will also make their potty time less predictable and for a lot of people that isn't convenient.
Good luck! Eventually something will work!!!
2007-03-12 21:04:21 · answer #2 · answered by B. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give them more food, i mean as much as they will eat, and even leave some more that they don't eat because they are full. I had rescued a dog who was very underweight, and I was giving him double the quantity he was supposed to eat. He still didn't gain any weight. Then he was adopted by a family who gave him as much food as he would eat, I mean really he had food all the time, until he stopped eating it and let it stay there. Then he gained weight!
2007-03-12 21:21:29 · answer #3 · answered by cpinatsi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First step take fecal samples to the vet to check for internal parasites. More often than not the main reason young dogs have troubles maintaining weight
And feed better quality foods
eg Canidae
compare feeding guidelines and calories to what you are currently feeding http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
this has a lot more meat than, the meat in puppy chow is almost non-existent since Puppy chow uses chicken by-products(what remains of the chicken that is processed for human consumption instead of meat(chicken feet, beaks, head, undeveloped eggs from the chick some of the guts and feathers) where as Canidae uses actual meat and quite a bit of it, which is human grade, hormone free and antibiotic free .(kcal/cup) 468
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
2007-03-12 22:15:26 · answer #4 · answered by OntarioGreys 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to take both of your dog to do a check-up. Find out whether their kidney are functional or not. Cuz Iast time I also like you just give the best to my dog cuz she also skinny. Then later find out it's kidney problem. Everything is too late then. Cuz those Nutrition food I give her not even help her to gain weight. It's just making the kidney do more works. So she pass away last year. Go to vet and do a check-up. Please..............
2007-03-12 21:07:25 · answer #5 · answered by jamescheah26 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They shouldn't be eating puppy chow if they're both over 1 year old. Try looking for foods that have meat as the main ingredient, and possibly mix wet food in it. I have two Rottweiler Pitbull mixes that are 8 months old and give them Purina Pro Plan with some wet food twice a day. They're both over 70lbs.
2007-03-12 20:55:07 · answer #6 · answered by kristendw78 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Eate more protein in the morning
2015-07-15 01:51:09 · answer #7 · answered by Edward 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The other answers sum up what I would have said. I just have one thing to add. My vet told me to NEVER give my dog pork. It can cause pancreatitis. I did and boy did I have a sick dog...
2007-03-12 21:54:26 · answer #8 · answered by Jill C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not eating or skipping meals is not dieting If you do you may get more weight
2015-05-05 05:31:16 · answer #9 · answered by Manuel 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don t skip breakfast and choose that s high in protein for energy and full of fiber to keep you satisfied for hours
2016-02-05 16:03:25 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋