I have a dog whose very skinny. I have kept his bowl full he hogs it up and you can still see hid ribs. Help?

Answer 1

How old is your dog? What breed? What is the food you're giving him exactly?

Sounds like at a very minimum, your dog needs to see the vet. There are conditions which can cause this to happen - hyperthyroidism for one, although it is rare in dogs.

He may just need to change to a high quality food - your vet can advise you of a suitable one and examine your dog to make sure he is not ill.

Chalice

Answer 2

Most likely worms and I am surprised that the vet nurse answer didn't even mention that. That would be the very first thing any vet would check. And you should not be able to see your dogs ribs. Feel them yes but see them no. You may also be feeding a food not up to par but even if he was lacking nutrients if he is eating well he should still not be this thin from the food alone, he has worms and likely more than one kind.

Answer 3

1. Have him vet-checked for worms. They'll need a sample of his poop in a baggie to test. If he has worms, he'll stay skinny no matter how much food he eats.

2. Have him neutered if he's not already. Dogs who are not neutered have a hard time keeping weight on.

3. Mix canned food with wet food. Canned food is higher in fat and protein and can help with weight gain.

4. If he runs around outside all day, try keeping him indoors more often to keep him calmer. If he is always on the move he'll burn up all his calories.

5. Supplement his food with NutriCal. It's a tasty gel substance you can get at petstores. It gives them extra glucose and calories, as well as vitamins.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Does he exercise a lot?

My dog eats all his food and then goes for three mile walks and is ALWAYS active. I can see his ribs fairly well. I have a Border Collie mix, and since they're very active they're usually very skinny. Some other breeds are like this as well.

If he's eating fine and acting fine, it's nothing to worry about. My vet suggested to me that I feed him more, but he doesn't eat more, and he's healthy so I don't worry about it.

Answer 5

There are some diseases that will make a skinny even when they eat such as hyperthyroidism, cushings (both old age diseases) but there is also metabolic onces that make their body not absorb the calories that they eat and so stay thin.
Take to vet and have bloods done and see what they come up with

Answer 6

Well it depends on what kind of dog this is. If it's something like a grey hound, then it's okay, dogs like that are suppost to look skinny. But if not, I would take it to the vet.

Answer 7

Take a look at your dogfood bad, and see what the ingredients are.. It's likely that the quality of food isn't what it should be. If you're feeding something good, natural and healthy.. Take a stool sample in and have him tested for parasites...
Depending too on his age.. Males grow up and then fill out.. Might be still growing..

Answer 8

Check the food ingredients of the dog food your using, and probably 9 times out of ten probably needs a good worming,use a quality worm medicine not a cheap-o one from wal-mart they will not clea your dogs worms out effectively, I reccommend pro wormer from foster and smith you can search it on the web.

Answer 9

I would have the dog tested for worms. Hook worms will cause a dog to eat a lot and remain skinny.

Answer 10

First thing, deworm your dog. Go to the veterinarian, get him checked out first thing, and get deworming pills.


If a dog has worms he can eat endlessly and not gain weight.
Other than that, your vet should be able to tell you if there are other underlying medical conditions.