How can I make my basset hound fatter?

Question

I think she looks thin, and sometimes hard to feed. She only eats her feeds if I'll be the one to feed her, with my own hands.

How about vitamins and milk? will it work?

I gave her and her mom (also a basset) one capsule of Vitamin E this afternoon.

Answer 1

Wow! I have always had to exercise my basset everyday or she would just sit there and get fat! ;) Mine is a little spoiled about her eating habits too. The best way I have found is to mix canned and dry food together. One of my problems was that I was leaving her food bowl out all the time. No More! For the last year or so, she has a set eating time after we eat. When she finishes, the food bowl comes up. She eats a lot better now that she knows she has limitations of access. Pick a time and stick to it. Even if your pet doesn't eat much while adjusting to the new schedule, don't worry. She will eat when she gets hungry enough. It sounds kinda mean, but it is better to have a few days of unhappy dog rather than encouraging bad habits that could affect her health. Be careful with any vitamins or dairy products. These things may give your dog diarrhea, not really the affect you are aiming for! Best wishes to you and your Basset!

Answer 2

I have a Chihuahua with hydrocephalus who doesnt like to eat sometimes, so I have to make every bite count. Here is what I feed him:

Canned food - HIGH QUALITY! He loves Merrick, but you can also use baby food (beech nut is pure meat and water) or pure canned meat for dogs (can be found at quality/speciality pet food retaliers)

Super-Cal, Energel, or Nutri-Cal - Super high calories! Most dogs will eat this plain...mine wont so I mix it with his food.

Oil - Currently I am using a mix of sunflower oil and camelina oil. I have used salmon oil instead of the camelina oil, but he didn't like the fishy smell very much. You can also add flax oil, but I use flax meal instead (helps keep the food from getting too runny)

Esbilac POWDERED milk replacer - I feed double the recommended amount. Has lots of fat, protein, and vitamins!

Freeze Dried Beef Liver - I crumble these up into the food to make it taste "meatier".

I also custom mix a blend of over 20 vitamins and minerals that all of my dogs get. Most important are:
Flax seed meal - improves skin and coat, omega fatty acids.
Olewo Carrots - Does a lot of things! There is a lot of reading about it on the internet...
Alfalfa powder - Appetite stimulant
Spriulina - Appetite stimulant, among many other benefits.
Noni (Powdered or Juice) - Antioxidant, among other things.
Vitamin C - Everyone needs it!
Probiotics - Aids digestion.

Also, make sure to brush your dog's teeth if not feeding enough kibble to clean the teeth! Its a good idea to do anyways!

And please make sure she has been to the vet to rule out any medical problem for her not wanting to eat! There are a lot of things that can cause it!

Answer 3

I love Bassets. They do not have a problem with eating (and getting fat). Please take her to the vet ASAP!

An other option is to feed a premium pet food which is design to be high in calories such as Eukanuba Performance or Eukanuba Maximum Calorie.

Cheers and have a nice week ahead :)

Answer 4

Feed a high quality premium dogfood such as Innova Evo or Canidae.

As a supplement *IF* you are feeding a premium dogfood you can also add Satin Balls: http://theherbs.info/Pets/satinball.html
Try the small recipe first to see if the dog likes it. Its only to be used as a supplement.

Answer 5

Give her anything you eat except onion or chocolate.
Dogs seem to love human food.
If that doesn't work try this; http://www.freelife.com and mention Cobalt.

Answer 6

if its under 4 yars old it ok to be slim, dogs take awhile to thicken up

Answer 7

feed it alot everyday

Answer 8

What food do you have her on now?