How to get my Golden to gain weight?

[goldenlove]

Hi. I'm new here. I have a 3 year old Golden Retriever girl. She's very energetic and incredibly picky when it comes to food. She had no fat at all, just bones and skin. I feed her Royal Canine, she won't eat any other food. Except human food, which I don't allow her. She's picky when it comes to dog treats.
Now my problem is, that we went to the vet yesterday for the anual shots. She said, the dog should gain weight. I should give her a bit more to eat so that she can build up some fat because it's getting winter here. I told her this is easier said than done because she won't even finish her daily portion of food, no matter what I try.
My dog is healthy, fit, loves life (as most goldens) and can't get enough of games and walks out in the woods.
Can anyone give me advice? Is there maybe some human food that I could give her that won't harm her? I'm just worried that she starts to eat it and won't eat her own food anymore.

Thanks! This forum is great.

[Logan]

Send her to my house for a while! Seems that I can "grow" them fat quickly! I have 3 Goldens and a Lab, and they all are pleasingly plump, for sure!

I really don't know, in all seriousness. Perhaps you can talk with your vet about providing her with some supplements if he/she thinks she is too thin.

Good luck! and Welcome to Pet Talk!!

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Welcome to Pet Talk! I, myself have an almost 2 year old Golden Retriever girl. Have you tried mixing in wet food with her kibble? I know it's not the best solution, but my Collie is skinny and picky about her food too, and I've been feeding her a small amount of wet food in her kibble, that she's shown improvement. Your vet might also have some better solutions.

[mruffruff]

All 4 of mine like a little chopped brocolli (or green beans, carrots or squash)on top of their food. I also mix in a tablespoon of plain, fat free yogurt. They weren't interested in plain kibble but really like the veggies.

Also, try a tablespoon of water from a can of tuna. You can add a 1/2 cup of water to a can and drain it off to keep in the fridge for future meals.

Mary

[My Peanuts]

I can't help. I have a Pug and needless to say this is not a problem for her.

But seriously, I would mix the wet with the dry.

By the way, WELCOME TO PET TALK!

[wolfsoul]

Does the food you feed have meat in the first two ingredients? If not, I'd suggest trying another food, and spice it up a little so she'll like it.

Have you gotten her tested for hyperthyroidism? Thyroid problems are terrible in goldens. You might want to have it checked.

[goldenlove]

thanks for replying. we'll get her blood tested next week.

as for mixing food with wet: unfortunately impossible. she gets an upset stomach from canned dog food.

someone at the dogschool suggested mixing her food with pasta, which we'll try now. she seems to like pasta (without the tomato sauce ).

[binka_nugget]

You could try mixing in some fruits or veggies to add some kick to it. My shelties are the pickiest I've seen. If you want to add some kind of human food into her food, google is a good place to go to find out of it's dog safe or not. I think alot of human foods are dog safe (of course, too much of anything is bad). Also, soaking the kibble in hot/warm water seems to get my two boys to eat.

[Albea]

You could try mixing some cottage cheese or hard boiled eggs with her dry food. My Goldens were always crazy about those two things. Of course, they didn't get them every day. I hope the test next week doesn't show anything wrong with your girl.

[GoldenRetrieverLover_01]

Wow! That's uncommon in a Golden- my Golden will eat anything!!But don't worry about it. You have to find some foods that she'll like. From what I know and what my dog likes a lot is hard boiled eggs, meat, peanut butter, salad, noodles- basically anything!! But those foods I'm pretty sure are ok. Like others have said, mix them in with ther dog food so she won't stop eating it. Also, have you tried giving her rawhide bones? Not everyone thinks they're the greatest for dogs, but if she chews them carefully she'll be fine. Rawhides are like a little snack for the dog, but it fills them up good, enough so that it will be o.k. if she eats a little less for dinner. If this does not work I suggest seeing your vet and asking her for some advice. Hope I helped a bit and that your dogs tests go smooth next week and nothing is wrong. Good luck and keep us posted! P.S. Welcome to Pet Talk!!