What to feed a dog to gain wieght?
What to feed a dog to gain wieght? I've seen many brands of dog food designed for wieght loss, but none for wieght gain.
Jenny has been losing wieght for a while, now. we took her ( and a lovely stool sample ) to the vet to see if something was wrong with her but he said the only thing wrong with her is that she's too skinny.
I know Greyhounds should be skinny, but she seems TOO skinny. I mean, she won't hold still enough to measure accuratly, but she's about 25-30 inches and only around 20-25 lbs. I'll try and put on a photo, but literally, she's only skin and bone.
She seems really healthy, though... She runs full speed for 2 hrs each day through the forest, she's doing well in agility and she's eating all her meals. She is already eating a LOT, but i think she's just burning it off.
HELP ME !!! should I change food, to a higher calorie food or just feed her more?
BONES YOU CAN SEE: ( all measures are from 5 ft away )
8 ribs
2 hip bones ( easily ! )
all the veines and detail in her legs ( her legs are about an inch in diameter )
HELP !!!
Are you sure the dog is 25 lbs?
It's hard to imagine a dog at less than 50% of its ideal weight would be running around active for 2 hrs a day.
Regardless... has the Vet run "tick titers" to check for tick borne disease? Did they run a liver profile and check kidney function? Secondary might be to look for digestive enzyme levels, and even run an ultra-sound.
It's encouraging the dog has an appetite, and at that low of weight it should be on free choice. I'd get it off Purina and place it on a high quality dog food perferably the Puppy or Performance formulas which offer high protein and high fat. I use the Propet brand which isn't stocked widely by stores. Some of the higher priced dog foods (you get what you pay for) would also be suitable. If this solves the problem, you can always shift down to a maintenance formula later on. You should be aiming for a 25-30% protein and 10-15% fat dog food for a dog that underweight.
But again before you focus on diet, get the dog tested for tick disease, and liver function at a minimum. Eliminate underlying disease conditions first.
