Reverse Diet

[jackie]

I think she looks good. One of mine pups has always been on the thin side and I feed as much as they want to eat for one hour a day. Just good metabolism I guess.

I am much more concerned about getting my ribs to show, then my dogs.

[Seravieve]

I think she looks rather thin. On Boxers, you're supposed to be able to see ribs, but they shouldn't stand out as much as hers. Eli was VERY underweight when we got him, and he was on PUPPY food. We bought a better brand of puppy food, and then switched to a high protein food. We also supplemented the kibble with cottage cheese at every meal. 1/2 a cup or so with 1-1 1/2 cup dry kibble. It took a month or so and now he looks ideal.

Sam's Club has 5 lb containers of cottage cheese which aren't too expensive, much cheaper than buying the smaller containers from the grocery store anyways.

The breeder that he came from originally (we didnt get him from them, tho) suggested the cottage cheese.

I feel like I should mention that there are different body types with boxers, some really bulk up with muscles and are real beefy. And then there's others (like our Eli) who tend to be leaner.

[Glacier]

I have great difficulty keeping weight on Ozzy--to the point we have considered thyroid cancer as a diagnosis. He has a super high metabolism, a nervous temperment and loves to work. All three combine to make him a hard keeper. He eats a completely different diet than all the other dogs. He gets a satin ball for breakfast most days. I can't get him to physically eat more kibble, so I found him a higher calorie one. He eats Acana Extreme. It's designed for working dog who are working under extreme conditions, such as -40 temps and long distances for days on end. Ozzy eats it even in the summer when he's doing nothing! He also eats raw meat, always has a bone to chew on and when it's cold or he's working alot, he gets small chunks of pork fat, salmon or beaver(when I can get it).


Satin Balls.
http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm
This recipe is for a huge batch, but you can adjust it for smaller amounts.

[IRescue452]

She looks well-muscled. I bet she is burning off all she eats. They should definately feed her a better quality kibble of course, and maybe 3 meals a day instead of one or two.

[pitc9]

When I adopted Sierra she was underweight and stayed that way for a few years. I free fed her for almost 2 years, but never gained weight.
It wasn't until she was 4 or 5 years old that she started putting weight on.
My vet said she was healthy and there wasn't anything to worry about, but I was SO tired of hearing "Is your dog sick? Why is she so skinny?"
Grrrr.. that peeved me off to no end.

Your friend could try free feeding for a while and/or add high quality puppy food to her diet.

[K9karen]

All the boxers (and some others) I meet at the dog park at thin, like in the picture. They run around the most and are so high energy.

*Sigh* I should be so lucky.