Reverse Diet

[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.