If your dog is too skinny, then you need to know the right way to "fatten it up". The key to fattening your dog is to feed him little and often, give him supplements to deal with nutritional deficiencies, and make sure to get rid of dog worms. However, if your dog has a poor appetite, is losing weight for no apparent reason, or your dog has diarrhea, or seems unwell, always take your dog to the vet. Whatever the cause, it's important to keep your dog's weight within a healthy range, as this will allow your dog to grow well and live a long life.
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Method 1 of 4: Finding Out the Cause of Your Dog's Weight Loss
Step 1. Find the logical cause of your dog's underweight
If you know the cause of your dog's underweight, such as a female dog who has recently raised a strong, greedy puppy, or a dog that has just been rescued after poor grooming, then fattening it will be easier to do.
Be sure to keep an eye on dogs that are underweight so you can spot problems that might be easy to fix. For example, if you have multiple dogs, the cause might be as simple as another dog stealing your skinny dog's food
Step 2. Check the dog's overall health
All kinds of diseases can interfere with the body's ability to digest food and absorb its nutrients, leading to weight loss. If this is the case, your dog will almost certainly show signs such as decreased appetite, increased thirst, lack of energy, vomiting, diarrhea, and changes in body shape.
- Health conditions that can cause weight loss include pancreatic enzyme deficiency, diabetes mellitus, liver, kidney, cancer, and inflammation of the intestinal tract.
- Again, if you notice any of these symptoms then it is best to have them checked by a veterinarian.
Step 3. Get your dog checked by the vet
If you suspect your dog is sick, or notices he is losing weight for no apparent reason, it is best to consult a veterinarian. If your dog suddenly has no appetite for no apparent reason, it's also best to consult a veterinarian before this problem gets out of hand. Once your vet says everything is fine, and you know your dog is just fussy, there are strategies to help improve his appetite.
Method 2 of 4: Adjusting the Calorie Count for Your Dog
Step 1. Compare the dog's weight with the ideal weight for the breed
You may easily think that your pet is underweight, when in reality it may only weigh less than a dog of the same breed who is overweight. Maybe your dog is actually fine, but the other dog is too fat!
Step 2. Compare the food packaging with your dog's ideal weight
For a dog who is lean but energetic and has solid stools, the first step is to check that he is getting enough calories at each meal. Dogs may experience weight loss because they use more energy than they eat. The reason was probably obvious -- because he was short on food. In this case, you will need to increase the portion size of the meal.
- The simplest way to do this is to compare your dog's ideal weight with the recommended amount of feed on the food package.
- If your dog is of a particular breed, there is a wealth of information on the internet about a breed's ideal weight. Look for information about your dog's desired weight, not his current weight. For example, if you have a male Labrador, an average sized dog will weigh 40 kg.
Step 3. Compare the food you are given with the recommended amount of food
Determine your dog's daily food portions based on their weight. Make a note of the weight of the food and compare it to the recommended amount on the package.
- (It is interesting to note that some of the recommended amounts in the diet are 25% greater than the dog's needs (because the food tends to be overfed rather than underfed).
- If you give your Labrador 400 g of food daily, and the package recommends 500 g daily, then your dog is getting 20% fewer calories than recommended, and so will lose weight. This can be overcome easily by increasing the amount of food daily.
Step 4. Determine how much to add to the dog's food amount
This can be difficult to determine because each food contains a different number of calories, and dogs vary in body size. As a rule of thumb, increase the amount of food by no more than 10% of the initial amount.
- So if you feed your dog 400g a day, an additional 10% means 40g, which you can divide into 2 meals, which is 20g per meal.
- Give your dog this amount of food for 2 - 3 days, and make sure the dog doesn't have diarrhea, then add another 10%, and so on.
Step 5. Gradually increase the amount of food you give your dog
Increasing the amount of food suddenly can cause imbalance in the intestines and diarrhea. It's much safer to gradually increase his food portions and monitor his dog's bowel patterns to make sure he's getting it.
- If the difference in portions is not too big, then divide the amount of food added between two meals. But if the difference is large, then giving your dog one extra meal (instead of making one of his portions larger) will be gentler on his digestion.
- If your dog has diarrhea it will lose valuable nutrients, and your efforts will not pay off.
Method 3 of 4: Changing Your Dog's Diet
Step 1. Feed your dog a food rich in B vitamins
Liver is the food that contains the most vitamin B12. You can give your dog beef or cooked chicken liver two or three times a week as a snack between meals.
- For example, you need to give 50 to 70 g of cooked liver to a dog weighing 10 kg.
- Eggs are also rich in B12 content. In addition, eggs also contain lots of vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and fatty acids. Give your dog raw eggs, including one egg three times a week in his diet.
- Remember to add this food gradually, so it doesn't upset your dog's digestion.
Step 2. Gradually give your dog a high-energy food
High energy dog food means it contains a large amount of calories, and can be absorbed and entered into the body easily. These foods can prevent your dog from becoming thin, as well as help the dog gain weight.
- Good high-energy dog food brands for you to try are Hill's Science Diet High Energy ®, and Royal Canin Veterinary Diet High Energy.
- You can also try changing your dog's food to puppy food. Puppy food contains more calories than regular dog food, as it is designed to provide large amounts of energy for growing puppies. The downside is that puppy food tends to be fatty, and can upset digestion in some dogs.
- Introduce gradually, by adding a tablespoon to your usual diet, then increasing the amount over 4-5 days. Watch your dog's stools and if he has diarrhea, stop the new food.
Step 3. Replace wet food with dry food, or vice versa
Imagine you're eating the same dry food, or soup, or the same cereal. You might get bored. Dogs can also experience the same boredom with their food. Sometimes replacing wet food with dry food, or vice versa, will give him more appetite.
However, be aware that canned food contains far fewer calories than dry food. For the same volume of food, wet food contains only a quarter of the calories in dry food, so dry food contains much more than wet food. This is because 60 - 80% of wet food is water, so while this can give your dog more appetite, you run the risk of filling his stomach with water and depriving him of calories
Step 4. Give your vet approved homemade dog food
Giving your dog homemade food can give him a variety of foods, so he will be more interested in the food.
- One sample recipe is from the "Founder's Veterinary Clinic of Brea," California. This recipe is for a 10 kg dog which can be divided in half for 2 5 kg dogs, or doubled for a 20 kg dog. This dog food consists of 100g cooked skinless chicken, 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup peas and carrots, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt substitute. Cook all these ingredients and mix well.
- Try other recipes, such as chicken and rice for dogs, or raw dog food.
Method 4 of 4: Taking Care of Your Dog's Basic Health
Step 1. Give your dog a vitamin supplement
B vitamins play a role primarily in the enzyme system that increases your dog's appetite, and in the metabolism of energy from fat, protein, and carbohydrates. In short, this vitamin will make it easier to convert energy sources such as fat, protein and sugar into energy, thereby providing your pet with the energy it needs for its growth and health. Excess energy caused by increased appetite and consumption is converted to fat, preventing muscle catabolism, or waste.
- The best choices of B complex vitamins include Pet-Tabs® and LC-Vit®. Be sure to follow the instructions on the package.
- For puppies, it is recommended to use a liquid multivitamin such as LC-Vit® (3 ml daily).
- Another option is to take your dog to the vet and have him give him a B-complex vitamin shot, if you're having trouble giving your dog vitamins every day. Give the dog one shot, once a week for four weeks. If your dog's appetite doesn't improve after that, then the next injection is likely to be of no benefit.
Step 2. Treat worms in dogs using deworming
Treating worms in dogs on a regular basis is the right step, because the worms take food in the dog's digestion and cause his body to deteriorate, by slowly absorbing nutrients from your dog. On the other hand, a dog with severe worms may have an enlarged abdomen, but the bones around the ribs and the fat hanging from the hips will stand out.
- Choose a broad-spectrum dewormer that can kill all types of worms. Praziquantel (Canex®) is a good example of a broad-spectrum dewormer.
- Canex® for medium-sized dogs can be given in a dose of 1 tablet every 10 kg of body weight. Canex ® for large dogs can be given in a dose of 1 tablet every 20 kg of body weight. For even smaller dogs, half a tablet of Canex® for medium-sized dogs can be given.
- If this is your first time deworming your dog, do it three times in two weeks. Then, after the first time, deworming can be done every six months to a year.
Step 3. Give your dog an energy supplement
Dogs who are active, working, nursing, traveling a lot, or getting used to a new home tend to be thin and lose their appetite. You can give your dog an energy supplement that contains easily absorbed carbohydrates and vitamins like this.
An example of a great supplement choice is Nutri-Plus Gel®. You can give 1 to 2 teaspoons every 5 kg of body weight, or 10 cm of gel daily (with the plastic gel applicator or dose meter provided)
Warning
- Be careful not to overfeed your dog. Dogs who are overweight generally have more health problems.
- If you try these steps, and your dog is still not gaining weight, take him to the vet for a check-up immediately.
