How To Help A Dog Gain Weight: Weight Gain and Nutrition Tips For Dogs
The majority of the information available on keeping dogs at a healthy weight is written with the goal of preventing your dog from gaining weight or becoming obese in mind. While this is critical, what if your dog is underweight? Feeding a dog more will obviously help them gain weight, but how do you do this safely and effectively? If your dog needs to gain weight, keep reading for tips and tricks to help them do so safely and effectively.
4 Weight Gaining Tips for Your Dog
1. Choose a higher calorie food
Choose a food that is higher in calories and protein, similar to what you would give a canine athlete. These dogs also require more calories just to stay the same weight. This type of food will help a dog who is only moderately active or sedentary gain some much-needed weight.
2. Feed small meals throughout the day, or consider free feeding.
This will allow your pup to eat more calories throughout the day. While free feeding is not generally recommended because it can lead to weight gain, since that is our goal in this situation, it is acceptable to free feed your dog.
3. Snacks to supplement meals
Consider adding some supplemental food made from high-fat, high-protein meat sources like bison. These foods, which are usually canned, will be labeled as only for supplemental feeding. They should not be used in place of a well-balanced diet for your dog. You may also want to discuss with your veterinarian the addition of vitamins or other supplements to help keep your dog healthy.
4. Wet or fresh foods
These may be more appealing to your dog because they have a stronger scent than dry food. If kibble isn't appealing to your dog, you might want to try something else. One word about food safety: if you've decided to free feed, make sure to follow any food safety guidelines to keep your pup's food from spoiling.
Most wet or fresh foods should be refrigerated at the very least after opening. Fresh food, such as Ollie, is shipped frozen and must be thawed in the refrigerator. It must be kept cold until ready to serve. If your dog doesn't like cold food, consider a formula that can be eaten warm, like a bowl of stew.
Why is a dog underweight or malnourished? Picky eater If your dog is a picky eater, it may be difficult to get them to eat enough to maintain a healthy weight. If you feed your dog dry food, you may want to try topping it with wet or fresh food.
Try a few of Ollie's recipes to see if your dog likes any of them. Some puppies favor beef, while others prefer turkey or lamb. The chicken formula may be best for sensitive stomachs. You can always add some homemade bone broth to the mix to enhance the flavor of whatever food you choose.
Stress
Just like people who are chronically stressed, dogs who are subjected to chronic stressors may lose a significant amount of weight. To help correct this, you should help your dog manage their stress. It's possible that this is easier said than done. The first step is to determine what is causing your dog to be stressed. It could be a change in schedule, too many people nearby, or something outside that bothers them, such as a squirrel, bird, or construction they see and hear.
Another reason your dog may be stressed is if you use punitive training methods such as harsh corrections or an e-collar. Consider collaborating with your veterinarian or a trainer to assist you in assisting your dog with their stress.
Illness
Loss of appetite or weight loss can be symptoms (or side effects) of a variety of illnesses, including cancer. If your dog has a tumor in their esophagus, lungs, or stomach, they may have difficulty eating and maintaining their weight. While there are other, less serious medical conditions that can cause a lack of appetite, you should take your dog to the vet as soon as possible if you notice he or she is losing weight or refusing to eat. This is particularly true if the lack of appetite and weight loss is accompanied by other symptoms such as fever or vomiting.
Old aged
Even if your dog is not sick, age-related issues may prevent him from gaining much-needed weight. If your dog has difficulty chewing due to oral pain or tooth decay, it may be more difficult for them to eat enough to gain weight. You may want to consider giving them wet, fresh, or specially formulated food for older puppies to help them maintain their weight and nutrition.
If you recently rescued a puppy through a shelter or rescue group and your new dog was found as a stray or removed from abuse or neglect, your dog may be severely underweight or malnourished.
Found as a stray or rescued from cruelty
You should gather as much information as possible from any doctors who worked with your puppy prior to adoption. Then you'll want to collaborate with your veterinarian to devise a plan to restore your pup's health. It might take some time and patience.
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