How can I help my dog gain weight?

Hi, so my dog has lost some weight recently. She’s always been very lean so you notice quite quickly. She doesn’t look ill but her spine is very visible now. She’s on more kibble mixed with wet then she should be and I’ve been adding bits of plain potato and rice to her dinner but it seems to only be making her poop more. Her appetite has increased majorly as well.

What are you feeding at the moment? With some foods, the fillers do just seem to get pooed out at the other end so your dog gets little nutritional value. And is her worming up to date?

If she's losing weight then first, you need to get a vet to check her over in case there's a medical cause. Would it be possible to post a couple of photos of her, one standing square on from the sude, one looking down at her back? It's so common to see overweight dogs that ones that are a healthy weight can look skinny.

Also, how old is she and what breed/type?

@JoanneF @JudyN

She’s up to date with worming and is 17mo. She’s on Adren Grange food, mix of wet and dry and is crossed with a Weimaraner and staffy. You can’t really notice in the pic but I can just make out the bumps of her spine in this and when she’s sat it is really noticeable, it wasn’t before. I realise it’s probably more noticeable to me as I’m with her all the time. Like I said she doesn’t seem ill in any way and is still her hyper normal self.

She looks perfect to me ...if you are worried i would give her more of her daily food intake
I have a staffy X greyhound whose backbone is part visible he can loose weight easily so i just up his food

Kara 1 said:

She looks perfect to me ...if you are worried i would give her more of her daily food intake
I have a staffy X greyhound whose backbone is part visible he can loose weight easily so i just up his food

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She’s already on 20g extra per day + the carbs I’ve been adding and it doesn’t seem to be doing anything. I know the weight loss isn’t drastic so I’m not that concerned, it just fell off her fast.

She looks fine to me too, though it's hard to tell from a photo what's 'right for her'. And adolescents can be naturally skinny.

Dogs don't really need carbs - they are just filler - so you can find that the more you put in, the more you get out. (At least some varieties of Arden Grange contain maize and/or rice which is also filler.) If you did want to increase her food intake, I'd give her an occasional chicken/lamb breast, bit of green tripe, tin or sardines or similar.

Agree with Judy green tripe is great for putting on weight

Dog feeding guidelines are just guidelines - they don't really account for different metabolism, exercise etc. Short term a good puppy food might help but I'd also agree she looks good and wait until growth spurts stop before being concerned.

My dog loses weight over winter - he burns more energy keeping warm on walks, and runs around more, whereas in the summer he just flops around instead.

Thanks for the advice, I’ll give tripe a go and see how she gets on.

Don't, whatever you do, try to cook the tripe first, or even thaw it out in the microwave. It smells like something large has died behind a cupboard about a year ago...

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As others have said, to my eye, she doesn’t look underweight in that photo - she just looks fit, which is great to see.


Pitties & their crosses are among the breeds & blends that are MOST likely to be overfed by loving owners who think any visible bones, aside from elbows, are Not a Good Thing. // Labs, Bulldogs, & other smooth-coated dogs also fall into this category, since without a long coat to hide their musculature & a few bony prominences, they may “look” skinny, when in fact they are in good flesh, & in contrast, when they “look” ‘good’ they are in fact, anything from pudgy to flat-out obese.

Smooth-coated dogs should have the last 1 or 2 ribs barely visible when seen from the side; just a slight shadowing, not staringly sharp. ALL their ribs should be easily palpable, without an overlying pad of fat - just a flat thin layer of muscle over the ribs, & between them.
Seen from above, they should have distinct waists - their shoulders should be the widest part of their bodies, with the butt narrower than the shoulders. Their necks should clearly taper from shoulders to skull; seen from the side at the dog’s height, their undersides should definitely tuck upward from the end of the ribcage toward their abdomens, altho the forward line of the dog’s rear legs will cut off any view of the abdomen itself.
No part of a dog should ever look cylindrical; waists, necks, ribcages should all taper, they shouldn’t resemble pipe fittings joining larger-diameter pipes.

Watch some of the pibbles & pit-mixes who do Parkour on UTube - they are mostly incredibly fit, with pronounced musculature & minimal fat. Some are a bit too wiry, but most are in excellent condition.
Contrast them with the breed-ring winners in AKC AmStaff classes, who look positively beefy by comparison - as in, “finished prime, ready for slaughter”, with an average of 30% or more of body fat.

a BMI / Body Mass Index of 30% or more is categorized as “morbidly obese” b/c while the obesity itself is not deadly, it vastly increases the risk of death by other co-morbidities that are paired with weight gain: cancers of all kinds, heart & lung problems, thyroid & other metabolic problems [diabetes, etc], & more.
Obesity can also be the primary cause of joint damage & chronic pain, which leads to exercise intolerance & even-more weight gain, in a self-feeding downward spiral.

I’d much rather have a dog who is a little lean, than a little pudgy. Lean lengthens life - and as dogs lead such short lives compared to our own potential lifespans, even a few months is a bonus, & a few years is priceless.

@Tova -
maybe U could take a good shot looking DOWN on her, as she stands in front of U, & another taken from the side, level with her muzzle or the point of her shoulder?
U can always pose her on a picnic bench, table, etc, to get a good side-on photo while U sit in a chair, with the chair arms to support yer elbows for a stable platform. U may need another person to hold her lead, out of frame if they are camera-shy, so she doesn’t hop down before U snap the pic.

I think she looks fabulous, in this photo - but it’s one picture. A different angle might reveal more.

- terry

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@JudyN Thanks for the tip! Last thing I want is a house that stinks like dead animals

@leashedForLife Thanks for the advice, there are too many overweight dogs lately, I did see a young Dalmatian today that was way too chubby. Mine has always been greedy but I do take care with what I feed her and make sure she gets plenty of exercise. It was just the sudden drop that worried me a little and being a cross I struggle to tell which body type she’s going to take after. I can try and get another photo but she’s rarely still unless she’s passed out on the sofa lol

I would closely monitor her weight - if it continues for no apparent reason it really should be investigated.

@JudyN I will do, thanks again

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Most vets don’t mind at all, if clients bring their dogs by to use the walk-on scales -
Plus it gives a dog many, many happy, brief visits to the vet’s premises with no scary personal assaults, always a plus.

I’d weigh her once or even twice weekly, at approx the same time of day - so that she is likely to have a consistent pattern of full or empty stomach & bowels, & her weights are not erratic due to internal changes.
If her weight is stable, & she’s happy in herself & active, i wouldn’t worry - if she slowly & steadily, or abruptly & unevenly, continues to LOSE weight, i’d Worry!
If she similarly GAINED weight, i would also be concerned, & in either case, i’d see my vet - & if that was unsatisfactory, i’d seek a 2nd opinion.

Hopefully she’s sound & healthy, & continues to be so for a long, long time.

- terry

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@leashedForLife Thank you for the tips and apologies for the late reply. I took her down, had her weighed and will do so again next week.