My two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier has his full spinal cord showing which is bothering me. I also see his ribs all the time even though he gets fed through the morning, evening, and nighttime. Even though my dog shows no sign of pain it bothers me. I need help!
If your dog is healthy and active I wouldnt worry. You could talk to your vet and ask if a higher-calorie food would be recommended
Has your dog been checked for worms? Worms will make a pitbull skinny in the back and ribs like yours is. If you take him to the vet and are told he is healthy with no other medical problem causing this I wouldn't worry. Bread and Oatmeal will put weight on pitbulls but isn't always healthy for every dog. Check with your vet before feeding him either of these. If he's healthy don't worry about it. Healthy is the important thing.
A dog this thin would be a red flag for me. Dogs can have metabolic disorders like high thyroid that cause them no pain but need to be treated for them to remain healthy. Have your dog checked out.
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I tried the giving food and taking away food and it didn't work. Bandit went over a week and got pissed at me so he refused to eat anything. One thing that helped me was taking him off all chicken by-products, not natural chicken, but the so called by products. I put him on Blue Buffalo a great food he loves, plus the puppy which is better tasting. He loves the lamb and rice. He also loves pumpkin so I make him pumpkin pies. He is just skinny I guess.
My question, is Bandit is picky enough if I give him satin balls will he stop his dry food again altogether or do I mix it? Plus I thought raw burger gives your dog worms, what happens if you cook it like a burger? Help.
By Debbie T.
I think if I were you I would keep feeding the Blue Buffalo and skip treats that may or may not be healthy. The satin balls dont sound like they really add anything good to his diet. I would quit while I was ahead. Try pieces of his dry food for a treat. He wont know the difference.
Have you had your dog de-wormed by a Veterinarian?
I have an 8 year old Pit Bull. He was sick a couple weeks back and he didn't wanna eat so we had him on a special diet, but he was skinny although not too skinny. He is better now and I have been feeding him 2 times a day and giving him plenty of water, but he's not putting weight on. I don't know why and I think he might be sick still or might have heart worms because a friend had him and didn't take care of him right and he had to have a flea bath.
You really need to see a Vet about the heartworms. Only a Vet can treat heartworms. The treatment is hard on the dog, so don't wait too long. It can be fatal if you do. Be wary of over the counter wormers Most of them dont work and can make your dog quite sick.
We have just adopted a Maltese terrier. She is approx. 8 years old. She seems to eat very little and needs to gain weight. I have tried dry food small bites, but this is not her favorite. Does anyone in the community have a Maltese that can share some expertise on this subject? Thank you in advance.
By Sheila from Ontario, Canada
My male matease will only eat the dry food if I put a lil water on it that has been heated in the microwave. Dont use hot tap water because of the lead in the hot water heater. I just put about half cup of cold tap water in the microwave and heat it til warm about 25-30 seconds.
I like to make sure the food you are going to feed is a decent one, is there real meat and not meat by products in the first four ingredients? If not, then I would either buy a better food, or start supplementing the meal for your dog with chicken.
I would cut up chicken and feed it about three times a day. Small amounts, just a little at a time, an underweight dog or one that is not going to eat food needs also to have a lot of water.
Here is a site I found on Maltese care
www.petmaltese.com/
Blessings,
Robyn
I have a golden that weighs between 45 and 52 lbs. She is 12 years old and will just not eat--so we feed her puppy food (IAMS) for the extra calories and add (per the vets instructions) either cooked diced chicken, cottage cheese or rice (she loves the wild rice flavor) to her regular dry dog food. These supplements seem to keep her weight about 50 lbs, and then she is not ALL skin and bones, but she is still skinny.
Hello,
I assume you have been to the Veterinarian? My Corgi eats a brand that was recommended by our Vet. The name is Wellness, it contains sweet potatoes and is very palatable. My Tucker loves it.
Hello,
This is Sheila from Ont. again. Thank you so much for all the suggestions. My Maltese Maggie has been to a vet. We have found out recently that her teeth are inflamed and they need to be cleaned. She has started to eat dry food with a slight mix of canned food to add flavor. This is helping. Does anyone have an idea on good dental hygiene for dogs? This website is so great, with some very knowledgeable people.
Sheila
Hello Sheila,
We are Canadian/Americans who recently moved from Ontario to Traverse City MI. Our little rescued Shiz Tzu had a lot of tartar on his teeth and gum issues. He subsequently was malnourished. Our vet put him on a royale canine oral dry food. The chunks are large but they rid the teeth of tartar so well. We also mix in one tbsp of good wet food a day. He is in great shape now & his teeth are good as well We had to buy it from the vet, but the little guys only eat a cup a day. All the best, Trisha
When my dog would not want to eat I would give her a cooked yam. The vet said it was fine. I also gave her blueberries. Look on the internet for foods that are good for your pet and or look at the expensive dog foods to see what is in it.
I always call a vet and ask first before I feed something different.
Hi, I have Maltese. I don't feed can food, if you knew what was in them you wouldn't either. I only give kibble for dental reason. I boil chicken breasts (no skin) with sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin and beans, adding flaxseed oil unprocessed and teaspoon of kelp. Kelp is excellent for them n so is flaxseed oil, good for shining coat too. Don't feed your dog normal potato not good for them. Some fruits are good to. For treats I cook liver and slice into small pieces they love it.
I am looking after a Springer Spaniel at the moment. He has 3 meals a day, is always on the go, but can't put weight on. I need advice.
By Sally
My dog is the same as yours I give him Blue bufallo adult and puppy food supposed to have more nutrients. He is not starved in any way, totally spoiled very active and his bones you can see them its very embarrassing I feel like a boad mom. Bandit is a border collie Lab something. I told you what I did but not doing much good. Please if you come up with a miracle share with me eithet here or debbie-t AT live.ca Thanks, Debbie
Add sashes choice in her puppy tin and dry food, it good for their skin, fur and bones...
I also give my dogs raw chicken frames, raw hearts and pet mince.. but I change from one to another every few days, make sure you worm your dog every 2-3 months as it can play a part in it, p.s make sure you get it from your local veterinary for her weight. ..
I thought chicken bones were bad for a dog because bird bones break into splinters and can damage their digestive system.
I adopted a 10 month old Chi/Dachshund mix and she is rather skinny. Any suggestions on a good food to get her up to a healthy weight?
By Nelwyn Mills
I have two skinny cats that recently got over severe illness. They are soo happy to be frisky again but are soo skinny. What can I do to fatten them up faster?
I have seen a greyhound get fat off of scraps of bacon. It didn't even eat that much bacon, just scraps a few times a week.
I'd give my cats the breakfast sausage patties from McDonald's or Burger King but I don't think any of them really like the taste. Rats! Maybe they need mouse patties. Are any of the cat treats helpful to getting a cat to gain weight? My Sugar Cookie kitty is much too thin. I wonder if dogs might benefit from the breakfast sausage patties.
For skinny dogs that have no other medical issue, use Satin balls. It is what we use when we get severely underweight dogs in rescue.
www.instructables.com/
As for the cat question we coax them to eat with gerber chicken or turkey baby food, they also have ham and beef if the cat prefers. It is in tiny jars and the ingredients list only 3 chicken (or turkey) cornstarch and water. If the cat still won't eat talk to your vet about other supplements or force feeding as a last resort, but only after a vet's instruction as it is easy to choke them if you do it wrong.
We got Harly a few months ago. His owner could not keep him because of a move. We have tried everything to put weight on him. He is papered. His hair seems to be very dry and he has dandruff. He is a house dog and we have 2 acres for him to run in. He chews everything. We need advice on what to feed him.
By Susanne K
He has a food allergy. The dandruff and lack of weight gain are signs of this. You need to try different non-allergenic foods on him. Try each for at least two weeks. With some dogs it's wheat and with some it's soy. Some are allergic to chicken. I knew a dog that was allergic to beef, but that's rarer. Good luck.
Suggest also taking your dog to your vet, to be sure there are not other problems that may need treatment.
Puppy tin food and dry food, is good as its got everything your dog needs, and also supposed to alot of fat in it, also try sashes choice and put it in her food it's good for her skin and fur...as I feed it to my female dog who had a litter of pups 4 weeks ago, alot of people have be saying that she's in pretty good condition as the pups just drain her and take all the goodness out of her. Hope this helps your dog back to her healthy self...
Recently, I have taken a beautiful, female, 8 month old Blue-nosed Pit Bull into my home. She is very loving, has a great temperament, and is also very under weight. Her ribs and backbone are very visible! She is also not totally house broken.
Her previous owner kept her kenneled and only took her out at 7am and 10pm daily. She works and goes to school full time. Therefore, she didn't have time for the dog and wasn't able to provide it with the attention it so desperately deserves. (I actually got the dog from the cousin of the previous owner.) I have requested papers and documents from vet visits which I have yet to receive. She does not appear to have worms in her stool although her stools are loose considering her food change (brand). The previous owner did not provide me with current brand. I intend on taking her to the vet at the end of the week and gathering a stool sample to take along too. By then, her stool should be more normal for testing. My question is what are the best methods to helping this dog gain weight quickly?
By LenaeLenore
Some gain weight better on wet food. Read the labels--there are dog foods designed to help gain weight. Not all worms show up in the stool, so she might have worms.
Feed her more often and larger portions. Her appetite will increase because she did not have enough food before
Try goat milk.mix it with your dog food.that usually help.
I need a recipe to put some weight on my German Shepherd. She is 5 yrs old, I adopted her 6 months ago. She hasn't ever eaten people food from me and she does not beg for food. I feed her part raw food and Blue Wilderness. I have increased her food to 3 times a day with 3 1/2 cups per meal, but still that is not enough weight gain.
I have called her vet and he said to try to keep feeding her more fattening food and after 2 weeks he will do blood work. I had taken her to the vet when I got her and her health has been really good! Please send me a recipe or hints that I can use.
Thank you.
By Debkay
10 cups of food is too much. Please have dog checked for worms, or pathological or systemic problems. No dog, even a working dog eats that much.
Your vet wants your money. If your dog is eating and acting healthy you don't need to have blood work.
I don't like Blue. I know it's supposed to be the best and I put my rescue dog on it at first but the same results, no weight gain and horrible gas. I switched to science diet and my rescued husky has put on weight slowly and steadily. She looks great now. You might consider trying another food with some grains. The grain free is not great for putting weight on dogs. Just don't expect too much weight gain too soon. Over time your dog will gain weight. The other thing is do you mean 3 1/2 measured cups 3 times a day? That is way too much food. Your dog shouldn't need more than 2 cups 2 times a day. Good luck.
Please look into a condition called EPI. this is common in german shepherds and can make your dog very ill. this started with my puppy and 3 months later he is very very ill but has started treatment. It's harder to get the weight back when they lose a lot.
I have a 3 year old red nose Pit Bull. She had puppies for the first time by our blue nose brindle, but now that the puppies are 8 weeks old she still can't seem to gain any weight. We feed her almost 5 times a day. I give her soft food, as well, mixed into her dry food. We had tried puppy food even cuz I have heard that helps with mother dogs after having pups, but it seems like despite everything we do nothing is working.
I feel extremely embarrassed to take her on walks, people look at me like I'm a bad mom, like she's abused, but I assure you she is not abused what so ever! Please if anyone can give me some advice that would be great. Thank you.By L.A.M
She may have a medical problem if she is not gaining weight. Please take her to your vet for an exam and treatment.
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I have a 9 month Chihuahua dog that weights 2.8 pounds; I need to get her weight up. What food is the best for her? Thanks.
I adopted a dog from a shelter. She is very thin and although she is eating she is not gaining weight hardly at all. The vet said she is healthy. What can I feed her to fatten her up safely?
