[Tara<3Boss]

Hi guys, haven't been on in a while, but I'd like some input. I'm having a hard time keeping weight on Boss. This is not a new issue, I've had a problem with this since I switched from puppy food to dog food. Anyway, he really is quite thin. I know it's partly because he is quite active and because he has a fast metabolism...Anyway, the guy at the pet food store suggested I put him back on puppy food until he slows down a bit. He said most dogs will get fat by staying on puppy food, but that Boss might do better on it. What do you think? Puppy food has everything adult dogs need, right? Thanks

 

[PitBullRoyalty]

I personally don't bother with puppy food, everyone I know doesn't bother with it either. If you look on the back of most adult food it lists the amounts to feed to a puppy and the weights. You would follow that "puppy" column for one year. You can see that the puppy amount of food is larger than the adult serving of the same size. For example, a 50 lb puppy should eat alot more than a 50 pound full grown adult. If your dog is underweight, you should feed the amount listed at what your dog SHOULD weigh (recommended by your vet). For example, if your dog weighs 40 lbs and he should weigh around 50 lbs you would look at what would you should be feeding a 50 pound dog. If your dog has trouble keeping weight on, you can feed it even more. At the end of my late pit's life, I had trouble keeping weight on her (due to her age and cancer). I totally disregarded the back of the dogfood and fed her ALOT. I split this into a couple meals throughout the day (so she wouldn't eat so much at one sitting) and I was able to keep her at around 50-55 pounds (which was thin for her 65 pound frame) but at least she wasn't starved looking.

 

[Puregrover]

try nupro its a supplement full of protine enzimes and will help her gain weight just mix it in her food add a little warm water to make a gravy shell tear it up i personaly think its the best suppplemt on the market i sware by it

 

[fawn coffee]

if your dog is thin theres no problem giveing them puppy food i know breeders that give it to there lacktateing bitc&es.

 

[Carrie]

Instead of feeding a puppy food, try a few of these ideas...

Feed an adult food that's made specifically for working/performance/active dogs.

Feed Satin Balls (use the search button as there is a specific thread on them)

Add a bit of a high calorie supplement (Dyne is my recommendation)

Supplement your kibble with some raw, such as chicken, beef, etc.

Make sure your dog is parasite free

Lastly, realize that genetics play a role in how large your dog will become....maybe your dog looks thin to you, but is just genetically supposed to be thin.

 

[PaulaEdwina]

Hi guys, haven't been on in a while, but I'd like some input. I'm having a hard time keeping weight on Boss. This is not a new issue, I've had a problem with this since I switched from puppy food to dog food. Anyway, he really is quite thin. I know it's partly because he is quite active and because he has a fast metabolism...Anyway, the guy at the pet food store suggested I put him back on puppy food until he slows down a bit. He said most dogs will get fat by staying on puppy food, but that Boss might do better on it. What do you think? Puppy food has everything adult dogs need, right? Thanks

Need to know what you're feeding your dog.

Paula

 

[Tara<3Boss]

Thanks for the replies.

First things first, he is on Innova, gets a little over 3 cups/day (which is more than the maximum recommended amount for extremely active dogs of his weight) plus half a can of Wysong 100% meat (turkey or chicken) canned food in his kong. Plus I supplement his food with 1 tablespoon of Wellness Supplement. Oh and twice a week I'll make him a kong with plain yogourt (about two tablespoons) in it. I've kept him on Innova because it has the highest caloric content of any of the health foods I've looked at (I'm not sure why, or what ingredients give it a high calorie content).

Next, he's not a big dog. He should be about 45lbs, right now he's like 41lbs and there's not an ounce of fat on him. He is quite lean, not overly muscular. I know it's not just due to his activity level, because really, he doesn't get THAT mugh exercise. So yeah, I know he is a thin, lean doggy, but his weight is not a healthy one.

The reason I'm considering the puppy food is because he is getting more than enough of the adult dog food. He should be fine with this much food, but he's not. I've been told that feeding him puppy food will help because there is more fat in it. Is that right? Also, as you can imagine, it's getting pretty expensive going through all this food so fast, it's not exactly cheap :lol: So I'm trying to figure out a better diet for him. Hope that helps with the suggestions you guys can give me! Oh right, he doesn't have worms, I wish it were as easy as de-worming him

Funny, my cat can't lose weight and my dog can't gain weight...

 

[Tara<3Boss]

try nupro its a supplement full of protine enzimes and will help her gain weight just mix it in her food add a little warm water to make a gravy shell tear it up i personaly think its the best suppplemt on the market i sware by it

It's all protein? Is that ok to give him? I mean, wouldn't the amount of protein being given to him be too high with that supplement?

 

[i love remy]

I've been told that feeding him puppy food will help because there is more fat in it. Is that right?

Are you thinking of switching to Innova Puppy? I just checked their website, and Innova Dog is actually more fatty (14%) than Innova Puppy (12%). Timberwolf's Lamb and Apples formula might be a good one to try. It's 28% protein and 18% fat.

 

[Tara<3Boss]

I've been told that feeding him puppy food will help because there is more fat in it. Is that right?

Are you thinking of switching to Innova Puppy? I just checked their website, and Innova Dog is actually more fatty (14%) than Innova Puppy (12%). Timberwolf's Lamb and Apples formula might be a good one to try. It's 28% protein and 18% fat.

Oh really? :? So then I don't get why an adult dog would get fat on puppy food. Ahhh this is frustrating. Is Timberwolf about the same price as Innova? I haven't seen it at the pet food store I go to. They've got Canidae, Nature's Variety, Wysong and a couple others I can't remember...You think just feeding him a health food with a lot of fat will help, and still be healthy for him?

 

[i love remy]

I've been told that feeding him puppy food will help because there is more fat in it. Is that right?

Are you thinking of switching to Innova Puppy? I just checked their website, and Innova Dog is actually more fatty (14%) than Innova Puppy (12%). Timberwolf's Lamb and Apples formula might be a good one to try. It's 28% protein and 18% fat.

Oh really? :? So then I don't get why an adult dog would get fat on puppy food. Ahhh this is frustrating. Is Timberwolf about the same price as Innova? I haven't seen it at the pet food store I go to. They've got Canidae, Nature's Variety, Wysong and a couple others I can't remember...You think just feeding him a health food with a lot of fat will help, and still be healthy for him?

Timberwolf is right around the same price as Innova, I think. I pay $54 (tax included) for a 33lb. bag, but I have to buy it at a groomer's salon. You can order it online on their website, though. The shipping is free of charge. As long as Boss has been checked out by a vet to make sure that he is free of any medical conditions that would cause him to not gain weight, I think feeding him maybe 25-50% more than the recommended daily value of a high-quality kibble and supplementing with canned food or raw meat should help him keep his weight on. Does he still fall in the "puppy" range? (Is he less than 18 months old?) It's usually recommended that you feed growing dogs up twice as much of the daily recommended value of an all-life stages kibble, depending on their metabolism and energy level. I've just now cut Remy down to a regular serving size for his weight. He is just shy of 2.

 

[Puregrover]

try nupro its a supplement full of protine enzimes and will help her gain weight just mix it in her food add a little warm water to make a gravy shell tear it up i personaly think its the best suppplemt on the market i sware by it

It's all protein? Is that ok to give him? I mean, wouldn't the amount of protein being given to him be too high with that supplement?

nupro dose have a lot of protine in it but thays whast build mussel mussel ways more than fat plus it not all protine has a lot of other good stuff in it to if u read the bottel it say for fat dogs will help them lose weight ans for dog under weight will help the gain it we feed our dogs member mark exceed not the best food out the but it has no by products in it and is high in protine i think it a bout 13 to15% crude fat to as far as to much protine between the food and the nupro 56% is protine but like i said befor protine build mussel also how old is he if hes young hell bulk up just give him time if he old just feed him more

 

[PitBullRoyalty]

And remember, if he's not done growing yet he may just be at his lanky stage. I know pit bulls grow very lanky before they finally fill out. I'm not sure if he is a pit bull, I'm just making an example. My friend's puppy looked all bony and then he hit around 2 1/2 years old and BAM! He's filled out nice now.

 

[PaulaEdwina]

Thanks for the replies.

First things first, he is on Innova, gets a little over 3 cups/day (which is more than the maximum recommended amount for extremely active dogs of his weight) plus half a can of Wysong 100% meat (turkey or chicken) canned food in his kong. Plus I supplement his food with 1 tablespoon of Wellness Supplement. Oh and twice a week I'll make him a kong with plain yogourt (about two tablespoons) in it. I've kept him on Innova because it has the highest caloric content of any of the health foods I've looked at (I'm not sure why, or what ingredients give it a high calorie content).

Next, he's not a big dog. He should be about 45lbs, right now he's like 41lbs and there's not an ounce of fat on him. He is quite lean, not overly muscular. I know it's not just due to his activity level, because really, he doesn't get THAT mugh exercise. So yeah, I know he is a thin, lean doggy, but his weight is not a healthy one.

The reason I'm considering the puppy food is because he is getting more than enough of the adult dog food. He should be fine with this much food, but he's not. I've been told that feeding him puppy food will help because there is more fat in it. Is that right? Also, as you can imagine, it's getting pretty expensive going through all this food so fast, it's not exactly cheap :lol: So I'm trying to figure out a better diet for him. Hope that helps with the suggestions you guys can give me! Oh right, he doesn't have worms, I wish it were as easy as de-worming him

Funny, my cat can't lose weight and my dog can't gain weight...

Wow! Innova is almost 600 calories a cup. In that case I say go with what Carrie suggests.

Paula

 

[CowBella]

When you say he is on the thin side, can you SEE his spine, hip and shoulder points and ribs? You should be able to feel them when you handle him, but they shouldnt be obviously visible. I had a Giant Schnauzer that was outright skinny. I fed her as much as she would eat, then fed her a chicken back or 1/4 lb of satin balls after that. She was still very skinny. It was just her metabolism.

 

[i love remy]

When you say he is on the thin side, can you SEE his spine, hip and shoulder points and ribs? You should be able to feel them when you handle him, but they shouldnt be obviously visible. I had a Giant Schnauzer that was outright skinny. I fed her as much as she would eat, then fed her a chicken back or 1/4 lb of satin balls after that. She was still very skinny. It was just her metabolism.

Good points! As long as Boss has muscle tone (i.e. he's not starving or lacking in nutrition), he should be just fine being lean . He sounds like a really nice, typey dog to me.

 

[SexyBlueChapps]

I put Holly back on puppy food because she was SO thin and couldn't put any weight on adult food. But now she is back to adult and her weight is perfect.

 

[Tara<3Boss]

When you say he is on the thin side, can you SEE his spine, hip and shoulder points and ribs? You should be able to feel them when you handle him, but they shouldnt be obviously visible. I had a Giant Schnauzer that was outright skinny. I fed her as much as she would eat, then fed her a chicken back or 1/4 lb of satin balls after that. She was still very skinny. It was just her metabolism.

Good points! As long as Boss has muscle tone (i.e. he's not starving or lacking in nutrition), he should be just fine being lean . He sounds like a really nice, typey dog to me.

Yes you can see all of his bones, it's awful. He does have pretty good muscle tone in his back legs as well as in his shoulders, but he really is too skinny.

I found a food I've never heard of before called Evolve. It has the most fat of any of the foods they sell at 15%. I guess we'll try this food (unless someone has had a bad experience with it?) plus I'll try to find these satin balls you guys are talking about Thanks!!

 

[Tara<3Boss]

Here's a couple pictures I took about a month and a half ago. He's very lean, yes. But he's about 3lbs thinner now, and he needs to gain it back!