I have a nurtition question

[karmakeesa]

Hello,
I was wanting to ask about weght gain in boxers. My younger boxer Keesa is very skinny. We recently switched our boxers to a more natural food with less fillers which was helpful for Karma because she could shed a few pounds. Keesa needs to gain weight and she has lost 2 and a 1/2 lbs now. She was already a pretty small boxer and now you can see her ribs and her back bone without having to touch her.
I have two issues. Keesa has hip dysplasia and I read it would be helpful to gradually put weight on them to better support their hips. Now I dont want to necessarily switch back to dog food with more fillers because of Karma. I have no idea and my vet did not have any answers for me...
Have any ideas out there???
Thank you, the Leslie Family

 

[gmacleod]

If you've got a dog with hip dysplasia, it might be helpful to consider a raw natural diet for her... I know that's not the question you posted, but it is something that's usually very good for weight management (including gain) and for relief of some of the pain associated with the arthritis (itself resulting from the dysplasia, and is the bit causing the pain). Part of the reason that natural raw diets seem to help arthritis suffers is because raw bone and cartillage is the natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin, which are often given in supplemental form to help ease the pain in joints. Well, like most things, it's far more bioavailable in natural form than in some dried powder So perhaps something to consider.

Back to the actual question though - it could simply be that Keesa needs more food than she's getting. Or possibly a different still-quality food would suit her better. There's no food yet invented that suits every dog, after all, so even if the one you're currently feeding isn't a great match for her, perhaps another may suit better (i.e. there isn't a need to head back to junk foods). What are you currently feeding?