My dog is very skinny

[afrosentrik]

My Jasper is 2 and half years old, he has always been on the thin side but he is seeming very thin. His collor is big for him and his hip bones are sticking out. I feed him Back to Basic food once every day. He has been eating these rolled pig ear bones a lot lately. If anyone can tell me about a good WEIGHT GAIN diet I would love to hear it. He is seeming to be calmer lately but I figured it is just him calming down beause he has been SOOOOOO hyper for the past 2 and half years. Any help would be appreciated!!

 

[BoxerPak]

Maybe try feeding him twice a day instead of once. When we first got Junior he was very malnourished and skinny. Hubby and I fill his dish up in the morning and then again at night. He has food in his dish 24/7 (unless he eats it all, then we just start the process over the next morning). He doesn't gorge himself, he just eats when he's hungry. When we got him he weighed 50 lbs and now he is 80 lbs.

You could also try throwing him some fat from your meat and stuff as well, as long as his stomach can handle it.

 

[catneon]

How much does he weight?
How much do you feed him?
Have you had you dog checked for worms or parasites??
If you say your dog has been eating a lot of pig ears lately maybe he is trying to tell you he is hungry.
You should also be feeding twice a day. I would bring him to the vet to ensure a clean bill of health. If you say his collar has gotten big for him it is a sign he is losing weight which shouldn't happen. Definitely reevaluate the amount you feed to see if you are feeding enought.
Back to Basic is an excellent food,(what I feed) I have seen it used on other boxers who are in perfect shape. Gazou is 15 weeks old and he gets 1/2-3/4 cups in the morning and in the evening. I also add some cottage cheese about a table spoon. He also get healthy home made cookies.

Keep us posted please.
edit Mobrian, thanks for adding to stop feeding those pig ears. You can give whole carrots for him to chew on instead of pigs ears.

 

[mobrian]

I would definitely stop feeding the pig ears to him. They may not be passing through his system. Back to basics is a really good food. I feed Jesse both Back to basics and Canidae.

A visit to the vet would be a very good idea since he is dropping pounds.

 

[Vela]

I think you are not feeding him enough. I would have him checked for worms or any other problems by a vet, give him healthier treats and feed him twice a day. The food you have him on is a decent food but it doesn't sound like he's getting enough of it. Definately get him to a vet ASAP.

 

[Adelle]

How much are you feeding him daily ?

You should feed him twice a day (not just when you are trying to fatten him up), 2 smaller meals instead of one big one, this will help to prevent bloat. But while you are trying to fatten him up you could try feeing him 3 times a day. I would definitely have your vet check him out. You could search on BW for the recipe for Satin Balls I believe they are great for adding weight quickly.

 

[DixieDiana]

It is best to feed twice daily. It sounds like Jasper is hungry. If he is eating a lot of pigs ears all of a sudden, it is probably because he isn't getting enough food.
You may also want to have a stool sample checked for any possible internal parasites. They can cause weight loss.
I definitely would try feeding twice daily....I think you will see an increase in weight, plus find that he has more energy.

Best Wishes....keep us posted!!

Jeanne

 

[Taliesyn88]

Poor Baby!!!

Hello,

I do not have that problem with my babies, they are usually on the fat side. I think that your dog is not getting enough nutrition, and I would take him to the vet to make sure that he does not have parasites, or any digestive problems. Also have them do a complete blood check up to see if he could have anything else, for example an overactive thyroid. If there are no medical problems, I would suggest feeding him more often, and feeding him things that he will eat. Since he is so hyper he is burning off alot of calories, so a dog like this needs alot of calories. This may be out of the norm, but get him a dry food that he really likes, I have found that all of my dogs like Purina Beneficial. Then I would supplement that with some canned dog food, like Pedigree. When Rusty had parvo I fed him canned food quite a bit, around 2 cans a day. He was a little skeleton but picked up weight fast. Also, does your baby like table scraps??? Not junky ones, but mabye some steak, eggs, or potatoes??? Eggs are great for dogs and are relatively inexpensive. I would cut back on the pig ears and give him more solid food. Feed him whatever he will eat, just to get him up to weight. I have found out that some dogs are just finicky eaters, mabye Jasper is tired of his dry food and wants something else. If all else fails, give me Jasper for 1 month!!! I assure you he will be fat in no time!!!

Wendy, Rusty, Casey, Rocky, and Saddam

 

[afrosentrik]

Thank you

Thank you everyone for the advice. Jasper has been to the vet and he is fine. He has always been on the skinny side and hyper. He is starting to calm down, but the weight loss concerned me. I am going to start feeding him twice a day. The reason I stopped was because he had alot of waste. I didn't think it was sticking, I guess I was wrong. We are also going to start giving him more table scraps. I want the wet food to be a last resort. I also think that that the pig ears stopped up his system a bit and made him think he was full when he wasn't.

Well, I am off to make Jaspers food!

 

[catneon]

Re: Thank you

Originally posted by afrosentrik
The reason I stopped was because he had alot of waste. I didn't think it was sticking, I guess I was wrong.

Do you mean..poo??? I guess from what I understand he was pooping a lot so you tought is wasn't being digested? I remember one of the first things I was told about Boxers besides gas was there was a lot of poo... I would advance that unless there were undigested parts in the poo your boxer was perfectly fine.

We are also going to start giving him more table scraps

Just be careful what you give. You can give veggies ( no onions) search this site for good veggies (especially in the BARF section) You can give cooked meat (or raw), but don't give it with gravy, bbq sauce etc.... just give it plain. There is a great recipe on the recipe forum from one of our members (nanabear) to make a great meatloaf for Jasper. You can use left over pasta, or plain rice to put in it.

Keep us posted