Needs to put on weight

[LeeAnn28]

Oscar has lost 5 pounds since his last vet visit last year. He was checked over and is completely healthy otherwise.
The vet said that I should switch to a high calorie performance food. He could probably gain 10 pounds and still look good. You can see his hip bones and spine. He weighs 60 pounds and is 3 years old. He has a good appetite, but is VERY hyper!!! He looks so skinny compared to other boxers, Oscar looks like a giraffe, not a boxer
He is currently eating Canidae about 3-4 cups a day. He does get an occasional egg and cottage cheese. Should I try a food like Evo, which is high in protein or a higher calorie food like California natural chicken, i think it has 511 calories per cup. Thanks.

LeeAnn
Oscar 4/15/2004
Brindle & Floppy

 

[gmacleod]

In your position, I'd probably give a food like EVO a go. EVO is high in protein and in fat - and the way dogs use those is the fat for instant energy, the protein for building muscle mass. It is usually carbs, for which dogs don't have evolved processes to deal with, that end up being stored as fat. For that reason, some dogs (usually overweight ones) lose weight on EVO I don't think that's going to be Oscar's case though - because he's not storing fat anyway, and doesn't have enough muscle mass. Thus, I think he's likely to be one of those that gains weight on this food via the increased protein. And aside from anything else, I think it's just plain better than most other dry foods (Cal Natural included, which is made by the same company).

You could also consider adding some good quality canned food (NOT one containing grains), or some raw or lightly cooked lean meat into his diet.

 

[LeeAnn28]

Thanks for your advice, I have been feeding the Canidae still but have added Evo canned food and Evo treats. Occasionally he gets an egg, or some yogurt.

Oscar has gained 5 pounds. I think it is mostly muscle. We have been running him more and he gets alot more excercise now.
He loves the Evo canned food.

LeeAnn
Oscar 4/15/04
Brindle, Floppy & Docked

 

[evjm472]

Our 11 month old is only 60 lbs too and you can see his hips/ribs. Since we switched him to the EVO puppy food he has lost weight. He was on Canidae but got tired of the taste, not matter which flavor. I was going to switch him to the EVO silver package but was worried about the high protein content. At what age is it safe for boxers to have a higher than puppy intake of protein?

 

[tianthai]

My dog is a year old and weighs 60lbs. I think you have to wait until your dog is 18 months old before you can give him high protein food. As my dog is quite active (very playful, running most of the time and can play all day long) and I had also the feeling that he was skinny (which I realized now that it was not quite true) so I have got the habit of home cooking "wet" food to put top of his kibbles. He gets different types of cooked meat daily, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, fish. He eats much better than just dry food.

 

[mguiette]

i'm so glad someone posted about this! my Axe is just over 2 years old, and he weighs about 53lbs (last vet check). he's SO active and anxious-looking, always bouncing around, and you can see his hips/backbone too. but you can also see the muscles on/around his ribcage. i too will try to add the canned food/lean meat to his diet and see what happens.

 

[Biff]

Biff is 13 months, and weighed at the vets last night 25.5 kgms or around 56lb

He has actually started to fill out now, and doesn't look quite as skinny as he used to.

The vet says he is very healthy, and lean. She actually said "There are far too many fat boxers out there - it's a joy to see a boxer who looks the right shape for a boxer!"

So I'm happy!

 

[LeeAnn28]

Hi,
Oscar and I are in Oconomowoc, not to far away
Is the food expensive there? I'll have to try and find it and buy Oscar some treats. It sounds like a great place. Oscar just loves the canned Evo and Evo treats. Not too many places around here carry the high end food. Thanks for the info!!

LeeAnn
Oscar 4/15/04
Brindle, Floppy & Docked

 

[RNJered]

Biff is 13 months, and weighed at the vets last night 25.5 kgms or around 56lb

He has actually started to fill out now, and doesn't look quite as skinny as he used to.

The vet says he is very healthy, and lean. She actually said "There are far too many fat boxers out there - it's a joy to see a boxer who looks the right shape for a boxer!"

So I'm happy!

Thats the same news we just got about Buster today! Buster is 51lbs and coming up on 11 months old. He was put on Hills Science Diet ZD Ultra allergen free at 7 months due to allergies... he was at about 44lbs then and has pretty much tappered off of his weight gaining, however has become taller and very lean. We checked with our vet who said that he looked healthy and that many boxers look overweight. We are still concerned about his muscle mass because in comparison with both of his parents and one of his siblings he looks like a greyhound. We're going to start adding raw beef, carrots, and celery to his dry food and see how he does... no hives = good combo. Does anyone know how much raw meat is ok at this age? We were thining 1/4 to 1/2 lb spread between feedings? thanks

 

[RNJered]

Biff is 13 months, and weighed at the vets last night 25.5 kgms or around 56lb

He has actually started to fill out now, and doesn't look quite as skinny as he used to.

The vet says he is very healthy, and lean. She actually said "There are far too many fat boxers out there - it's a joy to see a boxer who looks the right shape for a boxer!"

So I'm happy!

Thats the same news we just got about Buster today! Buster is 51lbs and coming up on 11 months old. He was put on Hills Science Diet ZD Ultra allergen free at 7 months due to allergies... he was at about 44lbs then and has pretty much tappered off of his weight gaining, however has become taller and very lean. We checked with our vet who said that he looked healthy and that many boxers look overweight. We are still concerned about his muscle mass because in comparison with both of his parents and one of his siblings he looks like a greyhound. We're going to start adding raw beef, carrots, and celery to his dry food and see how he does... no hives = good combo. Does anyone know how much raw meat is ok at this age? We were thining 1/4 to 1/2 lb spread between feedings? thanks