Rescue Boxer needs a few pounds..

[otto-matic]

We have a new "skinny" addition to our Boxer home....

This week we adopted a baby boxer (6 months old) from a local rescue...he was neglected and abandoned. Bodhi is about 10-15 pounds lighter then our pride and joy Otto at 5.5 months and 52 pounds.

I am wondering what the best way to "fatten" him up might be. Currently when you run your hands on his body it is alarming how many bones you feel. Ironically I used to think Otto was thin...not now. My concerns are a proper diet which is orientated to meet his nutritional / Physical needs.

We feed the pups Nutro Large breed puppy kibble with Max wet food. Our feeding schedule is three times a day....originally I was going to change to twice a day for Otto once he hit 6 months...but I think this needs to hold off untill Bodhi is ready.

Oatmeal was one of the suggestions we received as a supplement. We are feeding him natural peanut butter as a treat ....

Any help is appreciated!!

Kellie

 

[brwneyesk8]

I am no expert on the situation, but if it were my furbaby I would try to fatten him up the same way you'd try to gain weight if you were a bodybuilder. With a lot of the Healthy foods. Meaning don't go overboard on the treats! That could backfire and then your poor dog will want nothing but treats. Nutro Lrg breed is great and they have good wet food, as well. Try adding some veggies to his meal and perhaps some cooked chicken or eggs from time to time. Good Luck and keep us posted!

 

[Chewy's Mom]

We had the same issue with a few of our foster dogs. One of them, Henry, gained 8 pounds in 2 weeks. He looked like a walking skeleton when we first got him, but he looked perfect just a month later.

We fattened him up by adding one egg and some fatty cottage cheese (about a cup) to each meal. This was recommended to us by our holistic vet. We just mixed it in with his food, and he gobbled it up. It helped that he had a good appetite, which not all rescues do.

Other good foods for fattening up are yogurt and peanut butter.

 

[otto-matic]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, we have looked into other threads as well....currently we are supplementing his diet with cottage cheese and eggs as suggested. His weight is slowly going up....we do notice his spine isn't as visible now. Of course its hard for us to really notice immediate changes, but we are weighing him every week to make sure he is gaining weight.