Won't gain anymore weight.....fattening foods?

[AceOfSpades]

When I got Ace he was ridiculously thin, all his bones were poking out and he just looked awful as if he had survived a holocaust. Well in the month and a half I've owned him he has gained roughly about 15 pounds, maybe a bit more. But he is still only at 53 lbs. at 13 months old and you are still able to see a few of his ribs and his hip bones are quite visible. He is a fed a good dry kibble.....about 4-5 cups a day. I recently upped it a bit since he has barely gained any weight in the past 2 weeks. He gets good excercise and is fed only healthy foods (the only people food he ever gets is beans, rice, breads and meats). Can anyone give me some good food suggestions to plump him up just a bit more? Maybe some good home-cooked foods? With the winter approaching I'd really like him to be a bit thicker.

 

[MandaPanda]

Hi there. I've heard of something called "satin balls" that people use to help fatten up dogs. Google brings up several different recipies, so maybe you can look there and pick out the one you like. Good luck!

 

[mini]

when we nursed one of our fosters back to a healthy weight, the vet told us to use nutri-cal. Its a paste you put on top of their food and it thickend her up quick!

 

[gmacleod]

How about adding some good quality lean meat to his diet. It is protein that is required for building muscle mass. Generally, red meat is going to be more helpful than poultry for helping him to gain weight, though you could also add good foods such as small oily fish (e.g. sardines and mackeral, not tuna).

Ditching the pasta and especially the bread is a good idea also. Neither is good for dogs (and even aside, carbohydrates in general are not needed by canines).

Satin balls may be a possibility - but are NOT intended for long term use. They are, in effect, raw meat loaded with sugars and fat. Raw meat with moderate fat would be a healthier alternative.

 

[Jan]

53 pounds at 13 months doesn't sound bad to me. He probably won't gain weight nearly as fast now. Moto was very thin until about 20 months of age and all of a sudden he put on weight and I actually had to cut back his food a bit. I would give Ace some more time. As gmacleod suggesed you could just add some lean meat to his diet. If you are worried about him being cold, put a coat on him.

 

[AceOfSpades]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. He does get meat on occasion but I think I'll pick up plenty extra for him when I go grocery shopping next.

53 lbs may not sound skinny but when you look at him he looks unhealthy skinny in some areas that still need filling out.

I never made bread a solid part of his diet but if I was eating any he would get a small piece as opposed to pizza or anything else obviously not good for him.

Thanks again everyone

Oh, and he has a coat.......he just hates it

 

[Jan]

Oh, and he has a coat.......he just hates it

What type of coat is it? Maybe he doesn't like the way it fit? Markus didn't like the first coat I bought him. He would refuse to go to the bathroom when he was wearing it. :( So I stopped putting it on him. A couple of years later I bought him a nice gortex coat and I never had a problem with that one. He wore it just fine. Moto never has a problem with coats, but he has worn them since he was a puppy. Inside and out as I keep my house very cold. :(