Do you want to live a long, happy, and healthy life with your beloved dog?
A healthy weight can do wonders in helping your pup to live a long life.
Are you noticing that your furry friend is getting skinnier day by day? Do you keep thinking about your pup’s health and diet? Lately, your beloved dog has been dull and inactive. And that has been stressing you out.
As a dog owner, it is your responsibility to take good care of your pup. If you find anything wrong, it’s your duty to fix it.
Some dogs are naturally slim, but it should be alarming if you notice a sudden weight loss in your dog.
In this blog post, we will discuss ways to tackle the deteriorating health of your dog. What you can do to fatten up your dog, what foods you can add to his diet, or how to help picky eaters and encourage weight gain.
How Do You Know If Your Dog Is Underweight?
A dog’s ideal weight depends on its breed and genetics. However, it might be quite concerning if you see that your dog is just becoming a bone skeleton.
Underweight dogs have a visible rib cage, spine, vertebrae, and muscle loss. But some are just very lean and hyperactive that they just look skinny.
It is better to check BCS (Body Condition Scoring system ) for a better weight management idea. For example, if it is between 4 and 5, your dog has a healthy weight, but if it is below that point, he is an underweight dog. Similarly, if the score is above 5, he is overweight and needs to lose weight.
Why Won’t My Dog Gain Weight?
If your dog has a balanced nutritional diet, still does not have a standard or acceptable body weight, or is not even gaining weight, then there might be some other symptoms or issues such as:
Picky Eater
Your doggo might be a picky eater, and you can add some enticing food toppers to your dog’s food so they will gobble it down in minutes. We know it’s hard to handle such dogs, but you have to be patient as a loving owner. You can try high calories dog food for such dogs as well.
Stress Issue
Punitive training methods can cause stress in dogs. As a result, they end up losing weight. Instead, dog trainers and groomers should try positive reinforcement with these aggressive dogs and find a better training method for a dog’s physical health.
Dogs also have stress issues caused by loud noises like thunderstorms or ongoing traffic. Similarly, a change in their environment, diet, or health could make them stressed out.
Sickness
If your dog is sick or they are fighting some disease like allergies, upset stomach, cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, digestive issues, diabetes, thyroid conditions, hormonal diseases, liver disease, or if they are just healing from invasive surgery, then that can cause them to lose weight.
Age Issue
Age plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy weight. Older dogs tend to lose muscle mass and bone density. In addition, tooth decay in senior dogs can also cause weight loss.
Tips for Your Dog’s Weight Gain and How to Help Your Dog Gain Weight?
A dog’s eating habits can determine its body weight. It can help them in gaining weight fast. Let’s try some of these tips to help your dog gain weight.
Human Food
Dogs love whatever their human companion is eating. Human foods are enticing for them, and that is why they wander around whenever you have something on your plate. You can try giving them some fresh fruits, vegetables, or meat-like sweet potato, cottage cheese, papaya, lean meat, quinoa, or rice.
However, you must have a feeding schedule and weight charts to monitor your dog’s progress for a few weeks. So that can help you come up with a better plan.
Whenever you want to add some new food to your dog’s diet, introduce it in a small amount to see if your dog is allergic or not.
Changing Your Dog’s Diet Plan
If you are giving your pup two big meals a day, it is better to divide them up into several small meals. Feed your dog with enough food that they can convert into usable energy and feel hungry faster.
You should follow a proper feeding schedule to fatten up a dog. But don’t give them too much that they start having some digestive issues.
More Exercise for Muscle Building
Muscle building is also essential for weight gain. If you keep your skinny dog active, they will feel hungrier and start eating more food and might end up having a normal weight range for a dog.
Wet or Fresh Foods
Most dogs prefer wet food instead of dry food/ dry kibble. So it’s better to give them fresh food as a topper. If your dog has oral problems, they also avoid eating dry or cold food as it makes them feel hurt and hard to chew.
Feed High-quality Proteins & Calories Enriched Dog Food
Many dogs love having a high protein diet than having other foods. If you have a skinny dog, then it is better that you choose a high-quality food brand that has high calories and rich protein content.
Dog food with more calories can assist your moody dog in gaining weight. Less quantity, more nutrition formula is best for underweight dogs
Don’t Add Too Much Fat
Too much fat in dog foods is not suitable for a dog’s stomach. Smaller dogs might end up with sensitive stomachs. This food sensitivity is not suitable for a dog’s skin and coat health.
Moreover, it can be a reason for troubled bowel movements.
Consult with Your Vet Asap
If nothing works, it’s time to call your vet. First, a veterinarian can find out why your dog is underweight. Then, he can prescribe some dog food or supplements that can help your dog healthily gain weight.
What Are Some Safe Human Foods I Can Add to My Dog’s Diet?
To support your dog to gain weight, you can give him human foods rich in fatty acids like fish, eggs, turkey, and homemade soups. Healthy fat and protein will fatten up your dog.
Why Is It Dangerous for a Dog to Be Too Skinny?
If your dog is getting thin day by day, he can lose his life soon. Surely enough, you would never want that. So, it is better to find out what the problem is.
If your dog has nutritional deficiencies, it can cause slow healing, stunted growth, a weak immune system, and blemished skin or coat health. It can also deteriorate muscle health and might cause heart or brain damage.
Final Verdict
Surely everyone wants their friend to be happy and healthy as long as they live. So, as a loving and caring owner, you should always encourage your dog to gain weight healthily.
We hope that this guide has helped you find ways to improve your bud’s health and make him gain weight if he is lacking in that department.
A healthy weight will help him live the best possible life with you.
Do you have any more questions about how you can make your furry friend gain weight? Or what’s your favorite tip? Then, you can share what has helped your dog.