Skinny rescue dog - should I try to fatten him up or just feed him a normal diet?

[nameymacnamechanger]

Poor thing is soo skinny!

His coat was all scabby and yukky but with daily grooming for a week all the scabs have gone and his fur looks shiny.

Should I feed him extra or just keep him on a regular/normal amount? I'm currently feeding him what the rescue place was: a scoop of mixer and half a tin of ped puppy twice a day plus treat after each walk.

i would replace his breakfast feed with a large cheap tin of rice pudding, it will fatten him up quickly without eating extra then alternate between dog food to get him back into a normal eating habit

I wouldn't advise rice pudding. It may well go straight through him.

I'd recommend putting him on Naturediet, which can be bought in quantity online or from pet shops (and some rescues). It's high protein and will make a noticable difference very quickly, plus it's very digestible as it has no additives.

I struggled for ages to put weight on my younger GSD until it was suggested that I put him on Naturediet. The difference is remarkable, he looks superb now. Naturediet comes in trays and is a wet food and very palatable. The trays carry a tray to dog weight guide - I fed a little over the average for my boy's weight just to speedily bring him up to a decent weight (as I could see his ribs, poor boy) and went back down to the recommended amount once that had been achieved.

I really can't recommend Naturediet enough!

Does he have a good appetite? If so, up his food slightly. Or if not, you could try adding some raw tripe to his food, to encourage him to eat a little more. 'Prize choice' is usally sold in pet shops, in frozen blocks. But what ever you do DON'T cook it, the smell will stay in your nostrils forever!!!

Naturediet is amazing, but I can also say that Good old Chappie Chicken and Rice is highly palatable (sp) too and works for my GSD.

He has a mixture of nature diet or chappie and his dry food, 3 times a day, sometimes 4. He is putting weight on now, he should be around 40Kg for his size, but is currently 29Kg.

ah yes Tripe... it works, but it stinks, raw still stinks.

Our rescue dog was horrendously skinny when we first got him. The vet actually thought he would die. His coat was also a mess.
The food he was on in the rescue centre was cheap and low protein. The vet advised a high protein diet but we had to introduce it slowly as it went right through him if we gave too much. We just mixed a little bit in at a time with the cheaper food and gradually increased it.
The puppy kibbles, designed for dogs that are still growing, were the ones the vet encouraged.
The vet advised that he always had kibble available to eat. He is not a greedy dog though and stops when he has had enough. You would have to watch if they were eating everything in sight.
He is now a healthy weight and his coat is sleek, soft and shiny. We got him in April so it took a while.
Well done for giving your dog a second chance.

"ah yes Tripe... it works, but it stinks, raw still stinks."
lol.. if you think raw stinks, don't microwave it like dh did once, you would believe the stench! DH thought he was going to die !!

That's the thing he doesn't wolf down the food I give him now, it's as though he's saving it. I have to encourage him to eat and if i tell him to eat some more food and give his half eaten bowl a nudge he does as he's told!

I was advised that when I change his food to do it very gradually and I do think it would go right through him to do a sudden change or give him something rich.

He has a ver thick coat so you cant see his ribs but they do stick out, when you struck him he's all bumpy ribs poor thing.

I will look into the naturediet food and I have also heard good things before from vets about chappie chicken and rice so will bear that in mind.

I balk at the smell of dog and cat food, no way could I stomach the smell of tripe - I'm very funny about food smells.

We have found with our dog that the kibble will sit untouched but if we put some of the dc left overs he goes and eats them and then goes on to eat the kibble. It can be the smallest bit of grated cheese or left over porrige but it seems to be enough to tempt him to eat the rest, or at least some of it.

Pedigree tins are crap.

How old is the dog? How skinny is skinny? Can you see all his ribs, last rib or two? No ribs? Can you see his spine/hips sticking out?

I would change his food gradually (25% new 75% old at first, gradually increasing new food and decreasing old) to something better quality, either natruediet as Val has suggested (and might be a good option if he is a bit fussy) or a decent quality kibble such as James Wellbeloved, Burns or similar. I would also consider giving hom three smaller meals a day rather than two larger ones as this will help him gain weight more easily without over feeding him, which can be dangerous.

Is he up to date with his worming with a decent wormer as oppsed to a shop bought one too?

I know pedigree tins aren't great, but that's what he was being fed at the rescue centre and I was told to continue with same food while he settles in then gradually change it. Have only had him a week.

I am going to book him into the vets for end of the week hopefully, couldn't get anywhere last week due to thick snow and ice but when I go I will ask about wormers and so on.

I think I may go with smaller meals 3 times a day that's a good idea and will definetely gradually phase in any new food.

As for HOW skinny, as I say because he has a thick coat of fur it's hard to tell but his back legs look painfully thin and I can very much feel his ribs when I stroke him and others have commented too on how skinny he is. Poor chap, at least he has a home now and will be getting lots of tlc.

When our dog lay down you could hear every bone hitting the floor. He couldn't sit as it was too painful. It was uncomfortable to stroke him as all his bones were sticking out.
The vet did actually suggest pedigree wet dog food to us just for extra protein but he couldn't cope with it.
He eats Burns now and is in such good health on it.
I still believe you should just have food out all the time for him just now - especially if he is not greedy.
I wish you all the luck in the world. These poor dogs make the most loyal and adoring pets.