Helping dog put on weight

[ImogenTubbs]

We got a 6/7mo rescue pup a couple of weeks ago. We think he is a Labrador/lurcher cross and is already fairly big although still quite puppyish in behaviour.

He is very skinny - you can see all his ribs and his hips jut out. We have put him back on three meals a day (mainly dry food, but with a bit of meat mixed in) and are giving him a few doggie treats plus a rawhide snack every day. We obviously don't want to overfeed him and he is otherwise seemingly very healthy and full of energy. He had an upset stomach for about five days when he arrived but that has settled down now.

Any tips for helping him healthily put on a little weight?

Does the vet think he’s underweight? If he’s eating well and full of bounce he might just be a skinny type.

I have exactly the opposite problem with mine- she only has to look at a sausage and she’s a furry basketball!

Our rescue Lurcher looks like the walking dead. We have been putting veg oil on her food, adding a lunchtime meal, lots of raw +cooked veg too - her coat is in a better state now - and teeth cleaner!! She has a coating over her ribs at last. Research told me that a bad diet and stress can stop any fast track methods working but slowly should see results. Good luck.

Raw hide treats not recommended - I stopped them after reading about them on t'interweb. If your ddog is short coated he will look more ribby than a furry one but their ribs are not meant to have lots of meat on. I wouldn't worry that much - a good healthy diet will be fine. Your ddog is at that skinny pup stage I believe. Underweight better than over. A picture might help

Three meals a day of a quality dog food will definitely work, but it does take time. I usually add in the occasional tin of sardines or a raw egg for extra calories.

Cheese - can you tell me more about rawhide? I read they were quite good because they soften as the dogs eats them?

Yes, here's a pic that shows his ribs....

I have a similarly aged skinny, who I've had for 2 months, and it's only now that she looks glossy and not ribby. She just won't eat more than I give her. She's had plenty of eggs, meat, fish added to her food. I think it just takes longer than we'd like! But slow and steady worked for us

That's very skinny poor little thing. Have you been to your vet? I work in rescue and if we ever get a skinny dog like that we feed little and often so 4-5 small meals a day and a good quality diet like hills, science plan, Royal canin do breed specific foods but are quite pricey. As someone said, stress can make putting on weight harder, is he a stress dog.
As you've only had him a couple of weeks he's probably still settling so it may take a bit of time. Did the rescue place you got him from mention anything about his weight when you adopted him?

Mine is skinny and due to illness often loses so much weight you can see his ribs. I do little and often to increase the amount so as not to upset his stomach. Although we give treats I try and stick with ones I know don't upset his stomach or cook him an additional piece of fish or meat as a meal.

He does look underweight...but he also looks more lurcher shaped than lab, so he might always be a bit more ribby than a lab (and you should be able to see the last one on a dog the right weight anyway)

Puppy food is higher in calories and it means you can switch to adult stuff when he hits a better weight. So that might be worth a try.

Rawhide can have some pretty horrible chemicals in it and it can cause blockages because it doesn’t digest properly.

Bless him, he is thin. I'd go to 4 meals a day, a glug of cod liver oil in one meal a day, a raw egg in another, and lots of dried sprats as training treats (mine adore them and they have lots of good oils).
What food are you using?

Oh bless him he is very skinny isn't he

3 good meals a day and gentle exercise will be a very good start. You don't want him gaining weight too quickly either. So keep up what you're doing and he will put it on nicely

I stopped buying rawhide when I read about a husky who died after it wasn't properly chewed up and ripped its digestive system.
Our husky has successfully passed a sock and a flipflop.

Thank you for the tips. I will take more care with the rawhide treats. Shame as he looooooves them!

We are not in the UK, the people who found him registered him with a local animal shelter but we offered to take him before he ended up there. The animal shelter vet is managing his care until he has all his basic vaccinations, chip, neutered, etc. They don't seem overly concerned about the skinny.

BTW, he is the same colour as my current foster boy who is definatly a lurcher with a hefty dose of saluki - is there reasons for thinking of lab?

Scrambled eggs, tins of sardines, roast chicken, full fat natural yogurt. Small meals x3 or x4 a day. Start off in a small amounts so not to overload their stomach.

And make sure their food is grain free, that can cause a lot of allergies.

And make sure you've wormed.

CMOT - only that when I google 'Labrador Lurcher cross' I get loads of pictures that look just like him.

Thanks Jayne - yes, he's on grain free - Core original dry food at the moment.

Possible relatives!!

April - ha! Yes. He has a slightly less pointy nose. Here he is.

Very handsome!!

Hills do a prescription weight gain tin food. Helped our skinny one

Mine was just the same, bony bum and not much muscle on back legs. Pottering about plenty at his own pace should help too. Good luck and well done for taking him on!