How to increase her weight

[CleverQuacks]

My pup had her second jabs and during the vet appointment the vet said that she feels a bit underweight. She is a 12 week old whippet so she is a lean breed but obviously I want her to be healthy and not underweight.

She currently has 2 pouches of wainwright puppy food and 2 cup fulls of wainwright dry puppy food a day (split over 4 feeds). The vet said this sounds like a lot so not to increase. So what can I do to increase her weight?

Are there any high calorie treats I can give her that will also be good for her? She loves her kong so maybe I could stuff that with something high calorie as an extra feed?

A Hi Life Pawky Pigs ear everyday! Doggy heaven!

Our vet said the same, although, our dog is not the biggest fan of eating. We give her one egg a day, which she loves along with her dog food. We also give her asparagus and green beans as extras. She is not keen on the dog food, but eats it...S L O W L Y.

Is your vet used to whippets? They can seem skinny when up against other dogs. Does she have protruding ribs?
Stuff Kong with dried food stuck in a bit of xylitol free peanut butter?
I would've said lamb tripe or duck but my dog is raw fed!

Cheesy scrambled egg as a snack.

Sardines in oil as a dry food topper.

A can of sardines if she likes them (in oil, not brine, oil drained before serving). My girl was very skinny after a litter of pups, the sardines are great for calcium so good for hair and claws as well as high in fat and calories.

Mine loves sardines in water
Satin balls. Maybe not if not raw feeding
TBH if pup is still hungry I would increase the food if you think they're underweight. All dogs have different energy requirement. But is the pup really skinny or just slender? They should have a tuck up and, whilst they shouldn't have protruding ribs, you should definitely be able to feel their ribs.
What does your breeder say?

You can definitely see her ribs and feel them when you run your hand down her sides. So I think the vet may have a point.

I didn’t know you could give human food like eggs. Won’t it upset her tummy?

You should be able to feel the ribs.
I would ask your breeder.

My spaniel was underweight until very recently and it was so hard to get him to maintain weight let alone put it on.

I used to make him scrambled eggs in the microwave (nothing added) and then sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese on top. We also fed him little bits of cooked chicken although we swopped to cooked cod as wasn't sure if he tolerated chicken that well at the time.

I didn’t know you could give human food like eggs. Won’t it upset her tummy?

Eggs are fine. Not all human food is good for dogs but a quick google will tell you what's ok and what isn't.

How much does she weigh?

You do not want a puppy to put on too much weight whilst they are growing so I would always prefer leaner to chubby puppies. You do see an awful lot of overweight puppies.

Some dogs are just thinner than others- if your puppy is healthy,energetic, sleeps well, has healthy poos and is fed good quality of food - I would not worry too much.

You should be able to feel the ribs

Vets always say my dogs are on the thin side but they are working and sporting dogs so will always be lean. In our sports circles my dogs look normal in the vet waiting room they look thin

Totally agree. Lots of fat labs round here so a sleek whippet could look really skinny in a room full of them.
I would be very tempted to email breeder a pic and details of food fed and weight.
They may be able to reassure you.

Rescue lurcher over here: porridge for breakfast. Dry food with vegetable oil for lunch. Dry +wet food at tea time.
Veg for treats!

She ways 3.98kg. She is a whippet x greyhound so could be quite a tall dog (she certainly has long legs!). She seems very fit and healthy in every other way. She is very active and playful. She does gobble her food very quickly though so maybe she is hungry.

Could be hungry. Could be greedy!!
Could the breeder compare that weight to others in the litter?
If mine gobbled her food and still seemed hungry then I would add a little bit more. But then she tends to the skinny side!

You could see the ribs on my spaniel when he was younger and if you looked at all the guides he was on the underweight side. However, my vet often said it was better to be slight under than over for things such as joints especially for a very active dog.

It's only now as an adult I can feel the ribs but not see them as he is now in the 'normal' size. Have you looked at the charts which show you how to visually check the dogs weight when you look from above and from the side as I find them helpful rather than just going by the scales.

Dogs can eat a surprising variety of human food. Mine loves everything from eggs (raw or cooked), raw carrots, raw meaty bones from the butcher, licking out the tail end of a tub of sour cream, xylitol free peanut butter...

Dried sprats are also very high value training treats that can be broken up into lots of little bits, and contain lots of good fish oil.

If you're considering switching his food, check out www.AllAboutDogFood.co.uk which is widely respected

Thanks all. I gave her some scrambled egg for her breakfast which she ate really well and no sign of an upset tummy so far!