My two-year-old Pit Bull Terrier has his full spinal cord showing which is bothering me. I also see his ribs all the time even though he gets fed through the morning, evening, and nighttime. Even though my dog shows no sign of pain it bothers me. I need help!
If your dog is healthy and active I wouldnt worry. You could talk to your vet and ask if a higher-calorie food would be recommended
Has your dog been checked for worms? Worms will make a pitbull skinny in the back and ribs like yours is. If you take him to the vet and are told he is healthy with no other medical problem causing this I wouldn't worry. Bread and Oatmeal will put weight on pitbulls but isn't always healthy for every dog. Check with your vet before feeding him either of these. If he's healthy don't worry about it. Healthy is the important thing.
A dog this thin would be a red flag for me. Dogs can have metabolic disorders like high thyroid that cause them no pain but need to be treated for them to remain healthy. Have your dog checked out.
I tried the giving food and taking away food and it didn't work. Bandit went over a week and got pissed at me so he refused to eat anything. One thing that helped me was taking him off all chicken by-products, not natural chicken, but the so called by products. I put him on Blue Buffalo a great food he loves, plus the puppy which is better tasting. He loves the lamb and rice. He also loves pumpkin so I make him pumpkin pies. He is just skinny I guess.
My question, is Bandit is picky enough if I give him satin balls will he stop his dry food again altogether or do I mix it? Plus I thought raw burger gives your dog worms, what happens if you cook it like a burger? Help.
By Debbie T.
I think if I were you I would keep feeding the Blue Buffalo and skip treats that may or may not be healthy. The satin balls dont sound like they really add anything good to his diet. I would quit while I was ahead. Try pieces of his dry food for a treat. He wont know the difference.
Have you had your dog de-wormed by a Veterinarian?
I have an 8 year old Pit Bull. He was sick a couple weeks back and he didn't wanna eat so we had him on a special diet, but he was skinny although not too skinny. He is better now and I have been feeding him 2 times a day and giving him plenty of water, but he's not putting weight on. I don't know why and I think he might be sick still or might have heart worms because a friend had him and didn't take care of him right and he had to have a flea bath.
You really need to see a Vet about the heartworms. Only a Vet can treat heartworms. The treatment is hard on the dog, so don't wait too long. It can be fatal if you do. Be wary of over the counter wormers Most of them dont work and can make your dog quite sick.
We have just adopted a Maltese terrier. She is approx. 8 years old. She seems to eat very little and needs to gain weight. I have tried dry food small bites, but this is not her favorite. Does anyone in the community have a Maltese that can share some expertise on this subject? Thank you in advance.
By Sheila from Ontario, Canada
My male matease will only eat the dry food if I put a lil water on it that has been heated in the microwave. Dont use hot tap water because of the lead in the hot water heater. I just put about half cup of cold tap water in the microwave and heat it til warm about 25-30 seconds.
I like to make sure the food you are going to feed is a decent one, is there real meat and not meat by products in the first four ingredients? If not, then I would either buy a better food, or start supplementing the meal for your dog with chicken.
I would cut up chicken and feed it about three times a day. Small amounts, just a little at a time, an underweight dog or one that is not going to eat food needs also to have a lot of water.
Here is a site I found on Maltese care
www.petmaltese.com/
Blessings,
Robyn
I have a golden that weighs between 45 and 52 lbs. She is 12 years old and will just not eat--so we feed her puppy food (IAMS) for the extra calories and add (per the vets instructions) either cooked diced chicken, cottage cheese or rice (she loves the wild rice flavor) to her regular dry dog food. These supplements seem to keep her weight about 50 lbs, and then she is not ALL skin and bones, but she is still skinny.
Hello,
I assume you have been to the Veterinarian? My Corgi eats a brand that was recommended by our Vet. The name is Wellness, it contains sweet potatoes and is very palatable. My Tucker loves it.
Hello,
This is Sheila from Ont. again. Thank you so much for all the suggestions. My Maltese Maggie has been to a vet. We have found out recently that her teeth are inflamed and they need to be cleaned. She has started to eat dry food with a slight mix of canned food to add flavor. This is helping. Does anyone have an idea on good dental hygiene for dogs? This website is so great, with some very knowledgeable people.
Sheila
I am looking after a Springer Spaniel at the moment. He has 3 meals a day, is always on the go, but can't put weight on. I need advice.
By Sally
I adopted a 10 month old Chi/Dachshund mix and she is rather skinny. Any suggestions on a good food to get her up to a healthy weight?
By Nelwyn Mills
We got Harly a few months ago. His owner could not keep him because of a move. We have tried everything to put weight on him. He is papered. His hair seems to be very dry and he has dandruff. He is a house dog and we have 2 acres for him to run in. He chews everything. We need advice on what to feed him.
By Susanne K
Recently, I have taken a beautiful, female, 8 month old Blue-nosed Pit Bull into my home. She is very loving, has a great temperament, and is also very under weight. Her ribs and backbone are very visible! She is also not totally house broken.
Her previous owner kept her kenneled and only took her out at 7am and 10pm daily. She works and goes to school full time. Therefore, she didn't have time for the dog and wasn't able to provide it with the attention it so desperately deserves. (I actually got the dog from the cousin of the previous owner.) I have requested papers and documents from vet visits which I have yet to receive. She does not appear to have worms in her stool although her stools are loose considering her food change (brand). The previous owner did not provide me with current brand. I intend on taking her to the vet at the end of the week and gathering a stool sample to take along too. By then, her stool should be more normal for testing. My question is what are the best methods to helping this dog gain weight quickly?
By LenaeLenore
I need a recipe to put some weight on my German Shepherd. She is 5 yrs old, I adopted her 6 months ago. She hasn't ever eaten people food from me and she does not beg for food. I feed her part raw food and Blue Wilderness. I have increased her food to 3 times a day with 3 1/2 cups per meal, but still that is not enough weight gain.
I have called her vet and he said to try to keep feeding her more fattening food and after 2 weeks he will do blood work. I had taken her to the vet when I got her and her health has been really good! Please send me a recipe or hints that I can use.
Thank you.
By Debkay
I have a 3 year old red nose Pit Bull. She had puppies for the first time by our blue nose brindle, but now that the puppies are 8 weeks old she still can't seem to gain any weight. We feed her almost 5 times a day. I give her soft food, as well, mixed into her dry food. We had tried puppy food even cuz I have heard that helps with mother dogs after having pups, but it seems like despite everything we do nothing is working.
I feel extremely embarrassed to take her on walks, people look at me like I'm a bad mom, like she's abused, but I assure you she is not abused what so ever! Please if anyone can give me some advice that would be great. Thank you.By L.A.M