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View Full Version : Dog food that helps dogs gain weight?


Rexiedoodle
Mar 24, 2011, 10:32 AM
I have a 14 month old German Shepherd.He is not neutered.His weight is 92 pounds but I can see all of his ribs and this concerns me.We feed him high quality food and he gets plenty of exercise. Should I be concerned?

ballengerb1
Mar 24, 2011, 10:40 AM
92 lbs sounds like a good number. How much are you feding him and how often? Since we can't actually see and touch him I'd suggest a trip to the vet for an exam and the vets read on him. I would no be overly worried w/92 lbs

Rexiedoodle
Mar 24, 2011, 10:45 AM
We feed him 6 cups a day of Blue Buffalo dry food with 1/3 of a can of wet food each feeding.That seems like a lot of food for a dog that you can still see his ribs.We also add any meat and vbeggies that we have for dinner.Chicken,steak,ham,sweet potato.

ballengerb1
Mar 24, 2011, 11:33 AM
Feeding once or twice a day? This seems like too much if anything. Have you taken a stool sample to the vet to check for worms, I would.

Aurora_Bell
Mar 24, 2011, 02:14 PM
Worms would be my guess, but some dogs just have a more slender build then others. I agree that 92lbs sounds like a good weight.

Just because you can see his ribs, doesn't mean he is under weight either. Check this link for ideal weight conditions.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rL-5qX6n4Y/TV9C6bGaPPI/AAAAAAAAAVw/b9ZDjhVTWlY/s1600/dog_weight_chart1.jpg

Lucky098
Mar 25, 2011, 06:37 PM
I say worms... Probably tape worms too. Tape worms make them look starving while eating.

Tapeworms are typically diagnosed by seeing the egg on the bucky :P

Fecal test would diagnose if there any other worms as well.

And because he is soooo skinny while eating.. You might want to test for heartworms. Blood panel probably wouldn't hurt either if all of those tests come back negative.

shazamataz
Mar 25, 2011, 11:27 PM
I pretty much ignore a dogs weight until after 18 months of age. A lot of dogs, especially entire males will have trouble putting on weight until they mature.

Both my males were skin and bones until they hit 18 months, then they just started packing the weight on.

I would do as suggested above and get him checked for worms but if it were me I wouldn't be panicking.