View Full Version : Skinny dog won't gain weight
kadafi117
Dec 2, 2007, 01:28 AM
Hi guys I have a femail pitbull who is just over a year, she only weighs about 60 to 65 pounds I've been to the vet about 3 times she doesn't have worms or nethign else wrong with her the problem is that is to skiny and hasn't gained any height nor width I'm feeding her on the regular basis and give her more then attention and she has abig yard where she plays around.
Eveyrtime someone comes over they think I don't feed my dog because her ribs are stickeing out the vets told me she's more then fine but she hasn't gained weight or size since about 6 months now and I really want her to get bigger. What should I feed her right now I am feeding a holistic blend dog food which I was told is all natural it is dry and I feed her twice a day
Is there another type of a food I shld slowly switch her too
simoneaugie
Dec 2, 2007, 03:35 AM
Try raw food. Dogs love it. Some dogs, just like some people are naturally thin. If your dog eats well and enough then, you've done all you can. Quit worrying about what other people think. Their thoughts are their problem.
labman
Dec 2, 2007, 07:07 AM
Raw food is an outstandingly bad idea. There is not a shred of evidence it is better for dogs.
If your vet is happy with your dogs condition, don't worry about it.
RubyPitbull
Dec 2, 2007, 07:21 AM
I agree with labman here. I don't advocate a raw diet. Keep her on a kibble. If your vet isn't concerned you really shouldn't be. Your vet is the expert and if he says she is "more than fine" I would rely on his opinion and not those of people I don't know who show up to answer questions on a free web site.
Not knowing how tall or large your dog is, 60-65 lbs. usually a very decent weight for an average pit. As I said, hard to tell because I can't see her. Pits weight range really run the gamut. At your dog's age, she is nowhere near maturity. The broadening of the chest and filling out around the ribs, along with the flanks (back end), comes with age. Pitbulls take anywhere from 2 to 5 years to fully mature. You haven't mentioned how much you are feeding her on a daily basis, if you give her treats, and how much exercise she is actually getting. All of that needs to be taken into consideration when evaluating your dog's weight. Labman has a great link to assess your dog's weight properly. Hopefully, when he sees my post, he will be kind enough to include it here. If you are still unsure, post her picture for us to look at.
bushg
Dec 2, 2007, 08:36 AM
Is your dog spayed? I truly believe that a unneutered/unspayed dog burns more calories due to all the hormonal issues going on. I'm not saying that altering your dog is going to make them fat.
labman
Dec 2, 2007, 10:49 AM
I was short of time in my first post. I do hope you ignore that suggestion of the raw diet. For a look at what the mainstream of the dog world thinks see, Raw meat diets spark concern - January 15, 2005 (http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jan05/050115ww.asp)
Getting back to your dog's body condition. It is highly unusual for a healthy dog not to eat all it needs. The dog that maintains itself a little on the lean side, will live longer that the all too common overfed, overweight dogs. The link to evaluating your dog that RubyPitbull mentioned along other material on dogs not eating are in the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/information-articles-our-dogs-expert-labman-53153.html#post254171 At the end of it, is a discussion of health problems due to overweight. Don't let other people's opinions lead you to shortening your dog's life.
Elerten
Dec 5, 2007, 06:31 AM
I agree that a raw diet is NOT the answer, but I think the poster should do some more research into dog nutrition of his/her own!