Dog is underweight - What is the healthy way to get her to gain some weight?
I have a 2 year old Boxer. She is a fantastic dog. However, I am concerned that she is underweight. From the day we got her, she has not been food motivated. Initially, I tried the feed her 3 times a day and only leave it out for 15 minutes. The theory goes that they will learn that the food will go away if they don't eat now. She never learned that and simply never ate. So now, I leave food out for her all the time. She eats, but I don't think enough, 'cause she's so skinny. I know Boxers are supposed to show some of their ribs, but not all of them. Side by side with a healthy Boxer, you can see she is too skinny.
She sees the vet twice a year, he hasn't found any worms or health issues. She also gets Hearguard every month.
Other than the fact she is not food motivated, the other side of the problem is that she is extremely active. During the week, while my wife and I are at work, we drop her off at "doggy daycare" where she plays all day. Then when I pick her up and take her home, she is still ready to go, so I'll play Frisbee with her. Boxers are a very active breed, so I believe it important to exercise her a lot. I just think that her activity level is a little to high in relation to her food intake.
So, is there a safe way to add more fat and calories to her food to get her to gain a little weight? I know I could just feed her Big Macs for a month, but that is obviously not health. She weighs 40 pounds, and I think a good healthy weight for her would be around 50.
Any help is appreciated.
Thx,
Dan