I have a 2yr old rottweiler mix. I feed her about 4 to 5 cups a day. Took her to the vet they can't find anything wrong. She loves to eat but I can't get her to maintain her weight. Vet notified me she needs to gain about 15 to 20 pounds. I tried eggs,cooked rice, giving her more treats. Nothing is working for her. Since it's winter I'm worried she won't stay warm. She still her happy lovable self. Please help me I'm really concerened about her.

If the vet truly thinks she needs to gain weight, they need to run some more tests or something. It is quite rare for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs unless it has been rehomed or something. You might try a second opinion.

Hi there.

We had a boxer (Layla 1 yrs.old) that had the same problem and could not gain weight, in fact she went from 60lbs to 40lbs and the vets told us her body would shut down in 2-3 weeks. After spending approx. $4000 and 1 year and various tests and drugs we found raw food diets (yeeeeah). We started her on raw chicken carcasses as much as she could eat and she gained 10 pounds in the first week. We lost her last year at 12 yrs. Old. There are lots of choices of raw food diets now they are everywhere, some need supplements, (oils,veggies,powders... ), and some are complete. Also we had to feed our boxer and our boston terrier two meals a day in winter even though they were inside dogs. I would also caution you about the possible reaction by your vets reaction to raw, some don't understand or believe in it. Lots of good resources on the net though. GOOD LUCK.

Check with your vet before feeding raw. Raw diets not only kill dogs, but their owners too. See Raw meat diets spark concern - January 15, 2005

Many of the people suggesting raw diets are in fact selling them. They have put up a ton of sites on the net.

Spaink, Is your dog spayed ?

Bushg to answer your question she's been spayed for about 1 1/2 yrs. The surgery went fine with no problems.

Have you had a thyroid test done? It may be overactive thyroid gland.

I am surprised that the vet is telling you she is severely under weight but hasn't provided any answers as to what could be causing this. Find out exactly what tests the vet has run. Dpb is right, it could be a thyroid condition or something else your vet didn't test for. If you feel your vet is not doing everything necessary to find an answer, please take labman's advice and switch vets. 4 to 5 cups of food a day is a lot and your dog should be putting some weight on. If the vet can't find anything wrong and is able to rule out health issues, I suggest you speak to him about putting her on a working dog chow. It is a denser, higher caloried dog chow specifically made for dogs with jobs that expend a great deal of energy and burn up an enormous amount of calories per day. That should do the trick.

This is a case of the dog not eating more if you offer it? I am afraid my Lab, Lucky, would have been too thin on 4-5 cups a day of Pro Plan. Being a typical Lab, he gulped it down and looked for more. He just didn't seem to process it well since he produced larger, softer stools than other dogs eating it. Since feeding him more worked, I didn't worry about it.

You are feeding a concentrated, meat based product such as the Pro Plan, Iams, Eukanuba, etc. You might look at a small breed puppy chow. They are easy to find, and are very high in calories. Of course if she is eating to hold her blood sugar at what seems a good level to her, she may respond by eating less if you feed a higher calorie chow.

I seldom make specific suggestions for the vet. I doubt they like suggestions from the internet. If your vet doesn't know to run a thyroid test, what you really need is a different vet.

I disagree, if a vet is not willing to listen to his clients suggestion, then he may need to look at how much he respects his clients wants and needs. If I suggested x to my vet and he came off with he did not need suggestions.
Then rest assured he would not be getting anymore of my visits or referrals. Vets are only human and sometimes may have a laspe in judgement or just have not gotten around to that step yet. Dogpoundbrenda I see nothing wrong with your advice. In fact it is something that we as dog owners may not have thought about asking.