[n0tes]

I have a two year old Bloodhound/Lab mix... he stands about 26 inches to shoulder. He only weighs about 70 pounds. Although the vet says this is within a normal range.. I know he is far too thin. I can see his ribs and pelvic bones. I got him from a shelter and have only had him about two months, he hasn't gained anything that noticeable. He does not have worms.. He eats just fine... more than most actually. He mostly sleeps through the day and I take him to the dog park if it is nice out-otherwise we play with him in the house. What can I do to help him gain more weight?

[starbuck8]

What kind of dog food are you feeding him? He might need a change in food.

[n0tes]

Originally he ate Pedigree or Puriena Large Breed or something at the Humane Society they told me "which he loves"--doubt it... I switched him to Retriever brand High Protein... now he eats Old Yeller brand-which he actually eats a lot better.

[starbuck8]

Well, some vets may disagree with what I'm going to say, but my friends vet sure didn't. He has two Bloodhounds. The vet always wondered why his dogs always seemed more healthy, and were at a perfect weight. His dogs never had to go in for anything more than their shots.

One day the vet asked him just what he was feeding them. He said raw beef. The vet was stunned, because this was a bit different than what she was taught in vet school. Now she recommends this for weight gain for dogs that just can't seem to put on any weight. I know that this might be a little expensive, but you don't need to get expensive cuts of beef, and it is high in protein. Liver is also very good for them.

My vet gave me a lecture not too long ago about feeding my dog, who is a bit overweight, that Pedigree or Purina wasn't as good as they claim. She said that although they do say it is a well balanced diet, it still has a lot of filler, and cornmeal etc. and is high in fat, which is not good for fat or skinny dogs. She recommended Hills Science Diet. Well, that stuff is darn expensive! Not everyone can afford that.

So what I have been doing, is buying chicken breasts in bulk when it's on sale, boiling it, or sometimes giving it a quick zap in the microwave, shredding it, and mixing that with her Purina One.

You could maybe do the same with beef. Buy stew meat or whatever is cheapest, and mix it in with your dogs regular food.

It's worth a try! :)