weight

[claira]

hi all, does anyone have any diet tips to put some weight on dog. I raw feed my cocker she eats loads of quality meat a day. cant have grains/wheat due to allergy. I manage to get a bit extra weight on her and it comes off again. she isn't constantly loosing weight but I feel she is too boney. she is fit and full of energy, vet says no medical issues but bit skinny. tried tripe and high fat meats such as lamb. thanks

[romanriver]

can you post a photo of her?

[David]

What is her current weight? I've a springer dog that is lean, it doesn't matter what he's fed. All that happens is more food = more output with no change to his shape.

[Naj]

I wouldn't worry. Your vet says she is healthy. I would expect a dog to be in hard and lean condition at this end of the season. Fit dogs don't carry fat, which is what people generally mean when they talk about putting on weight. It doesn't make sense when you think about it.

Naj

[munstyman]

As others have indicated you need to put a bit more `meat' in your post to get any meaningful advise.
I take it that your feeding a balanced raw diet not just meat ? How much `work' is the dog doing and does she settle in the house ( or kennel ) ?
How many feeds do you give the dog per day and what exactly is `loads' ?
I had a dog like David describes, burn off any excess cover during the day, well muscled but any fat disappeared quickly, fed to appetite but made no difference.

[Contender]

Most dogs on raw or on grain & rice free kibble are not ever going to look 'fat' or carry 'a bit of extra weight'. They will however, look like lean, mean hunting/working machines with minimum 'covering'. The cereals, grains & rice which are very rich in starch, seems to have same effects on dogs as it does on humans: it makes them put on weight.

I think most people whom have swapped their dogs over to a raw or a grain & rice free kibble, would have noticed the change in their dogs in terms of how it looks after a couple of months. If your dog is fit and healthy which seems to be what your vet thinks, then I'm sure it's fine. If you really would like to try and get some more weight on your dog then add more fat to it's diet but be careful as it can upset the stomach which is also the same if you add more fatty meat like pig meat which is very rich.

Natasha

[Stacia]

Also the risk of pancreatitis re adding too much fat.

[gazbev]

The only thing that would put weight on my springer was raw green tripe as an extra meal

[Cass]

My cocker was always skinny up until the past year. He is 4 years old now and finally doesn't look like I starve him. He's just very high energy and doesn't seem to hold weight easily. I think now that he is older his metabolism is slowing a bit even though he isn't physically. He's a big boy for a cocker and has always been over 35 lbs. Currently now that hunting season is over he is sitting at 42 lbs. He's not fat but not in his peak condition. It's the first time his ribs haven't been poking through. Don't worry too much. As long as her energy levels are normal eventually she will put weight on.