How to make the lean dog fat

Obesity in dogs is a frequent problem and some breeds are particularly prone to suffer from it. However, many dogs suffer from the opposite problem: they do not eat enough, they are thin even if they eat or consume too much energy.

Ensuring that the dog maintains a stable and correct weight due to its characteristics is the responsibility of the owner, but if the dog is too thin and cannot gain weight, it will be necessary to intervene because it is not a normal situation. In this article in AnimalPedia we explain how to make the lean dog fatten up with some practical advice.

Dog too thin: diseases
The first thing to do if your dog is too thin is to take him to the vet for him to visit because often this condition is caused by certain diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, hepatitis or digestive problems. If the dog is sick it is good to notice it in time to be able to treat it properly. In some cases it may be necessary to carry out a stool test to check if the dog has an intestinal worm infestation: in the positive case, it will be necessary to resort to an anti-parasite treatment .

Once diseases and infections are discarded, the vet will tell you what is the ideal weight to reach and what to do to make the lean dog fat.

Keep a diary of the weight of the dog
Now that you know that the dog is well and that excessive thinness does not depend on any health problem, you will have to start making the first changes in your diet and eating habits. In the meantime, to keep the dog's weight under control and notice any changes, keep a diary in which to write every day how much it weighs, how much you eat (including the rewards for positive reinforcement ) and the amount of exercise done.

If you continue to lose weight, if it remains stable or if it finally manages to gain weight, you will be able to understand more easily with the veterinarian what is happening and what the different changes may depend on .

Quality and calories of dog food
Together with the vet, check the quality, ingredients and doses of the food you give the dog. It is possible that you are giving him less than he needs or that it is a type of croquettes or poor quality wet food, so the dog's energy needs are not met. To make the lean dog fat, almost always, you need to change something in the dog's meals, such as doses and calories.

To understand if the food of your four-legged friend is of quality, in the list of products the first proteins must derive from lamb, chicken or beef and in the first places there must not be cereals such as corn or wheat. The best dog foods, in fact, consist mainly of meat, eggs and vegetables.

To increase the calories of the dog's diet, you can change the type of food or increase the dose, but carefully: if you ingest too many calories too quickly you may suffer from digestive problems or even vomiting and diarrhea. Similarly, enriching your diet with too much fat can lead to problems such as pancreatitis. To find out what kind of change to make to the dog's diet in your specific case, consult your veterinarian.

Amount of food for a lean dog
If you increase the amount of food you give the dog it is also important to redistribute the doses in the various meals throughout the day. Depending on the case, it may be appropriate to feed it 3 or 4 times a day in order to give the body time to adapt to the change: it will digest more easily by metabolizing nutrients better.

The ideal is not to let more than 6 hours pass between meals. The thinner a dog is, the more important it is to eat little but often. Increasing the doses or replacing the type of food and also changing meal times will also change the dog's physiological needs and may need to be taken out more often. It is very important to avoid twisting the stomach.

Entice a lean dog to eat
If your dog in general does not like to eat, then we will suggest you some tricks to encourage him to eat and, in this case, to put on weight. If you give them croquettes or biscuits, try to moisten them with water or broth (without salt or onion!) Warm.

If you think the problem is croquettes , try switching to wet food or a diet based on home recipes. We advise you to define well the doses and the phase of the progressive change together with the veterinarian.

Thin dog: suitable physical activity
At first glance it might seem contradictory to advise having a thin dog that has to gain weight exercise. However, physical activity is used to burn calories but also to build muscle mass , which allows the dog to train muscles and not gain weight just by accumulating fat.

Furthermore, physical activity will certainly stimulate the dog's appetite. At the beginning, we advise you not to overdo it with rides, walks and exercises : everything must be in proportion with the increase in calories and above all it must ingest more than those consumed, otherwise it will not put on weight. Remember that to make the dog fat you need time and patience and, in some respects, even sacrifices because you will have to change some things in your daily routine.

Remember that, in addition to the above, the rewards for positive reinforcement and mental activation games, such as kong , are excellent in such cases because they allow the dog to be trained and educated and at the same time be able to make him fat.