HOW TO HELP A DOG GAIN WEIGHT SAFELY
Your dog just won’t put on weight no matter how much you feed it, and it keeps getting skinnier. Feeling anxious about it? You must be really worried by now. Is something wrong with your dog? What should you feed a dog to help it put on weight? And what’s actually an effective way to help a dog gain weight?
Don’t worry — all your questions will be answered in the article below!
- Causes
External causes: Sometimes your dog won’t eat simply because it isn’t used to, or can’t eat, the food you’re offering.
Typically, when exposed to a new environment, a dog can’t adapt quickly, so it may take some time to adjust.
You should also pay attention to what your dog actually likes to eat. The food you’re giving it might not suit it, or its diet might not be nutritious enough.
If you have multiple dogs at home, keep an eye out — it’s possible that particular dog is having its food taken by others, leaving it hungry.
Health-related causes: A dog that eats plenty but still won’t gain weight may well have an underlying condition. Keep an eye on your dog for any unusual signs.
First off, a dog not gaining weight can often be caused by worms. You should deworm your dog on a regular schedule to protect its health.
A sick dog will show certain signs like loss of appetite, constant thirst, low energy, vomiting, diarrhea, and changes in body shape. In this situation, you need to get your dog to the nearest vet right away. Dogs are exposed to so many things every day that we can never be entirely sure what’s actually making them sick.
Getting a vet’s opinion will help you understand your beloved dog better, and you’ll also get more appropriate advice.
- Food solutions
Fresh food: One of the best ways to help a puppy gain weight quickly is a diet balanced with important nutrients like protein and fiber, sourced from fresh foods such as: meat, fish, eggs, milk, and vegetables.
You can choose meats like chicken, beef, pork, or fish for your dog, but make sure everything is thoroughly cooked, and that fish is deboned to prevent your dog from choking on bones or suffering a dangerous intestinal puncture.
Another way to help a puppy gain weight quickly that’s worth knowing: feed it animal organs like heart, kidney, lungs, and intestines — 3 to 4 meals a week — to help it stay healthy and get used to eating a wider variety of foods, which helps prevent picky eating in dogs.
Also, feeding puppies balut (fertilized duck eggs) is another way to help them gain weight quickly, and it’s worth paying special attention to. That’s because eggs are always rich in nutrients like vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and fatty acids that are good for your dog’s health and digestion.
Dry food and pâté: These foods are indispensable when trying to help a puppy gain weight, since dry foods are formulated and balanced with the nutrients puppies need, like protein, DHA, Omega fatty acids, and fat — which stimulate appetite while remaining easy to digest.
On top of that, choosing dry food also saves us prep time, and lets us keep feeding our dog reliably even when we’re too busy or away on a long business trip.
If you’re specifically trying to help a puppy gain weight, be sure to also give it pâté and other wet foods to refresh its palate and help it digest better and eat with more appetite. Helps dogs gain weight effectively
- Environmental solutions
Besides paying attention to your dog’s daily diet and nutrition, helping a puppy gain weight quickly also means paying attention to its living space — it should be well-ventilated, not too hot or too cold, with a consistently clean living area.
We should also regularly clean and bathe our dogs to keep their bodies as clean and comfortable as possible. Because only when a dog’s body is clean and healthy can it properly absorb nutrients from food and develop quickly, both physically and mentally, becoming smarter and more agile.