Putting weight on dog

[PL Sportsman]

I have a 4 Year old lab that is very energetic. No matter what dog food I feed him we just won't put much weight on. Any suggestions or recommendations for what type of food to feed him? I have try many major brands, Hi Energy dog food and was told to try puppy food. Still won't put weight on.

Thanks in Advance.

[fishnhuntnboy]

First how much does your dog weigh? Being 4 years old he is full grown and will be at his max weight. My lab is a year and 4 months old and she has been holding at 70 pounds. Also is he losing weight and not gaining? And how much do you feed him a day?

[Scott K]

I have outdoor coon hunting dogs. Throughout the winter they will loose a quite a bit of weight, form the cold, and hunting. I feed them 2 cups of food a day in the summer, and up to 6 cups a day in the winter when they are hunting. And mid winter, they are usually pretty thin, so I will start giving them some beef fat. I call the local meat markets, and get scraps, then give them that. That tends to add weight quick.

[PL Sportsman]

Thanks Darrin and Scott.

I feed him about 6-7 cups a day. He weighs about 60 lbs but is above average in height.

Paul

[fishnhuntnboy]

What I do with my pup is the rib check to see if she is under or over weight. If he is looking thin and undernourished, I would look for a food that has a high fat percentage or do what Scott said with the beef fat. Other than that I couldn't see what else would cause him to not gain weight. I'm sure someone else will be able to give a better answer than me but I would check out and see if he is actually underweight.

[MuleShack]

One other scenario is he could have worms or some other intestinal or stomach parasite ?

[nofishfisherman]

First I'd see if he is actually underweight. Can you see his ribs? 60 pounds doesn't sound out of line for a lab. Many labs that people may consider as being normal are actually overweight. You're dog may actually be a fairly healthy weight.

Here is what I would do if you are really concerned about him being under weight. First I'd take him to the vet. The vet will be able to confirm whether he is underweight or not based on his build. You'll also want to check to make sure there are no medical issues such as worms or another parasite that are preventing him from putting on weight. A worm check is usually something you want to do occasionally anyways.

If he's underweight and no worms the vet will probably just tell you to up the food. But at already 6 cups a day he should have enough food unless he's still hunting hard a lot. You can also do as advised by others and go with some beef fat. I'd also take a look at what you are feeding him and make sure that its a top quality food and not something packed with fillers. There are plenty of threads about dog foods around here. Personally I feed my dog Taste of the Wild and he's done great on it.

[B-man715]

I will echo what everybody else said.

Worm him, and keep him on a regular worming schedule.

Feed a high quality food. You don't have to spend $3 a pound for good food either. Diamond dog foods are a great food for the price. It is important to feed a meat/bone meal based food, not a corn based food like many of the popular brands are comprised of.

We feed the high energy mix in the winter, and chicken and rice in the summer.

Your dog will digest more of the food, leaving less in the yard for you to pick up.

Meat and fat will add weight faster than anything else. We save a lot of venison scraps and fat, then supplement their diet, especially in the winter. No need to cook any of it either.

The dogs love it! Just watch your fingers during feeding time

[MuleShack]

Its hard to say with out seeing your dog, but 6-7 cups a day is a lot of food.

I have a male shorthair that goes around 68-70lbs, and he gets to run 5-8 miles a day (or he drives me nuts ). During hunting season in SD i was only feeding him 4 cups and he got thin quick, so now we are up to 6 cups per day and he maintains nicely. It is fed over two feedings.

I have a 65lb lab that only gets 3 cups a day and she is maintaining fine with moderate exercise. Most labs dont have the high metabolism, but there are some that do. At 4 years old, in the winter you would think that 6-7 cups would definitely put some weight on your dog. Are you seeing ribs thru the coat? Is the dog an outside dog? They use up more energy when trying to stay warm. Other wise best to get him in to the vet to check for any unwanted guests or possibly any other problems.

[charliepete]

I always think worms first on skinny dogs. Worming can't hurt and I'd start there. Food wise, some dogs are like 14 year old boys...High metabolisms. I was feeding my old shorthair 12 cups a day until he was 5. Dog are easy. If you see spine feed them more, if you can't see ribs feed them less.

[PL Sportsman]

Thanks for the great info everyone. His ribs do show. I had him to the vet and he is borderline underweight they said. I have tested and no worms. I have had many labs throughout my life and never had trouble with putting weight on. I will try some of the food and other items suggested.

Thanks for the input.