What Can I Feed My Dog For Weight Gain
Just like humans, dogs need the proper nutrients in their diet to maintain weight and be healthy. High-quality dog foods with 30% or more protein and 20 percent fat will help your pup maintain a healthy weight!
If theyre thinning out compared to what would happen if you had given them an unhealthy food high on carbs but low fat Introduce some eggs too-theyll help make those pups grow fast. Weight gain supplements can also help underweight dogs gain weight.
Natures Logic Dog Food
Natures Logic has long been a leader in providing canine nutrition, and its Dry Dog Food Meal Feast is a perfect example.
This food is made with chicken meal as the main ingredient something researchers have found to be an optimal source for proteins, essential fatty acids, minerals, and other nutrients.
Plus, its suitable for dogs of all life stages so that you can feed it to your puppy or adult dog without worry.
Best Features
- 100% natural, GMO-free, and MSG free
- Grain inclusive dry dog food
- Chicken meal is the first ingredient
- No chemically synthesized vitamins or artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors
- Good for digestive health, skin & coat health, vitamins & minerals, immune support
Key Features
- Aids in muscle development of dogs
- Unique, one of a kind diet made with concentrates of select fruits and vegetables
- Kibble is specially coated with digestive enzymes and plasma proteins
- It contains high levels of natural vitamins, minerals, and albumin and globulin proteins
- Grain inclusive formula with low glycemic content
- It contains probiotics for easy digestion
Testers Verdict
Testers are thrilled about this fantastic food and that there are no fillers or low-quality ingredients.
Natures Logic Dog Food
The price of Natures Logic Dog Food varies, so check the latest price at
Recommended Serving Amounts For Homemade Dog Food
As a general rule, dogs will eat around 2 to 3 percent of their ideal body weight in fresh food daily. Larger breeds may need as little as 1 1/2 percent, and smaller breeds may need as much as 4 percent.
This works out to be approximately:
- 2 pounds of food per day for a 100-pound dog
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of food per day for a 50-pound dog
- 1/2 to 3/4 pound of food per day for a 25-pound dog
- 5 to 6 1/2 ounces of food per day for a 10-pound dog
There is much variation in what the ideal amount should be as it depends on how much your dog weighs and how active she is.
I feel that the best approach is to feed and watch if your dog is losing weight, give more, and if your dog is gaining weight, give less.
For our pugs, we feed a scoop each in the morning and a scoop each in the evening, plus all their supplements.
We have an easy system for this: homemade food is refrigerated in a sealed container with a measuring cup , and all the supplements are lined up together in a cupboard in the kitchen. Keeping your ingredients organized and accessible will make feeding time fast and smooth.
Compared to feeding commercial food, where you might scoop out kibbles or open up a can, feeding homemade food with all the supplements takes maybe 10 seconds more. And even if it took 10 minutes more, fresh wholesome food for our furbabies is worth it.
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Which Are The Best Vegetables For Dogs Weight Gain
Sweet potato and pumpkin are the best vegetables for a dogs weight gain. It helps to increase your dogs weight quickly. Also, improve the digestive system. They contain high fiber also which promotes your dogs health. So feed your dog these vegetables. Or you can make easy weight gain dog food recipes with these ingredients.
Dietary Requirements For Dogs Looking To Gain Weight And Muscle
The most effective means to help a dog gain weight and assist with muscle development is to make the change to a diet that is higher in calories and protein. However, balance is still vitally important in any food selected for an underweight dog, so it is crucial that the diet selected is still nutritionally sound though more calorie-dense.
The best foods for dogs to gain weight and muscle place a high emphasis on protein. Of the utmost importance is the quality and source of the protein included in a food. It should be derived from animal origins and should be the first ingredient in the recipe. Whole meats are best, but meat meals are also an excellent choice. By-products and plant-based proteins offer poor nutritional value and are hard to digest, so foods containing them should be avoided.
If possible, select a diet with a protein content between 22-35 percent. By comparison, the fat ratio for weight gain should be between 15 to 18 percent. Foods with fat counts higher than this can also cause gastrointestinal distress and issues with proper elimination of waste. All fats should come from animal sources with chicken fat and salmon oil among the best.
Though carbohydrates should form a lesser portion of a diet for dogs in need of weight gain, the fiber and antioxidants they contribute are still important. Fruits and vegetables should be selected for their quality and nutrients to support digestion and a healthy immune system.
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Natures Logic Canine Feast Meal Dry Dog Food
Natures Logic feast meal dry dog food is a complete package of premium ingredient food, a mix of nutrients with digestive enzymes and is best food for dogs for gain weight. Natures logic is enriched with all-natural ingredients and is free from synthetic ingredients.
Ingredients:
Chicken meal, Chicken fat, Pumpkinseed, Millet, prebiotic digestive enzymes, Yeast culture, etc.
Benefits:
This premium ingredient food offers 417 calories per cup,36% proteins, 5% fibre, 15% fat, and prebiotic enzymes.
Tips For Helping A Dog Gain Weight
Talk to your veterinarian if you have any concerns regarding your dogs health or to simply confirm that your dog needs to gain weight.
They can provide you with recommendations specific to your dogs unique situation and help create a weight gain program to ensure your dog stays healthy and safe.
Here are three tips for success:
Transition to your dogs new food gradually. Because many dog foods for weight gain are high in fat, a rapid switch could lead pancreatitisa potentially fatal condition that is sometimes associated with fatty meals.
While wet foods tend to be more palatable than dry, dry foods are almost always more calorically dense than wet. Therefore, youll need to determine the pros and cons of each option, or you can try mixing a small amount of highly palatable wet food in with calorically dense dry food to get the best of both worlds.
Feed multiple small meals throughout the day rather than one or two larger portions. Dogs will typically eat more under these conditions. You can also leave dry food out all day, although this may make it harder to monitor your dogs appetite.
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Supplement Meals With Snacks
Consider adding some supplemental food made with meat sources like bison that are high in fat and protein. These foods, usually canned will be labeled for supplemental feeding only. They should not replace a balanced formula for your dog. You may also want to talk with your vet about adding vitamins or other supplements to help keep your pup healthy.
How Many Calories Are Required To Gain Proper Weight For Dogs
It is difficult to calculate the accurate number of calories the dog requires, which varies with the breed, age, and gender.
The average young dog consumes 20-30 calories per pound. Young dogs need 30-43 calories per pound compared to young dogs that require 20-25 calories to avoid being overweight. If you provide the proper amount of the best foods for the dog to gain weight, your dog will undoubtedly gain good weight.
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Natures Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast Dry Food
Image courtesy Natures Logic
Natures Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast Dry Food is a high-quality, grain-free dog food that is made with real chicken. This food is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of all dogs and is free from corn, soy, and wheat.
Natures Logic Canine Chicken Meal Feast Dry Food is a great option for dogs who are allergic to corn, soy, or wheat. This food is also high in protein and fat, which makes it perfect for dogs who need to gain weight.
Castor & Pollux Organix Grain
Rich in animal ingredients and moisture, this Castor & Pollux Organix Grain-Free Chicken & Vegetable Recipe Canned Food is a great option for dogs who need to gain weight because it contains a whopping 425 calories per 12.7-ounce can. This recipe features organic chicken as the first ingredient with other organic ingredients including organic peas, potatoes, coconut flour, and flaxseed. This recipe also contains fresh fruits and vegetables to provide natural sources for key nutrients with vitamins and chelated minerals for nutritional balance. It is packed with protein and healthy fats to make sure your dog gets the nutrition he needs, and it is loaded with natural flavor to make it more appealing.
- Pros: Organic natural ingredients, increased calorie content, organic chicken first ingredient, fresh fruits and vegetables, chelated mineral supplements, plenty of omega fatty acids
- Cons: Expensive to feed as a staple diet
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Cause #: Undiagnosed Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. You can loosely associate hypothyroidism with the furnace of the pets body not burning hot enough, explains Dr. Michel Selmer, DVM, from the Advanced Animal Care Center in Huntington Station, New York. When there is decreased thyroid function, thats when pets gain weight.
Hypothyroidism slows down the entire metabolism, which in turn leads to weight gain. Even if a dog has hypothyroidism and its owner cuts calories, the dog will still gain weight since food is not the cause of the weight gain, Selmer explains.
Set Goals And Monitor Weight Gain
Before you introduce a new diet or feeding program to includefoods that fatten your dog, the first step is to weigh your dog and determinehis ideal weight. At this point, you might want to call your vet for aconsultation. As you make dietary changes, youd want to monitor your dogsweight gain at least once a week. This would make it easier for you todetermine which diet plans are working most effectively.
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Bully Max / Gorilla Max Canine Supplement Combo
When you purchase this combo package, you actually get two different weight-gain supplements for one reasonable price. Bully Max is designed to help sick, malnourished or underweight dogs put on more body weight, while Gorilla Max is specifically designed for canine athletes.
Product
- Comes with 60-day supply of Bully Max and a 30-day supply of Gorilla Max
- Gorilla Max contains probiotics to help maintain proper intestinal function
- Taken together, the supplements provide vitamins and minerals to further support your dogs health
- Made in the USA
Stella & Chewy’s Dandy Lamb Meal Mixers
First 5 Ingredients: Lamb, Lamb Spleen, Lamb Liver, Lamb Heart, Lamb Kidney
To help your underweight dog gain weight, add some tasty food toppers to regular dog food. Food toppers add to the palatability of the food and also some extra calories, protein, and fat contents. And when it comes to toppers, its hard to equal the greatness of Stella & Chewys Dandy Lamb Meal.
Made with high-quality real lamb and lamb organs, this grain-free topper offers protein and fat levels of 38% each, which are remarkable in countering your dogs weight loss. It also has other commendable ingredients like all-organic cranberries, spinach, and squash. It has vital nutrients and probiotics too.
There were close to 200 online reviews for this topper, 96% of which have been highly supportive. Most dog owners found it easy to serve this topper to their dogs that loved it.
There are a few critical comments, mostly about their pooches not being big fans and some about the high price tag.
| 30% Off at Chewy.com |
- Great ingredients with real lamb and lamb organs
- With 100% organic-certified fruits and vegetables
- Zero grains, gluten, fillers, artificial preservatives
Cons:
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Why Dogs Lose Weight
There are many possible causes of weight loss. While it can be alarming, the weight loss doesnt necessarily mean that theres a serious health problem, unless, of course, your dog is rapidly losing weight.
In many cases, dogs can just be too choosy with their food that they dont eat enough. Sadly, many pet parents dont care to see if their pets are eating enough, thinking that they may just not be hungry enough. So the first question to ask is Does your dog eat well?
To summarize, the most common causes of weight loss in dogs are:
Picky Eaters
Like humans, dogs need to like their food to eat it. Of course, theyre forced to eat when they get hungry. But picky eaters dont usually eat enough.
Some dogs develop a certain preference in taste later on in life. Many senior dogs are especially fussy with food, which can be a challenge for dog owners. Sometimes, it takes several trials and errors to determine the right dog food.
Health Issues
Sickness or pain can quickly make a dog lose its weight and appetite. There are several canine health disorders that cause a dog to lose appetite and energy.
If your dog is normally a hefty eater that suddenly refuses to eat, this may be because of pain or illness, in which case, a visit to the vet is the best move.
Here are some of the more common health issues that may cause your dog to shed weight:
- Food sensitivities and allergies
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Metabolic disorders
Stress
Diet Change
Other Pets
Wellness Core Wet Dog Food Considered For Best Wet Dog Food
Though this is good wet food for weight gain, it didnt make our list due to some reviews of the food making their dogs sick and there are no resources to deal with damaged cans. However, this is a high-protein wet food that doesnt contain grain. It has 95% of protein which is a lot higher than most.
We found that the Ziwi Peak Canned High-Protein Dog Food was the best option for wet food because it is high in protein and dogs digest it easily. There are multiple flavors to choose from and it has a better nutrition profile.
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How Many Times Should My Dog Eat To Gain Weight
They must be eating two or three times a day. They should gain weight and have healthy bones, so try adding an extra meal to do this! Use high protein and high-fat food with a healthy amount of carbs to gain weight.
Treats can also give your dogs diet a healthy boost in calories. If your dog is a picky eater, you may want to include some goodies.
They Were Once Stray Or Subject To Cruelty
Sadly, many dogs who were adopted from shelters have mysterious and traumatic pasts. A dog who was once stray may not be used to eating on a regular schedule , which can cause them not to eat. Dogs who experienced trauma around mealtimes may also associate eating with pain or fear.
Past trauma can linger for a very long time and cause a huge build-up of stress. As we know, increased stress can lead to a dog being underweight on its own. When past trauma comes into the picture, a dog may be so stressed out that they cant eat at all.
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Cooking Our Way To A Healthier Dog Diet
Ever since I started raising my own dogs, Id always wanted to make their food at home but thought it would be too expensive or too time consuming, or that they wouldnt get the nutrition they needed.
During the month of Bugs doggy depression, I vowed to make her precious life as comfortable as possible.
Both of my pugs had a range of health issues growing up, which I unfortunately found out were common for the breed.
My older one had persistent hot spots and itchiness that no commercial dog food could cure .
Bug was overweight for a while when she was younger, even though she ate the recommended amount of food for her target weight. Eventually, I settled on Wellness kibbles and they did well with that brand.
But, I wanted to explore other options. I wanted to give them real food fresh, nutritious ingredients that I recognized and could even eat myself.
Ive mentioned in my post on homemade whole grain chicken feed that the entire household all share the same whole grains and seeds that we buy in bulk, as well as the bounty that comes from our edible garden.
Everything our animals eat, we can eat.
When it comes to homemade feed for our laying hens, we stick to a tried-and-true formula that works for every layer: 16 to 17 percent protein , vitamins, minerals, and amino acids from a wide variety of grains and seeds, and free range of a pasture for weeds, greens, and insects.
Dogs, on the other hand, arent bred for a standard function the way chickens are.
Nutro Ultra Puppy Superfood Plate
Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Chicken, 2. Chicken Meal, 3. Whole Brown Rice, 4. Brewers Rice, 5. Whole Grain Oatmeal
If youre looking for a high-protein puppy food that will help your active pup gain a healthy amount of muscle, Nutro Ultra Superfood Plate is your best bet. Protein in this recipe comes from chicken, lamb, and salmon.
Plus, there is a mix of vegetables containing all the essential micronutrients. The formula also improves the absorption of nutrients from every meal. Overall, this holistic blend not only enhances your babys health but also helps it prevent illness that can cause further weight loss.
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