Need to put on weight...

[RottiMomCT]

...I have a 20 month old female foster rott'n girl. She was spayed this week, and weighs only about 62 pounds. You can clearly see her hip points, ribs, etc...

Baron, our new addition, could use a little weight too...

I need suggestions as to how to put weight safely on them...forced crate rest, I know, several small meals a day, I know, but WHAT, besides kibble can I give them?

Thanks everyone!!

[DNeff]

Satin balls are always highly recommend for putting on weight.
http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition...atinballs.html

Dawn
U-CD Cammcastle's Mystic Riven CDX EGC OAC OJC OAJ NA TT CGC
Osa Mistico De Riven CGC
Esmonds Opinicus v Nordike

[trackermom]

Angle bunny has a great rescipe for satinballs..l High protein content meal supplement..... Maybe she'll post it for us, as i constantly loose it....

[MontanaRott]

Guerin was so thin for a while, we started giving him a pound of raw hamburger(27%fat)as well as his kibble, in the evenings, after all exercise and training was done, as well as adding whole milk yogurt to his kibble and he has gained nice weight as well as muscle. And I think upon reading the recipe for Satin Balls, we are going to give those a try.

[Vivianne]

Here's the recipe:
Satin Balls:

10 lbs. raw hamburger meat (20% fat)
1 large box of Total cereal
1 large container of oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ (15 oz. jar)
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
10 packets of unflavored gelatin
10 raw eggs
pinch of unrefined, unprocessed sea salt

Form into meatballs (somewhere between the size of a racquetball and a baseball) and freeze until you need it.

Recommended: One at breakfast or lunchtime.

[SonnyRott]

You could also try mixing a good canned food in with her kibble. My breeder friend does this when she needs to add weight to a dog in her care.

[diddybopper04]

Other things to add to kibble to increase fat and protein for weight gain include:

Eggs, cooked or raw
Plain whole milk yoghurt
Canned fish
Cottage Cheese

[spidey]

In addition to the good suggestions already made, I might not go with forced crate rest unless it's medically indicated (or if the dog's so nervous/hyper that it's working every calorie off), since moderate exercise can help with appetite in some dogs. Training with high-calorie treats can also help (with some dogs, having to work for something makes them want it more - my dog won't eat his heartworm pill unless he has to do something for it). There are also high-calorie canned foods you can get from the vet (Prescription Diet's is called a/d, and there are others as well).

[RottiMomCT]

Originally Posted by spidey

In addition to the good suggestions already made, I might not go with forced crate rest unless it's medically indicated (or if the dog's so nervous/hyper that it's working every calorie off), since moderate exercise can help with appetite in some dogs.

She's recovering from a recent spay, and is crated for about 8-9 hours a day, in 4ish hour shifts, with a potty walk (10ish minutes) halfway through the day, and she's crated at night. When we're home, she's loose, and she usually just lays down...but when she's "on" she's a spitfire - non stop activity! Due to the recent crappy weather in CT (although not as bad as FLA) we really haven't had a chance to do ANYTHING...but starting tonight we'll take the knuckleheads for walks to get some of their energy out of their system.

I'll give the satin balls a try...can't hurt to try 'em....she's way too skinny! Would we feed the satin balls in addition to her kibble?

[ILVROTTIS]

Anne,
When I first made these for Mia I put them in 1 pd. ziplock bags and froze them, taking out a package every other day. I would give her half the package each day mixed in with her kibble. This recipe is going to make a lot, so get ready with a big bowl!!!! I then stopped giving it to her when she gained a little weight. Since she has been sick lately I started giving her a little bit, maybe a quarter of the package mixed with kibble. I cook Mia's in the microwave for a short time, but I know some people feed this raw. I hope your foster girl likes this..you can also cut the recipe in half(at least this way you won't be up to your elbows in hamburger ). Good luck with the new doggies.....

[ladycricket]

I'm going to make the satinballs for Jake. His ribs are still showing we can feel his spine. It makes me sad to see his big head and skinny body, he looks like a bobble head He's at 86 lbs for 15 mos. I'm going to search and see where he should be although he looks undernourished.

[leonberger]

If you aren't afraid to feed raw, lamb, mutton and pork necks are a great way to put weight on a dog. Just don't over do it or you will end up with a blimpweiler on your hands. You have to know when to stop.

[Sargeant_C]

When I got Mindy, she was way underweight, I have small hands and I could wrap my hands around her tummy . So I kept feeding her small meals and we kept running outside.
So I talked to the vet when I took her in to be evaluated and get her rabies shots. He suggested adding canned food in her kibble. I do a full can at night with her two cups of kibble and she gobbled it up. The weight is slowly going on. Although I am fighting worms with her. But when I switched to Innova and canned I was amazed at her differences.
I am also going to use that recipe and see if that helps. She still needs ten pounds on her and then I can settle down with her. I think with that and another trip to the vet for deworming (4th one now) and her beginning am obedience class that soon I will see a huge difference in her.
But by adding can food u are raising the fat content which is what your pup needs. Good luck

[Patty1231]

Perle was about 15 pounds underweight when I got her. I really didn't do anything special at all. Normal feedings with good kibble and healthy treats (such as cheese) and in a month's time she was at a healthy 82 pounds.

[RottiMomCT]

Ya know Patty I was thinking the same thing...

Brie is otherwise a very healthy girl, and I think 3-4 regular smaller meals a day (instead of two like the rest of the dogs get) will help her put on the needed weight. I'm guessing she just wasn't fed enough (daily) or was fed low quality food (but not enough daily)...I don't know.

I did pick up the ingredients to make a batch of satin balls, will probably feed one every other day to the newcomers, and maybe half of one a week to Ben....can't leave him out just cuz he's healthy!!