Oh my god!

[Colbydog]

The title is misleading, but I want many people to see this and respond. My pup is in need of gaining weight. He is 14 months, and is 65 lbs. He is very active, I run him regularly. He is feed 2 cups twice a day of Innova. But he has a severe tuck, and all of his ribs are felt easily. I feed him the Innova because he has a sensitive stomach. He has all of his shots updated, and is given heartworm medicine every month. My question is are there any supplements, that can help.The sensitivestomach is a issue because I get woken up at 2 in the morning with him puking if it isn't just right. He doesn't even get any treats anymore because of the problems. He has been on Flint River Ranch, and Canidae before we got the stomach problems fixed. Saw the vet yesterday, and he is going to think it over for a couple of days and try to come up with a plan. In the meanwhile, I would like some input from anyone here.
Thanks

[spidey]

Can you not just add another meal so that you're feeding him more without overloading him? I guess I don't really see why you'd rather use a supplement than just feeding him more.

[AngelBunny]

You say his "ribs are easily felt." They should be--under a thin layer of fat. He may be just fine, but if you really think he's too thin, why not just feed more of the good food you're already feeding? Why consider supplements??

[Rott-Wiley]

Yeah, add me to that list. Can you add a quarter of a cup to each meal he is eating now?

There's lots of ways to add weight to a dog. Snacks such as a little oat meal, some pasta, a little fresh meat in each meal.

[frontierrots]

At 14 months old you SHOULD be able to easily feel his ribs and you SHOULD be able to see a tuck up

If he's standing side ways to you can you visually count his ribs, if the answer is no or yes but jst the last 2, then he is at a fine weight for him

Do you know how tall he is at the shoulder where the neck joins? Does he have big leg bones or small?

Most of my 14 month old boys eat 5-6 cups of food if they are at all active. IF you can't feed him more Innova without him getting cow pie stool, consider switching him to California Natral chicken and rice or to Healthwise chicken and oatmeal. BOTH are made by natura (the people who make Innova) so the switchshould go pretty well

Personally I could not feed my dogs enough Innova to maintain weight without them getting cowpie poop, they do great on both the above foods though, especially the Healthwise

[Silvermarten]

Henry is 16 mths (almost ) and is STILL only 63lbs !!! He's been between 60lb & 64lb for months !! He's lean , ribs easily felt but barely seen ( he does have a thicker coat than most rotties ) , good tummy tuck and he is hyperactive at all times .

I'd agree with everyone else , if your pup is truely in need of weight gain then just feed a little more of the food he's already doing well on

There's nothing wrong with a lighter wieght , slighter build rotti , I just view them more as a ' Sports Model '

[Colbydog]

That is exactly right, too much food and all I get is a mess of "cow pie" stool. I have added some more food and got just a bigger mess. I can't see his ribs from the side normaly, but if he is sniffing around and his chest compresses I can. He is 25'' at the shoulder. He is very athletic, but I don't want to cut down his exercise at all. I was going to try the Cal Nat if the Innova didn't help his stomach. I may just do that now.

[Rott-Wiley]

Some dogs just decide how much weight they are comfortable with and that is what you get. If he is 25" tall at age 14 months, I don't think that you are going to see much difference in his weight unless there is a medical reason why he isn't heavier.

[Judy Chrusch]

He sounds pretty good to me and there's a misconception out their with people thinking Rottweilers HAVE to be massive . Your boy sounds fine and depending on his genetics he may never be bulky and that's o.k. You're right, you shouldn't back off on his exercise, if anything as was mentioned, slightly increase his food to compensate for the active life he leads.

Does he still have stomach issues with the Innova? My boy was on that as well and periodically was vomiting and then after being on the food for awhile he developed CHRONIC ears infections. We were at the vets more then we were home between the vomiting and the ears. To make a long story short, I had him allergy tested but BEFORE that I put him on California Natural Lamb and Rice recommended by a member and I noticed a BIG change in him before the test results even came back. I'm still glad we tested him bc he is allergic to alot and things I would have never imagined, so now on CN, we have NO ear problems at all and NO vomiting and he's thriving and maintaining his weight very well. The best decision I've ever made . Remember one thing, Innova has ALOT of ingredients and some dogs just simply can't digest it all so CN is a good option and it was also recommended to me by the lab where the test was done. Hope this helps, let us know how things are going and be proud you have a lean boy, sure beats being too fat .

Judy

[frontierrots]

I would definately try the California Natural chicken and if he tolerates it well and has clean ears then it suits him. If his ears get itchy etc then try the lamb. I always try to save the lamb foods in case a dog gets an allergy or sensitivity to regular food

I tried Innova for 18 months. If I fed my dogs enough to maintain weight i got cow pie poop.On the chicken Cal nat or Healthwise I can feed a bit more and they have solid stools.

Also remember that a 14 month old boy rott in no way, shape or form is done filling out. His body will develop and broaden til 3-5 years and his head til 4-5 years