# underweight dog



## Feari-Neko (Feb 16, 2009)

I apologies he is not a pitbull, but i need advice.
I got a 3 years old doberman that is WAY too skinny, i been to the vet since 1.5 years every few months for updates about his weight and he stick in the underweight. We can see his ribs, spine and hips bones.
i think the chart goes from 1 to 10 ( 5 being the perfect weight) mine is like 2.5 according to the tech. my previous vet told me to add cheap cans to his food since he don't have much appetite but he did not gain any weight.
He had blood test, urine and poop tested and he is all healthy.
He does not eat a lot (5-10 cups a day depending on him)
He eat Royal Canine adolescent mix with adult large breed. 
I walk him minimum 30 minutes a day. i make him do "parkour", he is very VERY energetic. I used to let him pull me on my longboard but we had an accident (he was fine but i spent a few day in hospital so now i'm scared to go again) 
I read about the satin balls. but im scared they might give him cholesterols or i dunno heart problems. I seen bully max product but i dunno my feeling about it.

I tryed to give him raw meat but he is not interested, so i cooked it and yet he was not interested.

Should i change his food, give him something more? or try to put him a weight collar and vest ? or try to find a treadmill?

here is a picture of him (he is 30 inch tall at the shoulder)


PS : sorry if i may be hard to read, im not english speaking.


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## BullyGal (Jun 25, 2012)

I think you should switch foods and try the satin balls. The Satin balls should only be fed for a little bit to give them an extra boost.

I'm not familiar with the food brands over there though. But look for something that lists Meat as the first few ingredients. Looks like this Royal Canin has Chicken meal as the first.


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

Feari-Neko said:


> I apologies he is not a pitbull, but i need advice.
> I got a 3 years old doberman that is WAY too skinny, i been to the vet since 1.5 years every few months for updates about his weight and he stick in the underweight. We can see his ribs, spine and hips bones.
> i think the chart goes from 1 to 10 ( 5 being the perfect weight) mine is like 2.5 according to the tech. my previous vet told me to add cheap cans to his food since he don't have much appetite but he did not gain any weight.
> He had blood test, urine and poop tested and he is all healthy.
> ...


10 cups!!!?? whoa.
i've never heard of that brand so I looked up the ingredients. it's total crap. mostly just corn and rice. the protein is only 25% and fat is only 16%.
those numbers should be much higher for an active dog. i think you should switch to something with at least 35% protein and 25% fat.


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## Feari-Neko (Feb 16, 2009)

BullyGal said:


> I think you should switch foods and try the satin balls. The Satin balls should only be fed for a little bit to give them an extra boost.
> 
> I'm not familiar with the food brands over there though. But look for something that lists Meat as the first few ingredients. Looks like this Royal Canin has Chicken meal as the first.


Oki im gonna try the Satins balls i dunno if MR. gonna accept to eat them but ill do my best  i heard not more than 3 month you should give them.

Here Royal Canin is THE big name brand, it's one of the most expensive one, but if you say it's not good enough ill try to find some unknown brand that may have more meat 



JoKealoha said:


> 10 cups!!!?? whoa.
> i've never heard of that brand so I looked up the ingredients. it's total crap. mostly just corn and rice. the protein is only 25% and fat is only 16%.
> those numbers should be much higher for an active dog. i think you should switch to something with at least 35% protein and 25% fat.


HEHHH ! Strange! It's one of the more expensive brand in here, its the one that the veterinarian sell, Royal Canine also make "medi-cal" brand that is for sick pets. (its also the food they sells at shows (i am also into cats, and i feed my cats with that brand too since they have a baby cat line (like before kitten))

I've been in a few shop and yet i did not see much food with more than 25-26% of proteines, im gonna make some calls in some pet supply store to see if they might have 35% proteines and 25% fat 

thanks you both

EDIT :

I been making calls in many shop they all say Royal Canin is the best exept one shop that offer me Orijen brand, i made research and this is what it is : Orijen

If you have any dog food brand / line with the analysis that you told me about, i'd note down their name and see if i can come to USA to buy it.
Thanks you again


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

Just because it has a big name doesn't mean it's good, just good marketing! lol I have had problems with skinny dogs in the past and I have always got them to gain weight with Diamond. Do you have that where you are? I would feed Diamond Naturals high performance food. It's 32% protein and 25% fat. You need to add fat to his diet not just protein. You can also put a scoop of lard in his food for added fat. I got that tip from some other members and it really helps. Right now I have a puppy who eats 4 cups a day of the high performance and is starting to put weight on. His metabolism was so high he was very thin.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Have you thought of switching to a raw diet? I'm may be cheaper than getting expensive dog food, and a lot of dogs really benefit from it. There are some good threads in the health and nutrition section


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## MamaTank (Jun 12, 2011)

As much as he plays, he should be getting more fat every day. I agree with them, Royal Canin is not what this guy needs. 10 cups a day and no weight gain is insane. My dogs would be unable to walk from being incredibly fat if they ate so much! Satin balls helped my German Shepherd gain weight during his long and painful illness. You can mix the batch up and freeze what you wouldn't use in two days-- and just thaw it out as you need it. I added about a cup to his food twice a day for the first week, then half a cup for the next week, til we weaned him off of it. It really helped a lot. Aside from that- have you had a vet check his thyroid? Just a thought.


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## Feari-Neko (Feb 16, 2009)

performanceknls said:


> Just because it has a big name doesn't mean it's good, just good marketing! lol I have had problems with skinny dogs in the past and I have always got them to gain weight with Diamond. Do you have that where you are? I would feed Diamond Naturals high performance food. It's 32% protein and 25% fat. You need to add fat to his diet not just protein. You can also put a scoop of lard in his food for added fat. I got that tip from some other members and it really helps. Right now I have a puppy who eats 4 cups a day of the high performance and is starting to put weight on. His metabolism was so high he was very thin.


No we do not have Diamond Naturals high performance food (but ill look if i can find it in a state near where i live, since i have my passport)
I'll try to find lard or ask a butcher for it, my dog is not a fan of raw meat but i'll try again. thank you



kg420 said:


> Have you thought of switching to a raw diet? I'm may be cheaper than getting expensive dog food, and a lot of dogs really benefit from it. There are some good threads in the health and nutrition section


He did not wanted to eat raw, even when i cooked the raw meat he was not interested.  he is so picky



MamaTank said:


> As much as he plays, he should be getting more fat every day. I agree with them, Royal Canin is not what this guy needs. 10 cups a day and no weight gain is insane. My dogs would be unable to walk from being incredibly fat if they ate so much! Satin balls helped my German Shepherd gain weight during his long and painful illness. You can mix the batch up and freeze what you wouldn't use in two days-- and just thaw it out as you need it. I added about a cup to his food twice a day for the first week, then half a cup for the next week, til we weaned him off of it. It really helped a lot. Aside from that- have you had a vet check his thyroid? Just a thought.


I do not remember all the test they made on him. but they took like 3 tube of his blood for test, some of his urine and his other you know. 
all came out negative. I'll ask them for thyroid next time i go for the regular check-up. thanks

Satins balls look very interesting. I dunno if he will eat it since he is not a fan of raw meat. but i hope so. 

thanks all of you ill keep you updated


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## HappyPuppy (Oct 11, 2007)

I think he looks good - there is not too much tuck there....


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## PerfectPit (Aug 2, 2010)

I would be poor plus have a fat dog with 10 cups a day. I would also recommend a thyroid test. See if you can order food online. Try and add some peanut butter, yogurt or pure pumpkin to his food and see if he'll it that as as additive.


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

HappyPuppy said:


> I think he looks good - there is not too much tuck there....


take a look at his hips and you will see the knobs slightly protruding. it's not drastic but i think the dog could use a few pounds.

not sure where you live Feari, but maybe the metric conversion is confusing us about how many "cups" you are feeding. but i think you should be feeding close to 1L per day of high quality food.

like performanceknls mentioned, the most well-known, expensive, endorsed foods are usually the lowest quality. our TV commercials sell the worst dog foods available.

satin balls are good for adding weight to underweight dogs but they should not be used on a long term basis. do a little research and ask around. i'm sure you will find good food somewhere.


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## Feari-Neko (Feb 16, 2009)

HappyPuppy said:


> I think he looks good - there is not too much tuck there....


Well it's not my opinion , and it's not my veterinarian opinion



PerfectPit said:


> I would be poor plus have a fat dog with 10 cups a day. I would also recommend a thyroid test. See if you can order food online. Try and add some peanut butter, yogurt or pure pumpkin to his food and see if he'll it that as as additive.


he usually eat around 5-6 cups a day, but if we spend the whole day outside running or playing he tend to eat more and since he is skinny im not the one who will leave his bowl empty. I'll ask out for Thyroid test, thanks you



JoKealoha said:


> take a look at his hips and you will see the knobs slightly protruding. it's not drastic but i think the dog could use a few pounds.
> 
> not sure where you live Feari, but maybe the metric conversion is confusing us about how many "cups" you are feeding. but i think you should be feeding close to 1L per day of high quality food.
> 
> ...


1L would be around 4 cups. and he usually eat 5-6 cups. but like i said he can eat up to 10 (i dont avoid feeding him if he ask for it, wich is rarely) like i mean im not underfeeding my dog (my vet used to think i did since he was healthy but skinny)

I think i have found a seller that sell the diamond brand, i called them and leaved a message to know if they have the high performance one. 
I came here to ask advices on what should i feed him, everybody (not here) tells me royal canin or cheap brand that Wallmart sells. A seller told me about Orijen regionnal red but its not as much proteine and fat.

Ill buy the ingredient for the satin balls and feed him it for 1 month and i'll see the changes.
I also hope i'll get positive answer of the small shop that may sell diamond food.
thanks you all


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## JoKealoha (Mar 22, 2011)

Feari-Neko said:


> Well it's not my opinion , and it's not my veterinarian opinion
> 
> he usually eat around 5-6 cups a day, but if we spend the whole day outside running or playing he tend to eat more and since he is skinny im not the one who will leave his bowl empty. I'll ask out for Thyroid test, thanks you
> 
> ...


origen is good food. 37 or 38% protein i think. but also very expensive.


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## Feari-Neko (Feb 16, 2009)

JoKealoha said:


> origen is good food. 37 or 38% protein i think. but also very expensive.


yes in my area it sell for 80$+tx a 30lb bag, i tryed it for like a month and did not see much change in my dog. I found a small store (look like a familly store) that sells Diamond brand. I really hope they have the high performance food 

Edit : I am still waiting for the petstore to tell me if they can order or not the Diamond Natural Extreme Athlete. i'll call then back tomorow.


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## Feari-Neko (Feb 16, 2009)

UPDATE!! i finnally got him to eat raw meat, i feed him a 90% meat 10% yogurt and veggie diet(i have to mash them together or he will eat only the meat). Do you think 2lb-2,5lb a day of meat and 1 cup of veggies and yogurt a day is enough?
It's going to be 6 week soon and he is gaining slowly ( a little too slow for me) but for the best


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## MSK (Aug 13, 2008)

Have you had his Thyroid checked overactive thyroid although its not usual it is still actually kind of common in Dobermans.


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