Need help gaining weight

[yazijazz]

Hi, I am having trouble putting weight on our 2nd rescue Boxer. He is roughly 1 1/2 year old & very active. I had him on Eukanuba puppy, no luck gaining weight. I have since switched to Blue Buffalo & he is still very thin. I brought him to the vet & his bloodwork came back normal. I wanted to rule out Diabetes. He weighs 55 lbs & eats twice the amount of our 75 lbs boxer (on purpose of course). He is happy and otherwise normal, just on the thin side. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I do give him plenty of treats as well. Thank you kindly!!

[DaneMama]

I would suggest feeding a raw diet. A friend of mine has a boxer that had a lot of trouble gaining weight and as soon as he was switched to raw he started to gain weight.

Head on over to the raw section if you're interested! Good luck!

[SubMariner]

Hi, I am having trouble putting weight on our 2nd rescue Boxer. He is roughly 1 1/2 year old & very active. I had him on Eukanuba puppy, no luck gaining weight. I have since switched to Blue Buffalo & he is still very thin. I brought him to the vet & his bloodwork came back normal. I wanted to rule out Diabetes. He weighs 55 lbs & eats twice the amount of our 75 lbs boxer (on purpose of course). He is happy and otherwise normal, just on the thin side. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I do give him plenty of treats as well. Thank you kindly!!

When we couldn't put weight on our high-energy GSP, we switched to a better quality food: EVO Turkey/Chicken. It's grainless and has ~43% protein. He's now eating about 1/2 the amount of food he was with the lesser quality food, has put on muscle/weight, and has less "output" than he had with the other food.

So I would suggest researching other foods for your dog. Also, watch those treats! If they are a constant thing, you need to decide how healthy they are for him and whether there are better alternatives. You'll also have to figure them into his normal everyday food allotment. Our dog gets treats occasionally, but we know how much we give him & how they impact his total diet.

Bonne chance,

[Eurobox]

I have the same problem with my European male, however he weighs about 68lbs. If you saw a picture of him you would think I don't feed him. I think it just depends on the bloodline they come from. He has a very active lifestyle with a high metabolism. Some just are skinny!

Is he neutered? If not, he will gain weight once he is neutered. Also, some just take time to fill out. My male is not expected to "fill out" completely until he is three years of age.

[yazijazz]

Yes he is neutered, just 2 months ago though. I am sure people question when I walk the dogs why he is so skinny....

[Eurobox]

Yes he is neutered, just 2 months ago though. I am sure people question when I walk the dogs why he is so skinny....

I personally would not worry too much. So many people want their dogs to be buff, that they over feed them and make them heavy. I see this all the time with boxers. Just try to remember that a skinny dog is usually less prone to joint issues, heart problems, diabetes, etc... He will probably gain weight after the hormones work out of his system. Can you post any pics? If he has a smaller frame I would keep him thin.

I can see most of my dogs ribs, his spine, and his hip bones almost all of the time. And that is with feeding him 6 cups of food a day, tons of treats, and I even purchased a weight building supplement. Here are two pics that show how skinny he is. Keep in mind he still weighs about 68lbs, but you can tell how he could use more meat on his bones.

[John Rambo]

Wow he eats 6 cups of food a day...does this dog have diabetes or some thyroid issue? he doesnt look that bad IMO,..he could stand to gain about 5-6 pounds though. His coat is beautiful.

[whiteleo]

Wrong dog! LOL

[Unosmom]

It would help if you posted pictures, Boxers are naturally lean and muscular (at least they should be), a lot of people dont know what a healthy dog should look like and think its "too thin".

The spine and hip bones should not portrude, but easily felt, with certain breeds, the last 2-3 ribs on the rib cage can be seen, which doesent mean the dog is underweight ( my friend was accused of starving her greyhounds because you can see their ribs).

Anyways, if you feel like your dog is still underweight, you can make satin balls or put him on high calorie/protein diet like Evo, Orijen or Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural (this has the most calories).

[yazijazz]

Wow he eats 6 cups of food a day...does this dog have diabetes or some thyroid issue? he doesnt look that bad IMO,..he could stand to gain about 5-6 pounds though. His coat is beautiful.

the picture isn't my dog...in answer to your question, no he doesn't have any health issues. I guess he is just very active with a combination of high metabolism.