My 16 mos old GSD "Coach" is having a difficult time gaining weight. Strangers have commented on his lack of weight. I have even joked that he is an Ethiopian Shepherd. What I need is suggestions on how to boost his appetite, and pack a few pounds on him. He is not losing weight, he is just not putting any on. There is no medical problem and the vet claims that any weight gained thru artificial means usally falls off when you take it away. He is under weight and needs to put on a few pounds.
Any suggestions ?????

Terry

Hi Terry,
Can you give us his actual weight now? What are you feeding? How much? How often? Exercise routine? Any detail would be helpful.
Lynn

Yes, and maybe a picture?

Sorry about that. I should know better.
Coach is a fully intact male GSD approximately 70 lbs, 26" at the shoulder.
He is not very wide across the back and his hips are easily identifyable.
He gets a 30 minute walk every day, as well as a 20-30 minute swim approx every other day as well as decoy work once a week which includes obedience training.
He has been on Canidae and Royal Canin but would not eat them. He is currently eating two cups of Pro Plan Performance kibble mixed with a full can Pro Plan moist. This seems to be what he "likes" the most. I have tried feeding him this twice a day, but usually he does not finish or touch the second feeding. I am unable to do a raw diet due to time and budget constraints.
What I am mainly interested in is supplements that I can add to his food to boost his appetite and his weight gain.

Thanks
Terry

We had the same problem with our GSD female - she just wasn't all that interested in kibble of any kind. We switched to a raw food diet and she bounces around like a bag of silly putty when I get the food bowl out. She scarfs down whatever's in there - her favorite is the raw chicken. She's 68 pounds now (up from 60). (She's also a long-hair, so she's a bit heavier than a regular female GSD)
Try the raw food diet - it's awesome. Lots of good info on this site and articles on leerburg.com

I am with the others on switching to raw.

I am also one that thinks this is hard to answer without a picture. IF the dog is full, has good energy and health issues are nil, maybe it is no big deal. Nothing wrong with a skinny young dog IMHO, I think he will fill out in time.

 Quote:

What I am mainly interested in is supplements that I can add to his food to boost his appetite and his weight gain.

You mentioned your vet in the first post...what is the vet's opinion on your dog's weight and how to add weight? He sounded like he did not think weight gaining schemes were the way to go?

 Quote:

Strangers have commented on his lack of weight.

IMHO most stranger's dogs are overweight.

IF you won't switch to raw you could try buying some canned green tripe. DO NOT take a whiff before feeding See if he will eat some of that for a second feeding. Tripe is said to help with weight gain, good for the dog too!

 Quote: jennifer coulter

IMHO most stranger's dogs are overweight.

How very true!

We get people commenting that Oscar is too skinny all the time, some have even asked "Is he on that "RAW" diet??", as if it were some south beach fad that was designed to keep dogs waif thin!! HA! Oscar is rippling with muscle and in perfect condition - he looks just the way a fit dog is SUPPOSED to look - it's just that most pet owners out there haven't seen an actual dog's WAIST in so long, they don't know what they're looking at!!

I'm with Jennifer - if the dog is healthy, happy and full of energy - you may be worrying about his weight unneccessarily. He's still quite young as well - remember what teenage boys look like while THEY'RE still "filling out"? I'd wager that when this dog gets to be between 2 and 3+ he'll start keeping a little more fat on him, plus his proportions will even out/fill out, and he won't seem so skinny. I'll also throw in my 2 cents and say that feeding raw (while it may not be financially possible right NOW) may help his appetite, so do keep it in mind.

~Natalya

Terry,

His size actually sounds great for an adolescent dog. If your vet is not concerned, I don't think you should be either. His body won't be mature for close to another two years. He has probably reached his height and will start filling out. Slow and steady is best. Less stress on the bones and joints, healthier adult dog. His measurements are the same as my dogs were at that age. And at age three he weighed 90lbs and stood 26 inches. People made fun of him too and whenever I brought it up to my vet, she said he was perfect and would fill out.

Consider it his awkward, gawky stage before blossoming into the beautiful swan. On the other hand if after a few months he still has not gained ANY weight. I'd have him evaluated.

Terry, without seeing a pic of your dog, I'm just a tad hesitant to give this recipe, but you decide:
http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm

I suspect that, as your vet said, once you stop feeding this, the weight will fall off.

You might want to invest in a better kibble if you can't do raw. Ed has a list here: http://leerburg.com/all-natural%20kibble.htm

Of those listed, in the past I've used Honest Kitchen (somewhat expensive), Chicken Soup for Dog Lovers, and Wysong Synorgon. A better quality kibble may help to put some weight on him as well.

It sounds like Coach is very similar in size to my female GSD, Grace. She is about 27 inches tall and weighs about 70-72 lbs. She was always way too skinny, until she was diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) by a special blood test. This basically means her pancreas does not produce enough enzymes to properly digest her food. She was essentially starving to death on kibble due to this.

I switched her to raw long before I knew what was wrong with her. I actually thought she probably had a grain allergy. Raw did amazing things for her! You wouldn't believe this is the same dog! She is up from 62-64 lbs, if you can imagine. She continues to eat raw and therefore, doesn't even need the prescription strength enzymes that EPI dogs typically need. It was only when I put her back on kibble that we had the same problems.
The reason I mention all of this is because I spent 3 years with a skinny dog who exhibited great energy, etc. The vet always told me she was just fine, blah, blah, blah...but she wasn't and I always worried about her. Turns out I was right and I'll never make that mistake again.

It may be that Coach is just going through a gangly, adolescent phase...but it might be worthwhile to pay the money to have the EPI test run IMHO.

Melissa