How to Help Your Dog Gain Weight After Cancer Surgery

Dogs undergoing cancer treatment frequently lose weight. Following cancer surgery, underweight dogs should eat a healthful diet high in fat and protein. The recipe provided here includes ample quantities of both and can be served with either raw or cooked hamburger. If your dog is taking any drugs that depress his immune system, serve the fat balls cooked in order to avoid a heightened risk of infection. Always discuss any changes in your dog's diet with a veterinarian when a serious illness like cancer is present.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 pound hamburger
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 4 cups dry puppy food
  • 2 packages cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup salmon oil
  • 1 cup cottage cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • Wax paper
  • Knife
  • Blender
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Instructions

  1. Weight Gain Recipe for Dogs After Cancer Surgery

    • 1

      Brown the hamburger. Do not drain fat from the browned hamburger. If your dog is healthy enough to eat raw meat, this step is optional.

    • 2

      Grind the dry puppy food in a blender. Blend until the dog food is reduced to a coarse powder.

    • 3

      Add hamburger, peanut butter, oil, cream cheese, rice and cottage cheese to the blender. Blend until all ingredients are mixed thoroughly. The mixture should have a doughy texture.

    • 4

      Roll the mixture into a log on a sheet of wax paper. Refrigerate the log until firm, then slice. Each portion should be about 1% of your dog's ideal body weight.

    • 5

      Freeze the slices if you used raw hamburger. If you used cooked hamburger, the sliced log will keep in your refrigerator for several days.

    • 6

      Gradually add these fatty slices to your dog's diet, beginning with a very small portion mixed with a normal meal. Over a period of one week, work up to feeding one to two slices daily as snacks between your dog's regularly scheduled meals.