What to Feed a Dog to Help Him Gain Weight

Weight loss is not uncommon in dogs, especially after they have suffered an illness or an injury. Many times food intake needs to be increased or a change needs to be made to help the dog gain weight. In some instances, supplements or help from the vet may be required to get the dog to maintain a healthy weight for its size and breed.

  1. Finding the Right Food

    • In many cases of weight loss, a dog is simply not being fed the right type of food. The problem is that really cheap dog food doesn't contain what the dog needs most, which is nutrients and calories from the right sources. To help your dog gain weight, be sure that you are feeding a high-quality food. You can determine whether a food is high quality, experts at Dogtime.com say, if it has a meat or meat meal listed as the first ingredient. Grains as a first ingredient means it's a lesser-quality food because these are simply fillers. Sometimes simply feeding a higher-quality food will help a dog gain back any weight he lost while on the lower-quality food.
      A lot of dogs around the 1 year age mark experience a drop-off in weight due to a change in food. This is because many owners assume that they can do away with the puppy food, when, according to veterinarian and author Carol Osborne, many breeds, especially the larger ones, need to continue to eat puppy food until the dog is 18 to 24 months old. Be sure to check on breed information for your dog, and talk to your vet if you are not sure.

    Feeding Appropriate Amounts of Food

    • A dog that has lost weight and continues to keep losing may not be getting enough food. The best place to start with ascertaining the right amount of food is the food itself. On every bag of quality dog food you will find feeding guidelines. Make sure that you read these closely and feed based on that. Some dogs may require a bit more or a bit less. If your dog still seems hungry after eating the recommended amounts of food, try feeding a bit more.

    Offering Calorie Supplements

    • There are calorie supplements on the market for dogs that you can try if nothing else is working. Your veterinarian is your best resource for finding an appropriate calorie supplement for your dog.
      Another option is to feed your dog ¾ of the amount of dog food and ¼ of the recommended amount of puppy chow. Puppy food is higher in fats and calories, and these are often the things that are lacking in an underweight dog. If you do this for a couple of weeks you should start to see the weight coming back on.
      If the dog is not able to gain or is not able to maintain weight that has been gained, it is time to see a vet to check for health problems because weight loss that is not temporary can be a sign of a more severe medical condition that needs professional treatment.