Not Gaining Weight - Page 1

I have been feeding both my dogs Taste of the Wild for awhile now but they are staying way to skinny for my likeing.  There stools are good and solid and their coats look good and shinny but they are burning it off to quickly.  They are hyper all the time and constently moving and pacing either in the house or ourside in there kennels.  I it doesn't matter how much or how little I feed them of this food they just seem to not be able to put on any weight.  They stay the same, they don't loose weight but they don't gain it either.

My question is what else can I feed them that would be better for them or can supplement with there food to help them keep their weight on?  I switched to the Taste of the Wild because it was grain free and my male doesn't do well on food with grains.  Constent loose stools.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Stool can be too solid, too hard.

Do they have hard time defecating? Do they frequently go thru the motion but little stool come out?

My female started to put on weight when I started to include some (small amounts) of corn in the food. Her stool is now well-formed but softer than before and she seems to want to eat more. She had constipation, it seemed.

I now tend to think that a small amount of corn provide the fiber and better water retention in the stool, well-formed but not as hard as before.

I also decreased the fat content in her food. I now use a food that is less rich in protein and fat to start with, now 24-18. When I add about three ounces of fresh meat , the final content is about 28-22.

If only the male is intolerant of even small amounts of grains (are you sure?), you can feed the female separately with a separate food.

A small amount of grain is a natural part of the wild canine diet, in the guts of prey animals, but this grain is not cooked though. Grains in dog fodd are cooked. Still I believe small amounts are OK unless otherwise indicated, IMO.

Hi,

take a stool sample to your Vet, have it tested for parasides. I know a few peopel feeding taste of the wild, never heard of loosing or not gaining weight on it.

Regards Ulli

Thanks so far for the help.

High Desert

There stools are normal.  Not hard but a little soft but solid. 

They are doing great on the food just not gaining weight.  They are staying way to skinny.

As far as my male this is the only food he has done well on.  I have tried a few other products but always the same.  After awhile his tools were runny.  Taste of the wild is the only food he has not done this.  This is why I want to keep him on it.  I even tried feeding him raw and he did not take to it very well.  I have even had him checked and everything is fine with him.  He has a little more weight and keeps it on better than my female but with her I am concerned because she can't seem to keep any weight on.  She is 65 lbs but really boney.  I would like to get her to gain a little. 

They don't have any problem eating.  I feed them two cups in the morning and two cups at night.  I have went up and down and found this is the best.  My male is doing better and has gained a little but with my female no matter how much of the food I feed her it seems to never be enough.  This is why I am asking if I need to supplement it with something else.  They are very active.  I train a little everyday and they play together (when she is not in heat) as well.  But even if they are locked up she is constently pacing in her dog run.

If they don't like "raw" try some cooked chicken thighs or legs. Boil them for a couple hours then remove all the bones. The thighs and legs have more fat and calories plus they are fairly inexpensive. Add some broth and meat to the food. We do this for pregnant or nursing moms who need more calories and they love the taste.  

The first thing to do is to have stool samples done on both dogs. Always rule out parasites first, and even if none are found, consider treating for them anyway.

Secondly, buy some Prozyme and add that to the food. You can also add some cottage cheese. I would not recommend corn, but it is not the horrible thing so many would like to make it. Feed perhaps a little more at each meal. If the dogs are young, they should be very lean. As they grow older, you want to keep them lean. We have no photo to go by, but most people keep their dogs way too fat. Working dogs should be lean. If you can see the faint outline of the last rib or all of them outlined when the dog is panting hard, and the dog has a waist when seen from above the back, then the dog is fine.

Diet coke, Salad, Plenty of fruit and steamed vegtables.......... oh yes and enrol him in a gym asit seems to work....................you only see fatties doin that stuff its true look around you Diet coke ! you'll never see a slim person drinking it only fatties so it must work. GET HIM ON IT!

LoL :) hahahahaa no badGSD its "let me get coffee with no fat milk, and 100 tbl spoon of suggar :) lol hahaahah" or "let me get coffee, no sugar, skim milk, and 5 coffeerolls :) " lol hahahaha

I believe there is nothing wrong with a small amount of corn, in general. Only a very small percentage of dogs are intolerant of corn.

The valid objection is large amounts, especially for the purpose of providing some protein.

The insoluble fiber in corn is quite helphul in aiding elimination. The small amounts incomplete mix of amnio acids from corn protein does no harm.

A lot of human beings are intolerant of wheat, the glutin in it, from outright celiac disease to just marginalized GI tract, but few are intolerant of corn and rice. As far as I know, there is no valid assumption that corn for dogs is as risky as wheat is for human beings.  

rbarlow,

Never ever you could convince me that a dog does not like raw ! What a balony, we are talking canides here ! Yup, when you start feeding raw, they will have loose stool, because theire digestive system is not used to it, and messed up with all that junk food ! When they get loose stool in the beginning, feed even more raw ..... give it 2-3 days and everything will be just fine. Free yourself from these PR campaigns of the mayor foodindustries, how do you think they can afford their campaigns ? Just by convincing you & others that you do good for your dog to buy their food.

Stool amounts will decrease - your dog will be eager to get his food ......

Regards Ulli