Hi my name is Kali, and I am on this board looking for some suggestions for my boyfriends dad. He has 2 ch. labs and the younger one (2 yr old intact male) is SKINNY. They are hunting dogs, so they get plenty of exercise. I work at a dog kennel that is also into good food (including raw) and I got him to switch to better food last June, he was feeding Exceed. His older female eats Natural Balance Duck & Potato, but the male eats Natures Variety Beef & Barley. He switched to that at my suggestion because beef is a "heavier" meat then duck. Blaze eats 5 cups a day, but he is still skinny. I was hoping to get any suggestions on how to get him to gain weight, and not spend too much money doing it. Thanks!!

Maybe it's just his metabolism....can you feel his ribs or anything?

Paris,

Has he been checked for worms? He might have a parasite eating all of his nutriance.

-John

I'd say if he's an adult dog, eating 5 cups a day, a vet check up might be in order.

Hi Kali and welcome:).

Sorry to read that you're having troubles with Blazes' weight, there are possible reasons for this.

Any possibility of Blaze having an internal obstruction?

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=0&articleid=1001

Or this:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1630&articleid=864

http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/showthread.php?s=&postid=233133#post233133

Or diabetes:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1579&articleid=860

And some more....

When was his most recently vet check? How were his last blood test, stool and urine test results? Do you have a home-copy of the results?

Having posted dozens of "Need help with weight gain" threads on this board myself, I agree he should be checked thoroughly for an obstruction or parasites.

When I got my lab Grip (ex hunting dog) at 18 months, he was painfully thin (all ribs, hipbones, spine showing) and no matter how much I fed him, or how many calories I got into him he didn't gain weight. We discovered he had an obstruction that had been in his stomach since he was a puppy.

Get him checked.

Keep us posted!

For reference, the Natural Balance Duck & Potato is quite a high-calorie food, about 400 calories a cup in fact (I use it myself and called them for that info).

I know his last vet check was in Sept. right before hunting season. So I know everything is ok there. He isn't MY dog, so I can't go have him checked for stuff... I will pass on the suggestion to my boyfriends dad. He is skinny, you can see his ribs. I don't know if he would have an obstruction.. he has just recently been skinny. He has never been fat, they are very good at keeping the dogs well exercised and at a good weight. Do any of you know of any recipes for "fat treats" or anything? I own a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and I don't have a issue keeping weight on her (she LOVES her food), so I don't know of anything that adds weight. Thanks!

Kali

Kali, I'd tell your your boyfriend's dad to have him checked again. It's quite a few months since Sept. If you can see all the ribs on this dog and he's eating 5 cups a day then something is obviously preventing him from utilizing his food. Is his waist tucked up too?

Like I said, my lab was a hunting dog, SOLID muscle, he worked and ran hard, and was as skinny as a whippet. He had been to the vet many times and it was only after he had an x-ray that his obstruction was discovered. It had been in his stomach since he was 12 weeks old and nobody knew. Everybody just said he was thin, but he was unnaturally thin.

If 5 cups of food a day isn't putting weight on this dog, no amount of high-calorie treats will.

Boyfriend's dad should take him to the vet and ask about the possiblities of obstruction or parasites.

If he doesn't want to go to the vet, atleast you could take in a stool sample. No charge for a visit, just the test.

It's true a fecal analysis would help with a parasite check, but not for ruling out an obstruction.

They have all given you great soound advice, definatly stress the fact he needs to be checked to your b/f's dad. If in fact you say since his last visit a few months ago he has gotten thinner and you are feeding him more high calorie food, then sure enough it sounds as if some acute problem has happended. Please follow everyones advice and get them checked out.