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  1. #1
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    What food to get my senior dog to gain some weight

    I have a lab that's between 13-16 years old and he's losing weight on his current food that I also feed my two other dogs (8 year old lab and 1 year old Anatolian Shepherd). So I'm looking to switch him to a food to help him gain some weight/retain his weight better. All dogs are currently on Taste of the Wild High Prairie and beyond just feeding him more (which I have started to do) I'm wondering if there is a better food out there for him that I should be looking into.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog
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    I don’t really have a suggestion other than maybe the occasional satin balls, but do you know what is causing the weight loss? In my experience, my older dogs haven’t have a problem maintaining weight unless/until there is an underlying medical condition (e.g. kidney failure, cancer, etc).
    Annette

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  3. #3
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    He has always been a bit skinny due to his severe separation anxiety, had tried various prescriptions over the years but they caused other complications so I decided against keeping him on that. Had some blood work ran regarding this weight loss, his kidney has elevated levels but not to the point where it's kidney disease.

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Cook.MN For This Useful Post:

    Annette47 (01-17-2017)

  5. #4
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Maybe a food with more carbs?

  6. #5
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    Have any suggestions or what I should be specifically looking for on an ingredient label?

  7. #6
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    Has he been checked by a vet for possible underlying issue(s), since he is now geriatric? Also, the weight loss could actually be muscle loss.
    Cookie Black Snowflake
    July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.

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  8. #7
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    He has been checked by a vet, his weight is something that I have struggled with since I adopted him because of the severity of his anxiety (by that I mean I have struggled with keeping the weight on him). As he has gotten older I've just been slowly adding a bit more food to his dish every feeding but it's to the point now where he is getting 4 cups a day and I'm just wondering if there is a better option of food choices that will help him keep the weight.

  9. #8
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    I'd look into kibble for active dogs, these are usually higher in calories, protein and fat. Or you could add some cooked rice, oils and fat to his diet.
    Cookie Black Snowflake
    July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.

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  10. #9
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    We home seniors and I've never that this problem; always trying to keep weight down.

    Sounds like a good situation for some high quality/calorie treats, plus an increase in kibble.
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  11. #10
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Pro Plan Sport 30/20 makes my dogs pork up, I'm assuming due to the corn. But, if your dog has anxiety, corn can be a little "hot" and make it worse. You might be better off adding something like cooked meat or oil (coconut is my suggestion) to the dog's kibble.

 



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