How to appropriately gain weight?

[mommaxcate]

My Lola is 11 months. She is skinny. Like, see her ribs skinny. She was a chunk butt for a very long time and all of a sudden she grew vertically and now she looks sickly underweight. I have always fed her according to the food package suggestions and then some (Diamond Puppy) but since she thinned out and she's eating SO MUCH and not gaining back, my husband thought maybe it's time to move to adult food and bought a bag of the Diamond lamb &rice. I'm not entirely sure that's the right move though... aren't puppy foods higher in calories?
So how do you recommend approaching healthy weight gain in a young dog?
If it matters she was spayed young, at 6 months. Stools seem regular and frequency has not changed. She usually has a kong or busy bone in her crate during the day while we work and has a nice long walk or ball run in the evening.

[JenC]

Puppy food SOMETIMES has more calories, more fat, more protein than adult. But you'll have to read the label. Also Lamb & Rice tends to be lower calorie/fat/protein. If you are feeding this Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice Formula for Adult Dogs - Diamond
it's 23/14 (protein/fat) and only 332 kcals per cup. NOT a food I would feed to a thin, hungry young dog.

I would not feed less than 26/16. But if you are going to stick with the Diamond line (not the Diamond Naturals), I would do premium adult or performance.

I would also aim for 3 cups of food a day and then gauge poops.

If it were me, I would get a back of Performance (or the Natural Performance) and mix it with the lamb and rice. Then keep her on Performance food.

Some labs are going to be rail thin depending on their pedigree. Mine isn't, she's a butterball on 3 cups.

[mommaxcate]

Yes, that is the one he purchased, by recommendation of the sales person at the pet store. We are not married to any specific food or brand, and I will admit that I know very little about foods as I have only ever rescued older dogs and told what I should feed them by the rescue/vet. I am not terribly familiar with how to "read" dog food bags. She had been eating 4 cups of the puppy food, and is at 3-4 cups of this food now (it has only been a week and is still mixed with the puppy food), plus her kong each day. I expected her to be much thicker based on her parents and how much of a chunk she was when we brought her home, she seems like a bottomless pit!

[mommaxcate]

Maybe she isn't as skinny as I think she is? Here she is this morning.

[Meeps83]

I think the picture makes her look disproportionate . When feeding, especially a young dog, don't necessarily go by what the bag says. Do what works for your dog. If she looks too skinny give her a little more. If she starts getting diarrhea, doesn't want to eat, or looks chunky cut back a little. Maverick gets 3 to 3 1/2 cups of food a day depending on his activity and appetite. He's almost 20 months. And dogs do grow differently. Maverick hit a growth spurt in Julyish and gained a good 10 pounds. He hit another one in late fall and gained about 5 pounds, putting him at a good 87 pounds.

One other thing to consider is that altering a dog before their growth plates close can actually effect how they grow. They may be taller and more finely boned because the hormone that tells them to stop getting taller and stretching out is now absent.

I think she looks a little on the thin side, but she's also very young and has some filling out to do yet.

As far as food goes, feed what she does well on. I personally do a high protein (ie 30% or more at the minimum) and high fat food (usually 16-20%) because Maverick does well on it. If she enjoys her food and has nice poop and looks good, then the food works for her. There are so many kinds of food with so many different make-ups. There are just as many people with differing recommendations and advice.

[JenC]

She does look thin, and a lot of that can be from early spaying. What's done is done there. I would definitely go with a Sport/Performance type food. You can look at Pro Plan Sport 30/20 too.

[mommaxcate]

She does look thin, and a lot of that can be from early spaying. What's done is done there. I would definitely go with a Sport/Performance type food. You can look at Pro Plan Sport 30/20 too.

The Pro Plan Sport salmon 30/20 is what we purchased. We started with half a cup more per feeding than we had been feeding her of the puppy food (meaning she's eating a total of 5 cups per day now), so fingers crossed

[Tanya]

if you can't see the ribs I wouldn't worry about it. feed based on what body is/needs. With a lab you don't want to see ribs but should feel them easily if you rub her sides. the photo is an odd angle but she doesn't look like you can see ribs.

If you are feeding the same/more and she is loosing i'd consider a stool sample at the vet's to ensure there are no parasites or anything.

Also agree with possibly a fatty-er food (more calories per cup) so you can feed less (at 4-5 cups she must poop a ton!)

[windycanyon]

My adult food (Canidae ALS) is significantly higher in calories than my puppy food (Euk LBP)-- by >100 kcal per cup. Much of this is because the kibble is smaller, and so more packed in the cup imo since the actual protein/ fat isn't all that different. So as pointed out above, always read the label.

One thing that you may want to add if not already doing so is a good pre / probiotic/ digestic enzyme. She may not be using her food well.

Another thought is to ask your vet (maybe when you take in a fecal for parasite check). Some dogs require a pancreatic enzyme supplement in addition if it's not functioning well. I recall one of my pups years ago needing this.

Adding fish oil or coconut oil to a food that your pup is already doing well on is another good idea. Fat keeps the food in the gut longer, so encourages better use of the food. Puppies/ young dogs are notoriously poor at digesting their food so if by chance you are only feeding 1x a day, I'd suggest at least 2x a day. Anne