Why won t my dog gain weight without worms

The Dog does not Gain Weight: possible causes

Your dog may not gain weight for several reasons.This may be due to the type of diet, insufficient hydration, excessive exercise, disease or the breed type of the animal.

One of the main characteristics of dogs is that they have a lot of energy.Of course, a lot depends on the breed, the time they spend exercising and other factors.However,there are times when your dog doesnt gain weight and you cant figure out why.

Reasons why a dog does not gain weight

There are various reasons why a dog does not gain weight.In this article, we will briefly explain some of the possible causes.

Exercise

The type ofdietthat a dog that gets a lot of exercise must follow must be different from that of a dog that moves little.For example, a dog living in an apartment will not consume the same calories as a dog used to graze sheep.

It is advisable for the dog to ingest the right amount of nutrients that must be related to the physical exercise he does every day.

Reasons why a dog does not gain weight: nutrition

One of the reasons a dog does not gain weight can be related to the type of food and diet they follow.He may not be eating the right amount of food or the type offeedyou provide him does not contain all the nutrients he needs.

Even if he consumes the right amount of food for his weight and size,another cause could be that the dog is not absorbing all nutrients properly.This could be due to some type of disease.

Unlike cats, which eat little but more frequently, dogs tend to eat a large amount of food on a regular basis.

Water is essential

Dont forget the importance of hydration.It is very important that the animal always has fresh water at its disposal.Water is essential for a dogs life.

Therefore, in addition to the diet, care must be taken that the dog drinks a sufficient amount of water.Otherwise, your pets body will not function properly.

One of the possible consequences of poor hydration is that the dog does not properly absorb the nutrients present in the food it eats.For this reason,the animal must always havewaterto drinkat its disposal.

Dog breed

Depending on the breed, the physical constitution of the dog changes.One example is the greyhound, which might look like an undernourished dog.

Greyhounds are dogs with a very slim build.Within the skinny dog group, there are also chihuahuas andborzoi, just to name a few.

Illnesses

In some cases, the dog does not gain weight due to an illness.If you notice that your pet is eating properly but is not gaining weight, we recommend that you take him to the vet.

Among the diseases related to a lack of weight gain are intestinal diseases, diabetes orpancreaticproblems.

Sometimes, along with the other symptoms, a lack of appetite can be observed in the animal.In these cases,the dog may lose muscle mass or have gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and diarrhea.

In addition, other obvious signs may be the loss of luster of the coat or an excessive lack of energy.Each disease has specific symptoms and generic symptoms.

Intestinal parasites, another possible cause of your dog not gaining weight

Among the different types of parasites, there are endoparasites.Among them,those that affect the digestive system arenematodes(cylindrical worms) or cestodes (flat worms).

Parasites of the digestive system lurk in the intestine.There, they suck blood and the nutrients they feed on, causing tissue damage and the onset of anemia.In addition, they can cause intestinal obstruction which can result in dog death.

Despite the fact that the dog is fed properly,endoparasites can be one of the reasons why a dog does not gain weight.Therefore, we recommend that you have your dog dewormed whenever your vet deems it necessary.

The vet will also advise you which product is best depending on the type of parasite present in the dog.Parasites vary depending on where the dog lives.So, in some cases it will be better to use one product and for others another.

Today we have briefly explained some of the possible causes that do not allow your dog to gain weight.There may be others that we have not listed.If in doubt, we recommend that you consult a veterinarian.

How to Help a Puppy Who Isnt Gaining Weight

By Paula Fitzsimmons

Youre feeding your puppy a nutritionally-balanced diet and following the directions on the label with precision. You watch as your new best friend voraciously eats his dog food, and surmise his appetite isnt the problem. Despite your best efforts, however, hes not gaining weight as he should. Puppies grow at different rates, but if yours is below the average for his breed, there may be an issue. Anything from ineffective feeding methods to underlying diseases can cause slowed growth in puppies, says Dr. Dan Su, a clinical nutrition resident at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

You may unwittingly be feeding your puppy an insufficient number of calories or a diet that lacks essential nutrients for growth. However, medical causes of slowed growth are more common and can include parasites, digestive issues (such as inflammatory bowel disease), a liver shunt, and diabetes, for example, Su says.

Read on to gain insight into why some puppies are resistant to weight gain, as well as what you can do to tip the scale in their favor. Of course, run any changes you plan to make to your puppys diet past your veterinarian first.

Underlying Causes

For pampered pets, the inability to gain weight is rarely due to inadequate food intake, especially if the puppys appetite seems good, says Dr. Cailin Heinze, a veterinary nutritionist at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts.

Its best to play it safe and bring your puppy to the vet to rule out medical causes. There could be any number of reasons behind her inability to gain weight, but intestinal parasitesparticularly roundworms and hookwormsare probably the most common, says Dr. Joe Bartges, professor of medicine and nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Inflammatory bowel disease, protein losing enteropathy (any condition of the GI tract resulting in loss of protein), and hypoglycemia are examples of diseases your vet may look for, says Dr. Susan Jeffrey, a veterinarian with Truesdell Animal Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. Or the problem may be dental-related. Is there something painful? For example, the puppys teeth may not have erupted normally and may be coming into contact with the tongue.

Additionally, certain foods can be too rich for some puppies and result in diarrhea. This isn't necessarily a food allergy, but I think some pups with developing gastrointestinal tracts can't handle certain foods, she explains.

Is Your Puppy Getting Sufficient Calories?

If your vet has ruled out an underlying condition, its possible your puppy is not getting the right number of calories. Jeffrey recommends discussing your dogs diet with a vet, and calculating the recommended daily caloric intake for the puppy, a methodology based on breed, a dogs activity level, and reproductive status. Spayed or neutered animals may not need as many calories as intact animals, she says.

Feeding a higher calorie food may be beneficial if the puppy has a poor appetite and isnt finishing the recommended portion of food, says Heinze, who is board-certified in veterinary nutrition. But this should only be attempted after parasites have been checked for and treated and blood work and other diagnostics have been done to rule out health issues.

Examine Your Puppys Diet

Diets devoid of an essential balance of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates may also be to blame, says Jeffrey, whose professional interests include preventative care.

You should be feeding your puppy a diet that is AAFCO-approved (complete and balanced) for growth, as well as choosing a diet that is appropriate for the presumed adult size, Jeffrey explains. For example, large and giant breed puppies should eat a diet labeled for large breed puppies.

Despite what you might think, diets formulated for growth arent always high quality. Consider changing the diet to a more well-known diet from a larger pet food company or even feed a therapeutic diet, advises Bartges, who is board-certified in veterinary internal medicine and veterinary nutrition.

A raw food diet isnt a cure-all, either. While I help people with raw food diets if that is what they want to feed, I discourage pet parents from feeding raw food diets to puppies, he says. The margin of safety is narrow during growthand this can be an issue not only for nutrient imbalances but also infectious disease.

What to Avoid

You may be tempted to add a nutritional supplement to puppy food to encourage growth, but using supplements without consulting a vet can harm your canine companion. For example, excess calcium can increase the risk of developmental orthopedic diseases in large breed puppies; excess vitamin D can lead to toxicity, Su says.

Another potential problem to avoid is obesity. Many puppies that owners deem too thin are at a healthy weight and the owners are trying to make them fat because they dont have a good understanding of what a healthy puppy looks like, Heinze says. Unless the puppy has a known health issue, being slightly ribby is generally healthier than slightly overweight, especially for large and giant breed dogs.

Vets recommend frequent weight checks to ensure your puppy doesnt become overweight. And if weight gain is faster than desired, calorie adjustments can be made before weight gain becomes excessive, Su says.

In addition to ruling out underlying conditions and ensuring your dogs diet is balanced and provides the appropriate number of calories, you may want to examine your feeding methods. Some puppies need several small meals throughout the day instead of two large meals, Jeffrey says. Feeding small meals may help with weight gain.

Also look for behavioral clues. If the puppy is having to compete to eat with other dogs in the house, the puppy should be fed separately, she says. Not only will this help reduce stress, it will allow the owner to determine the exact amount of food the puppy is eating.

How to Fatten Up a Dog: 6 Steps to Gain Weight Safely (Vet Answer)

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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Its easy to fall into the trap of overfeeding your dog, and a majority of a general practice veterinarians day includes coaching owners on how to tell if their dog is eating the right amount of food.

With more ready knowledge and resources available about weight loss, what do you do if you think your dog is looking too lean? Maybe you can tell its because they arent eating or arent keeping their food down, but what if they seem fine except that theyre getting skinnier?

Just putting down some more food isnt always enough to help these pups, so heres what you should do.

How to Know If Your Dog Is Underweight

For most dogs, if were asking them to gain weight, its because theyre underweight. The problem is that even within a breed, theres no one perfect weight for every dog. Variations not just by sex but also genetic line can lead to upwards of 50-pound differences between dogs of the same sex and breed that are completely normal and expected. Weve all met Labradors that barely reach our knees and others that look like they could be taller than you if they stand up straight.

The best way to assess a dogs weight isnt by their weight but by their body condition score.

The body condition score uses the physical parameters of a dogs body to tell if they are within an ideal body condition, underweight, or overweight. The scores come in two forms: 19 or 15.

Here are some things to remember with these scores:

• The main difference is the 15 score allows for half steps, such as an assigned body condition score (BCS) of 3.5, while the 19 score only allows for whole numbers.
• For the 15 score, 3 is normal, 12 are various levels of underweight, 45 are overweight.
• For the 19 score, 4-6 is ideal, 13 is under, 79 is over.

An ideal BCS score comes from a dog with a visible waist viewed from above or below in which you can just see the end of the rib cage without touching, but each individual rib isnt readily obvious and countable without touching. If you lose sight of the ribs entirely or the waistline, that dog would have a higher score. If you can count each rib and see the bony prominences of the hips, that dog would have a lower score.

It is important to keep breed variances in mind. Some sighthound breeds are lean by nature and seeing their ribs is normal. For thick-coated breeds, you may not be able to see a dogs ribs with an ideal BCS, though you can easily feel them with your hands. Some chonkier and meatier breeds, like some Bulldog breeds, may not have a natural waist.

When in doubt, your dogs examinations with a vet almost always include an updated BCS score. You can learn where your dog is currently scored so you know what that looks like for them, and then track relevant changes, like gains or losses of their waist or rib prominence.

What to Do for a Dog Not Gaining Weight

As soon as you notice your dog is losing weight, especially if you try to increase their weight unsuccessfully, its time to make a trip to the vets office. The first step in getting weight onto a dog is finding out why theyre losing it or not gaining it back. Once you do that, here are some ideas on how to get weight onto your dog.

The 6 Steps to Gain Weight Safely

1. Diagnose and Treat the Cause of Weight Loss or Poor Weight Gain

Some medical causes of weight loss, once treated, will rapidly reduce your dogs weight problems without any other interventions. Do they need to eat upright because of the megaesophagus? Go on a stool softener and intestinal motility agent for megacolon? Did their diabetes just need treatment? Are they eating the wrong diet for their life stage? Did their teeth hurt, and they needed dental cleaning? Fix the issue, and poof, suddenly, the vet is talking about getting your dog to lose weight instead of gain.

Diagnosis may involve a physical exam, bloodwork, X-rays, ultrasounds, or specialized testing, so be prepared for a hunt in some cases to find the cause.

2. Calorie Rich Diet

Sometimes even after we find the cause and treat it, these dogs are expected to still struggle to gain weight and will need more help. Some severe diseases may not ever be fully controlled with treatment, and others, like cancer, may continue to cause weight loss no matter what we do. Nervous dogs may do okay other than their weight, and its more reasonable to focus on their diet than it is to place them on daily anxiety medication.

For these dogs, youll want to explore diets that help with weight gain. One of the things Ill tell my clients is to place their adult dog onto a puppy diet. Each commercial diet for dogs in the US will have an AAFCO statement on the bag that certifies which life stage the diet was formulated for. It may say things like for puppies, pregnant or lactating dogs, adults, seniors, and growth.

Theres also a common statement that you might find on the back of your dogs food bag if you check, which is formulated to meet the needs of all life stages or something similar. AAFCO has two main life stage categories: adult maintenance and growth and reproduction, and if a diet meets the requirements for growth and reproduction, it may be marketed as good for all life stages.

The reason to know all this is that by purchasing a diet with one of these statements, youll know it has a nutrient profile that is appropriate and safe for your dog but is purposefully calorie dense and formulated to encourage weight gain. While its intended for puppies or pregnant or lactating female dogs, its a great tool for choosing a diet for a dog that needs to gain weight as well. A great example of this isPurina Pro Plans Performance All Ages Diet.

3. Spice Up the Diet

In addition to targeting a more calorie-dense diet for your dog, youll need to assess how well your dog is eating what youre offering. Dogs with dental pain may need soft food. Picky eaters may only like certain kibble shapes, canned diets, or specific flavors. Dogs under the weather may need you to use some tricks to entice them to eat.

Warming up fresh or canned diets makes them more fragrant and appetizing. Mixing high-reward treats, lean meats, gravy toppers, warmed wet food mixed into kibble, or anything else they love can encourage them to eat more and help support weight gain.

4. Feed More Meals

When feeding more, it may be more useful to feed more meals throughout the day than to offer a larger meal. Larger meal sizes increase the risk of bloat for large breed dogs. They may also fail to properly digest and therefore absorb nutrients from larger meals. Frequent smaller meals throughout the day are more likely to support good digestion and a willingness to eat just a little more each meal.

5. Food-Based Enrichment Activities

Why waste play time with your dog when you can use that as yet another opportunity to fatten them up? Instead of offering stuffed toys to chew on, you can give them food-related toys and activities instead. Filling a Kong with pumpkin puree, peanut butter, dog cheese sprays or other loved fillers can give them a fun way to eat more. For dogs who need more of a challenge, you can freeze the Kong and its contents before giving it to your dog.

Lick mats and sniff mats can also keep them occupied pulling out food. Sometimes having to work for it encourages their appetite.

There are also endless puzzle toy options now that you can hide food inside. You can try just treats or put high-calorie items like hot dog pieces inside to further support weight gain. Slowing your dog down as they get their treats can also allow you to give them more without causing an upset stomach.

6. Medication

The last option available is for dogs that have a poor appetite. You can reach out to your veterinarian to ask about appetite stimulant medication; there are a couple of options to see if they would be a good fit for your dog. They arent miracle workers, and some types are expensive, but when they work, they can be a lifesaver.

Why Might a Dog Fail to Gain Weight?

Youve noticed your dog is starting to look lean, and youre worried about them. Youve been putting down more food for them, but its just getting worse. What could be going on?

1. There are lots of reasons a dog might struggle to maintain weight.

If theyre going through a stressful event or are anxious by nature, they can burn more calories and tend to run lean. If they are also picky eaters, this trouble can compound itself with them becoming chronically underweight.

2. Parasites are a classic reason for a dog to lose weight despite eating well.

Intestinal parasites, in particular, will steal nutrients the dog would otherwise absorb themselves. It isnt uncommon for GI parasites to cause vomiting or diarrhea as well, which further interferes with nutrient access for the dog.

3. Similar to parasites but scarier, cancer can also cause rapid weight loss that you cant seem to turn around.

Cancer cells have a higher metabolic rate than regular ones, meaning theyre burning through calories like its their job, because it is. Some dogs may not show other signs of illness, and some may develop a poor and dull hair coat, lethargy, chronic vomiting or diarrhea, and maybe even visible masses.

4. Other systemic diseases can also lead to weight loss in dogs.

Sometimes this is because they can cause muscles to atrophy, like with chronic kidney disease. Other times illness can make a dog feel dumpy which can lead to anorexia, vomiting, or diarrhea, such as with diabetes or Addisons disease. There are many types of diseases that can link back to loss of appetite, nausea, or diarrhea, and any of them can therefore cause indirect weight loss.

5. Some dogs lose weight because they arent on the proper diet.

Nutrient deficiencies can cause illness which may put a dog off their food, but diets for the wrong species or stage of life can also be the culprit. Puppies eating an adult-only diet are likely going to fail to gain weight. Dogs with a food allergy eating a diet with their allergen in it may chronically do poorly.

6. Always remember some breeds already just run lean.

These dogs, if faced with any of the above, will fall underweight faster than other breeds and may have a smaller tolerance for changes or being ill. If these dogs are in an especially active part of their year, such as the warmer months, they may cyclically fall underweight, so you may need a plan for fattening them up only as needed.

7. Some dogs are born with or develop anatomical abnormalities that keep them from digesting food properly.

A condition called megaesophagus will keep food from efficiently making it to the stomach and the intestines, and they will instead chronically regurgitate their food. These dogs almost always present to their vet underweight and ravenous. On the opposite end of the body, a megacolon can cause an accumulation of stool that doesnt pass efficiently. As these dogs become constipated, they can go off food or even start vomiting, and this condition is often linked to nutrient absorption problems in the intestines also.

How to Know If Your Dog Is Gaining Weight

Now that you have a plan in place to fatten up your dog, how can you best go about tracking weight gain?

For dogs, it isnt recommended to weigh them more than once weekly unless otherwise advised by your veterinarian. Furthermore, youll want to track progress on a monthly schedule instead of anything shorter. Dogs can go through appetite cycles that are several days long, where they eat very little for a couple of days but then make up the calories a couple of days later. Youll save yourself a lot of stress if you look at weekly, or even better, monthly trends instead of the minutiae.

When weighing your dog, you have a few options, but be sure to use the same scale every time. Most veterinary clinics will let you swing by the clinic to use their dog scale, which is especially helpful for large dogs. You can purchase a large dog scale to keep at home also as there are several affordable options. When able, you can also weigh yourself on a bathroom scale, then weigh yourself holding your dog, and then subtract out your weight to find your dogs weight.

Its also a good idea to familiarize yourself with one of the BCS scoring systems and score your dog weekly or monthly to help you track their weight as well. Keeping a journal of this data can also track daily appetite, signs of illness, treatments, and the response to different interventions you try.

Conclusion

Fattening up a dog can be a more serious undertaking than youd think, but luckily, there are many ways to go about it. Always start with a vet visit to get to the bottom of whats going on and treat any underlying issues. Then, for dogs that need more help, you can use this list to help find the best ways to get more calories into your dog. Make sure you track their changes and have an idea of what normal looks like for them if they reach it, and keep their veterinary team informed on their progress.

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Featured Image Credit: Leka Sergeeva, Shutterstock