The American Beagler Forum

I have a male that is 4yrs old i have had him since he was a pup. He never really got fat or gained alot of weight.

He doesn't have worms i just had him checked by the vet.

I feed him 2 cups a day in the evening. 26/18

It looks like he is starting to lose more and more weight.

He is wormed once a month with ivomec.

What else could i do to get some more weight on him??

I know there is something you can put on the feed like canola oil, or chicken broth. I forget what it is that you use.

The season starts next week. I am taking him and my other dog.

Please help any suggestions are appreciated

Have you had a blood analysis done? If the dog is loosing weight and eating 2 cups a day, there must be a problem. You may need to change brand/maker of food. He might be unable to digest the food you are feeding. I was told to use honey and pasta to put weight onto my dogs when I got them too thin. Of course chicken fat will possibly help, and adding oil to the food- canola or olive oil. I would check the blood first though. Carolyn

Any classic signs of diabeties?

i will try the canola oil how much do i use.

A good check up might be what you want do first. two cups a day should be plenty.

had a check up a few weeks ago the vet said he was very muscular and i told her he runs every day. She said that was good and not to worry about the weight so i am just trying to get him to gain a little more anyway.

Joey, I still think the problem is the make of food. There seems to be an argument going on in your dog's digestive tract and he is not getting what he needs from the food. You can add oil, a tablespoon or two but I don't think it will help much. Also, put him on a good scale once a month and keep a record of his weight. Looks may be deceiving. Carolyn

Joey,

When considering the amount of food to feed, you need to consider the activity level of your dog. You never stated how much he is being run (3 x per week, etc.).
Just because 2 cups of food is good for your other dogs, doesnt' mean that two cups would be adequate for this dog. I don't think adding oil to the diet will help, as this can sometimes cause diarrhea (or loose stool). You would be better off adding a "good quality canned food" to the diet (about 1/2 a can), as it is higher in fat and can help put weight on a dog quick.

I would think if your vet is not concerned about his weight, then it shouldn't be a big deal.

Ideally, you should be able to fainty see the last couple of ribs on your dog and when you run your hands along their side, you should be able to feel all of them (but not boney). You should not be able to see the hip points or spine protruding out. They should have an nice hourglass shape when you look down on them from above.
Many of us would tend to think our dogs are too thin if we can see the ribs, but it's just the way we interpret it I guess.

Renee'

wish i could see my last 2 ribs,,,,,,,,,,,,,,lol,,,,,,

Thanks guys

I changed his food to purina one lamb and rice. I won't be able to tell the difference for a while since i just changed it.

He is being run everyday of the week for at least 2-3hours if i could get my camera to work i would take a pic for u to judge. And his spine is sticking out i don't know if that means there is a problem but it could be.

id feed him as much as he would eat,,,,,

Being able to see the bones of the spine means he is underweight. Again, I would recommend adding some canned food to his dry and double his dry rations from what you would normally feed. If he continues to lose weight or seems to not be gaining, I would take him to the vet. He could be diabetic or have some other issues going on.

As far as running this dog every day, I would lay off for a while until you get this weight thing under control. I would not total stop running him, but I would definately cut him back in quanity and duration. You are trying to get some weight back on him, and by continuing to run him that way is NOT going to accomplish that.

Good luck!

What would be the best quality canned food???

I will try that and i will cut back on his running.

Another thing may be that he had teeth removed a year ago because the baby teeth never got pushed out so they were pulled. I don't know if that would make him not eat as much, since he might think his teeth are still sore from when he used to eat the food with the 2 teeth next to each other.

I think I would take him to the vet and have his stomach xrayed, he may have swallowed a rock or something that is filling his stomach and he don't feel hungry or is blocking something so he is not able to digest his food. With him looking emaciated I would seriously be concerned and take him to the vet.

When looking for a good quality canned food, you want to make sure there is very little grains in it. I have found one (it's expensive) that has 9% protein and no grains. I will include a link for your review. http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.l ... gJMp8D38DF
If you could find a canned food that comes close to this one, you would be fine. I would just stay away from the "grocery store" brands (alpo, pedigree, etc.) as they are mostly fillers and can cause diarrhea.

If you notice any loose stool, cut back on the amount of canned until his belly adjusts to it.

Again, if after a few days, if you haven't noticed an improvement, take him to the vet. I am assuming he is eating ok, just not gaining weight? I feel that if he is normal in all other areas, it may just be that he is not getting enough fat and calories in his diet for his activity level. He is being run ALOT and 2 cups just doesn't seem to be enough.