Hungry and thin puppy

[dedindi]

I am currently fostering a 4 month old gsd puppy. We have only had him a few days but he is painfully thin. My best guess is a 3 on body condition. You can see every single rib and his hip bones. We have switched him over to the good provided by the rescue - Diamond puppy. My best guess is that he needs to gain 10 pounds or so. We are currently feeding her per the recommendation on the bag (3 1/2 c) but he is soooo hungry still. I don’t want to over feed him - we finally are having solid poos as well. Could I up him to 4 or 4 1/2 cups? And if so is it best you feed more at morning or night? We are currently feeding him 3 times a day as well. Thanks!

 

[namenotallowed]

@dedindi From my limited knowledge I heard it's best to feed more frequent meals throughout the day but close to the same size portions. I also heard that you could add in some cottage cheese, chicken, rice to help with protein and fat calories. As far as how much or if this should be extra as a replacement meal id ask your vet

Unfortunately it won't happen over time but I'm sure you'll start seeing the results sooner than later

If your dog is struggling with scarfing down the food and always being hungry Maybe try one of those slow feeders or one of those toys that you can put peanut butter, dog food, etc etc and that ends up being like a game to keep them busy and get some calories

 

[olachi85]

@dedindi It's best to ask a vet about this just in case. But bear in mind he may not have very fast results. Our girl was malnourished as a baby and was painfully thin when we got her. Not quite as bad as your boy, but she was absolutely too thin.

It felt like it took months of frequent meals and eating enough to get her at a healthy weight. And even now she's a thin pup, but I think she's part greyhound, so that's to be expected. She's a healthy weight with lots of muscle though so I'm not concerned. Just be prepared for it to take a little bit! It won't be an overnight thing.

 

[ssam3099]

@dedindi Ask your vet, maybe there's a reason she's not absorbing the nutrients properly.

But also, the guides on the bag are just a guide. They might not take into account how active your dog is etc.