Need advice adding food to kibble

[jb131]

Want to add to kibble

Ok I have a olde English bulldog named Ragnar. I feed him dry kibble and he seems a bit skinny. I want to add weight to him and he just turned 3. Everything online is leading mainly to sweat potatoes and pumpkin puree. So I figure get a pound of sweat potatoes cubed and boiled and mash it with the puree and cook 2 or so pounds of ground turkey and split that up for two weeks and feed it with his kibble in the morning and then dry late afternoon/evening depending on work schedule.

Is this the right direction to help add some weight but also just eating better then solely kibble?

To add to it I wish I could afford farmers fresh or similar sights but I can’t afford 200 dollars a month with just dog food.

Thanks y’all

 

[rodney937]

@jb131 What body condition score is he? You can look up the purina body condition score chart for an easy reference. I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen a skinny bulldog and basically every time someone says their dog is skinny and needs more weight, the dog is normal weight or even a bit overweight.

Further, adding things to his kibble will only unbalance the diet. If he truly needs more calories, it’ll actually lower the caloric density. See your vet if you think he’s underweight.

 

[othersteeve]

@jb131 If you feel your dog is underweight, first of all speak to your vet to rule out any health issues making him lose weight, establish if he actually is underweight, and the best way to resolve this. Feeding toppers is a slippery slope as it can make them picky, and unbalance their diet if you give them too much. There's nothing wrong with just kibble.

 

[hevin7th]

@jb131 I'd talk with your vet, there can be medical reasons he is underweight, and they can better diagnose if he is actually underweight- feeding other foods with his diet will unbalance the nutrition, and can possibly cause other issues (sweet potato is high in sugars for example, and has also been implicated in the DCM issues)

Foods higher in calories but still balanced would be better to treat underweight if he actually is, or more of his proper food- puppy food would be better than adding pumpkin or sweet potato imo

edit to add- simply adding calories to 'fatten him up" isn't great, if you feel he needs more muscle mass or something like that, higher protein and exercise is better

 

[saussiona]

@jb131 if you think your dog is underweight, talk to your vet. if they agree…just feed more kibble

 

[saussiona]

but also, how much does he weigh? can you post a top and side angle picture of him?

 

[goldenbell]

@jb131 One of my two dogs is underweight and I stressed over it for a long time. After going through the gambit of food and dealing with my Vet, I came to the conclusion that it’s perfectly fine. Being a bit underweight is good for their joints and overall health for big dogs.

I learned how much she eats and give her just a bit more so my other bottomless pit doesn’t eat too much and gain weight on the other hand.

 

[caelesto]

@jb131 My boy sometimes doesn’t want more food. He manages most of his food but leaves a bit behind and he’s mildly underweight. I add an egg. You can scramble it, probably easiest. The biggest thing is if he wants more and the vet thinks he needs to gain weight you take their guidance. If he wants more food and needs the weight (vets input) then add more food. If he doesn’t want to eat more but needs to gain weight then you consider toppers.

Edit: brain fart typing

 

[yodas_prodigy1]

@jb131 I would look into how to properly assess his BCS. If you feel his BCS is under the ideal score, make an appointment with your vet to discuss potential medical causes for this, and for help to increase calories without unbalancing his diet. Treats and toppers should generally be no more than 10% of total daily kcal intake.

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/body-condition-scores

 

[jb131]

I appreciate the advice of just giving him more kibble to get his weight up. Smarter and less work than adding a topper.

This crazy I’m just trying to get some advice for a kibble topper. I have the dry food diet that has all the nutrients for an adult dog. Everything is talk to vet like I’m changing him to a raw diet or fresh food diet. I just want to add a healthy topper. I did my research and sweat potato and pumpkin is in moderation but is a healthy snack for dogs. This is wild

 

[willjones2k]

@jb131 Check out farmers dog , their premade which is great or homemade buying their nutrients and using their recipes which we do. Our dog loves it!

 

[jb131]

@willjones2k Yea I checked them out it’s like 200 a month in their food cause of his size. I love my boy just can’t afford that. It’s crazy. That’s why I was considering a topper.