What helps fatten up a dog

How to Fatten Up a Dog? Safely, And Healthily (Explained)

While some pet parents might be dealing with an overweight dog, you could be dealing with an underweight one. Heres what youll want to know about how to fatten up a dog safely and healthily!

The fastest and best way to help fatten up your dog is by giving him plenty of lean protein and healthy fat in his food.These will encourage your dog to gain weight and muscle but still keep their health in mind.

If your dog has difficulty holding its weight. In that case, you might also want to consider a vet check-up to see if there is potentially an underlying issue. More on that, and additional diet choices, below!

What is the fastest way to fatten up a dog?

When you focus on healthy additions to their diet, weight gain should be visible in just a few weeks. Therefore, the fastest way to fatten up your dog will also be the healthiest way. This comes down to the two mentioned additions of lean protein and healthy fat.

Lean protein

If youre familiar with lean protein, you know that it will be a dedicated source of protein without the fat. But isnt the fat from protein a good thing? When it comes to your dogs weight gain, yes. However, it isnt healthy for your dog. Since the goal is to keep your dog healthy and at a higher, healthier weight, lean protein is your best choice.

Protein helps your dog gain muscle mass and strengthens the body as far as its energy levels. This allows your dog to feel better and move easier. The protein content will also help your dogs development, including transitioning to a healthy weight.

Healthy fat

This is where youll want to focus your attempts as far as fat! Healthy fats are going to be mostly omega-3 fats. Your dog needs these to help fuel their bodies with fat that is beneficial for their joints, muscle development, and healthy and necessary weight gain. Healthy (aka good) fat supports proper filling out of your dog and a natural energy boost. They are loaded with nutrients as well as heart-healthy fats that will support your dogs natural weight gain.

On the other hand, going with unhealthy fat can leave them lacking in energy and can cause concerns such as joint degradation and even building up plaque in arteries.Not all fat is made equal and healthy fat is the recommended fat for your dogs weight gain.

Going with a two-pronged approach in your dogs diet will help them add a few pounds and hold a healthy weight long-term. You can find great high-quality food choices within premium lines of dog food. Or, you can look at the idea of at-home choices to supplement their regular food.

What can I give my dog at home to gain weight?

There are plenty of pantry options that you can give to your dog in addition to their regular food. These make it easy for you to keep your dog on the diet they love but still help them gain a few pounds. Common options include:

• Sweet potato
• Pumpkin
• Peanut butter
• Eggs
• Rice
• Cottage cheese
• Quinoa

When you are giving any or all of these to your dog, youll want to make sure that you portion in responsibly. Feeding your dog excessive amounts of pumpkin and/or cottage cheese isnt actually healthy. You can add small amounts to their kibble, or giving it to them as an afternoon snack is excellent.

The other thing to remember with any and all of these suggestions is to check the ingredients list for any additives that could be toxic. There are some peanut butter blends, for example, that will use xylitol in place of sugar. While this is harmless for humans, it is poisonous for dogs. Make sure that these are all dog-safe! Skip the seasonings, too. Your dog wont miss them, and they wont add to their health profile at all.

What is the best dog food to fatten up a dog?

This depends on what you want to focus on as a pet parent. If youre feeling a little overwhelmed with the idea, the best choice is to get a high-calorie food for dogs. You can find kibble and wet food (more on that later) that will prioritize healthy fats and protein for you.Your vet can offer great recommendations for a brand that will help your dog healthily gain weight.

However, as you can probably guess, this specialized food will have a higher price tag than your average options out there. Also, some dogs dont enjoy nutritious food and wont eat it.

In either situation, the at-home choices can offer great results. They are affordable, and they often appeal to your dog as far as their appetite and preferences. Theyre also simple to add to the diet that they already enjoy, which is a perk for those fussy dogs!

How do at-home pantry staples help my dog gain weight?

It sounds strange that cottage cheese or eggs can help a dog gain weight. After all, arent human foods bad for dogs? In large quantities, yes. You shouldnt replace your dogs regular diet with human foods. But these are simple staples that you can add to their diet to help boost their weight carefully and naturally.

These examples are loaded with healthy fats and lean protein, both of which weve already talked about. Theyre also an excellent choice for us humans that want to help make healthier choices in those categories! If youre concerned about their use long-term, you can talk to your vet for a more personalized approach, too.

How do I get my skinny dog to gain weight?

First off, youll need to ensure that you are dealing with the correct information. A dog may sometimes look underweight but be considered healthy. For example, dogs going through their teenaged growth spurts often appear underweight but arent. Signs of being underweight include:

• Visible ribs and vertebrae
• No fat anywhere (aka skin and bones)
• Concave skulls
• Dull and dry coats
• Low energy

If you notice these symptoms combined with a dog who visibly looks thin, youll want to talk to your vet about your dogs weight.A vet will be the best person to diagnose your dog as being underweight since theyll have a personalized approach to your dogs medical history.

Sometimes an underweight dog is dealing with a health problem rather than malnourishment. This is why a vet will be the best equipped to diagnose your dogs health issue.

Helping a skinny dog gain weight is about making sure they eat a balanced, complete diet (especially in fat and protein) and that they are eating the recommended amount per day.Over time, this will help fatten up your dog.

How to fatten up a malnourished dog

A malnourished dog is different than a simply underweight dog. Malnourishment will require your vet to take a close look at your dogs overall health and see where they are lacking in their nutrient profile. Once they do this, theyll be able to suggest a dog food or an at-home addition to their diet to help them enjoy a strong and complete nutrient profile.

In some cases, vets will recommend supplements in a specific vitamin or mineral to help boost your dogs needs until you can balance in their classic diet on a regular basis.

Your dog will not be healthy if they dont have a balanced, complete diet.This is why proper choices in food are going to be so important!

How long does it take for an underweight dog to gain weight?

As mentioned above, most dogs will gain weight in a few weeks. Youll be able to notice this through a fuller face and body.Some dogs may always have visible bones, but healthy dogs of a healthy weight will look strong and have fat on them that youll be able to feel, rather than frail and feeble dogs that are just skin and bones.

How long does it take for a malnourished dog to gain weight?

A malnourished dog can take longer to gain weight, depending on how long it takes for a dogs system to regulate itself and how malnourished they were to begin with. It can take 1-2 months, and it might be visible or invisible. Youll most likely notice that your dog simply looks better as far as their actual appearance and their energy levels. From there on, youll notice a slight weight gain, too.

In both cases of malnourishment and underweight, its essential to only make changes after a vets had a look at your dog.Firstly, changing your dogs diet without your vets approval can be dangerous. Secondly, being underweight for no apparent reason can be a symptom of health problems that will require a diagnosis.

Tips to help your dog gain weight

If you want to have some general tips to help your dog gain some weight, its going to be as much about your routines as it is about their food choices. Here are some tips to help you out!

• Change their eating schedule/routine
• Add in wet foods
• Change up the treats
• Keep up with exercise

Change their eating schedule/routine

Most pet parents will give their dogs 2-3 meals a day, and they often will time them with human meals for obvious reasons. However, dogs arent necessarily built to eat that way. Natural foragers, many will have digestive systems that respond better to smaller and more frequent meals.

If you notice that your dog doesnt eat all of their food at mealtime, or they seem uninterested in it, try lessening the portions and feeding them more often. This schedule change might make them more comfortable with their food and allow them to digest more comfortably.

Add in wet foods

Many dogs love the taste of wet food. While you dont necessarily want to substitute their kibble for wet food, you can mash some wet food into their kibble. This often will incentivize dogs to eat more, too, which can be helpful for those fussy eaters! Youll want to choose healthy wet food, of course. Since they all tend to taste the same (for your dog), you might find that theyll be inclined to eat their kibble mixed with healthy wet food, even if they usually wouldnt eat healthy food!

Change up the treats

If you want to keep your dogs diet as it is, you can look at changing out their dog treats! Most treats arent healthy for dogs at all. Changing them out for lean protein and healthy fat choices can be an excellent substitution for their diet and help them earn those needed pounds.Most dogs will enjoy these as much as their other treats since they taste the same!

Keep up with exercise

Wait, what? This seems counterintuitive. If you want your dog to gain weight, shouldnt you keep them from burning calories? The thing is, staying active is essential for your dogs health. Theyll gain a healthy weight as they exercise. More energy to exercise will come from their balanced diet, especially one loaded with protein. Your vet will recommend how much exercise their dog should be getting, which is vital for making sure that they get enough, but not too much.

In Short

Techniques for fattening up your dog will focus on high protein and healthy fats, as well as a proper understanding of why your dog is underweight.

You can help them gain weight by feeding them special high-calories diets and/or relying on human pantry items to help give them a boost.

You can also take a look at techniques such as changing their feeding schedule and taking their taste preferences into account.

Helping your dog gain weight will be about addressing their diet, understanding the top nutrients to focus on, and helping them enjoy eating more than they are currently.

Know someone who has a dog who needs a little extra help? Consider sharing this with them!

8 Ways to Fatten up a Dog Healthy Weight Gain Tips

Creating a meal schedule that includes 3-4 small meals throughout the day will help your dog digest the food easier. You should also try to feed them every four hours, but not exceed over 6 hours between feedings. Smaller meals allow them to digest food faster, which in turns creates a faster metabolism.

Having a consistent feeding schedule will allow the pup adjust to a new meal plan. It will also allow you, the owner, keep track of the amount of food they consume. Regulating a new feeding schedule takes time, so patience is key.

Also, remember that every dog is different, so you might have to offer food in various forms or at different times, depending on when your pup is hungry and how it reacts to a new routine. Remember to slowly integrate the new food with its old food over a period, so it doesnt upset their stomach.