Question about Petey's fat intake

[Frzframe]

Petey is super skinny (he looks like a bag of bones) so I was wondering about upping his fat intake. Right now he's eating Nat. Balance 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup in the evening. He looks like he's starving to death, he doesn't have worms, eats like a pig, and has lost weight due to the nasty poos of last week. What should I be feeding him? I'm not good with cooking stuff so if at all possible a dry kibble would be best. Where/how/can I find a food with less protein and more fat?

[Courtney]

Does he need to be on a low-protein diet? I'd try a higher-calorie food. Don't know what is available near you, but I think Solid Gold makes one for active dogs. Also, I'd try feeding him 3 or even 4 times a day. Maybe 1/3 cup 3 times a day? Maybe add some canned?

[Frzframe]

The only reason I thought of low-protein is that he's old and I just read on one of the sites posted that older dogs may need to cut down on their protein intake.

I'll look and see what I can get at PetCo (that's where I get NB). I need to make a dog food run soon any way.

[Courtney]

Actually, I think low protein is not recommended anymore for older dogs:

Senior and overweight dogs are often fed foods that are lower in protein and higher in carbohydrates, which is a bad idea. Recent research indicates that older dogs need MORE protein than younger dogs, not less. Carbohydrates provide less nutrition than protein and can lead to weight gain. Feed senior and overweight dogs a diet that is high in protein, with low carbs and moderate amounts of fat (too little fat leaves your dog feeling hungry all the time, which can make it harder for them to lose weight). I have notations below in the lists of recommended foods about which companies offer higher-protein senior and weight loss foods.

http://dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#senior

Looks like Eagle Pack has a higher-protein senior food, as does Chicken Soup...could try those! But I would feed him 3 times a day if he's not gaining on 2. I find that with skinny dogs here, who eat a raw diet, fed once a day, they gain weight a lot faster with an additional morning meal, as opposed to just a bigger serving of food once a day.

[Frzframe]

Okay cool. I can get Chicken Soup here in Ottawa so I'll run out and get him some of that today.

[bittyup]

Actually, I think low protein is not recommended anymore for older dogs:



http://dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html#senior

Looks like Eagle Pack has a higher-protein senior food, as does Chicken Soup...could try those! But I would feed him 3 times a day if he's not gaining on 2. I find that with skinny dogs here, who eat a raw diet, fed once a day, they gain weight a lot faster with an additional morning meal, as opposed to just a bigger serving of food once a day.

That is very interesting. thanks for the post. my kids porked out a little when they started on their totally raw food. Actually they're not fat but they did put on weight. The vet says they are at a perfect weight. When my GSD was old he did like Chicken soup food and he also like hundenflocken from solid gold. lots of hugs for Pete

[Patt]

Does he have any medical issues? I would check with your vet first before changing his diet. If everything is okay, I second Courtney's suggestion. Up the amount of daily food portion (gradually) and feed him more often, I'm sure he would be very happy with that idea. Also add canned food. The vet sells canned A/D (not available in stores) which is a high caloric canned food.

:goodluck: and keep us updated.