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Whats the Best Dog Food for Weight Gain?
Overweight pets seem to get all the press these days, but what about dogs on the other side of the spectrum? Some dogs have trouble keeping their weight up at a healthy level or have recently lost weight (due to illness, for example) and need to gain it back.
When a dog is healthy, getting them to gain weight can be as simple as feeding them a little bit more of their current diet. This is usually the case for dogs that arent finicky and only need to gain a relatively small amount of weight.
At other times, however, helping a dog gain weight can become more complicated. Heres what your veterinarian will be looking for in a dog food for weight gain and some tips on how you can help your dog gain weight safely.
What Type of Dog Food Is Used for Weight Gain?
A good dog food for weight gain will have several traits that make it not only appealing for dogs, but also healthy and nutritious. Heres a breakdown of what helps a food qualify as good for weight gain.
Palatability
Dogs will be willing to eat more of a food that tastes good. Wet foods tend to be more palatable than dry, as are diets that are higher in fat and protein.
Homemade diets are generally the most palatable option, but if youre going to cook for your dog, make sure youre working with a veterinary nutritionist who can ensure that the diet is nutritionally complete and balanced.
Digestibility
The digestibility of a food is a measure of how much can actually be utilized by the dog in comparison to the amount that is eliminated because its not absorbed.
If a food is highly digestible, a dog does not have to eat as much to reap the nutritional benefits.
Unfortunately, there is no way to directly assess a foods digestibility by reading its label. However, fiber, by definition, is indigestible, so all other things being equal, youll want to avoid high-fiber foods.
A quick way to get a feel for a foods digestibility is to look at the feces a dog produces when eating that diet. Dogs eating highly digestible foods produce firm, low-volume, well-formed stools, while those eating diets with low digestibility will produce more and looser feces.
Calorically Dense
Dog foods that are calorically dense pack a whole lot of energy (calories) into a small amount of food.
This means that your dog doesnt have to eat much to take in a lot of calories. Thankfully, information about a foods caloric density is provided on the label, usually in the form of kcal/cup, kcal/can or kcal/kg (note: a kcal is the same as a calorie when youre talking nutrition).
Fat provides more calories per gram than either protein or carbohydrates, so high-fat foods are usually more calorically dense than low-fat foods.
Higher levels of protein are often desirable to support the dogs lean body mass.
Tips for Helping a Dog Gain Weight
Talk to your veterinarian if you have any concerns regarding your dogs health or to simply confirm that your dog needs to gain weight.
They can provide you with recommendations specific to your dogs unique situation and help create a weight gain program to ensure your dog stays healthy and safe.
Here are three tips for success:
Transition to your dogs new food gradually. Because many dog foods for weight gain are high in fat, a rapid switch could lead pancreatitisa potentially fatal condition that is sometimes associated with fatty meals.
While wet foods tend to be more palatable than dry, dry foods are almost always more calorically dense than wet. Therefore, youll need to determine the pros and cons of each option, or you can try mixing a small amount of highly palatable wet food in with calorically dense dry food to get the best of both worlds.
Feed multiple small meals throughout the day rather than one or two larger portions. Dogs will typically eat more under these conditions. You can also leave dry food out all day, although this may make it harder to monitor your dogs appetite.
By: Jennifer Coates, DVM
Featured Image: iStock.com/Amy Newton-McConnel
WRITTEN BY
Jennifer Coates, DVMVeterinarian
Dr. Jennifer Coates is an accomplished veterinarian, writer, editor, and consultant with years of experience in the fields of veterinary...
