Whats the right dog food to put weight on please?

Mely

Hi I have suddenly aquired today a lovely little terrier x(hes approx 9yrs old). The old lady that had him has dementia, and has gone into hospital and i cant see her having him back. He is very alert and playfull, however he could do with putting quite a bit of weight on. I would like to know what dog food would be best to feed him? Hes had a bath and I will be worming/flea treating him etc. Any help much appreciated.

foreign_correspondent

Any working dog food!! Working dog food tends to be higher calories (more protein and fat) - does he eat dry or wet food though?

You can always add a little oil to his food as well, or some nutritious treats regularly such as scrambled egg (no butter, milk salt etc), tinned oily fish (pilchards, sardines etc)

If she had dementia I would guess that he has probably not been fed regularly, so little and often may be best. Also if you know what food he has been on it may well be best to stick to that initially with a few tasty additions so its not too much change for him at once!

breezerockz

agree totally with fc
my gcd bi.ch looses all her weight when she sheds, i give her a high protein dry food, and sunflower oil

Milford_Cubicle

If he's only been fed scraps, or has missed meals then any decent dogfood fed by the instructions should help him put the weight back on

Mely

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

Any working dog food!! Working dog food tends to be higher calories (more protein and fat) - does he eat dry or wet food though?

You can always add a little oil to his food as well, or some nutritious treats regularly such as scrambled egg (no butter, milk salt etc), tinned oily fish (pilchards, sardines etc)

If she had dementia I would guess that he has probably not been fed regularly, so little and often may be best. Also if you know what food he has been on it may well be best to stick to that initially with a few tasty additions so its not too much change for him at once!

Hi Fc.... i really appreciate that advice. I shall go out tomorrow and buy him some working dog food etc, and feed him little and often.So that he gets the most benefit from it. I dont know what food he was on originally...probably scraps! He has wolfed down the pedigree chum that was in my other dogs bowl. So i will stick with wet food for him, with occasional treats added. How often should i add the treats?

foreign_correspondent

I don't know if any wet food comes under the 'working dog' name - so I would have a look at the nutritional info on the back and select something with relatively high levels of protein and oil.

I guess he will soon enough put a little weight on with that. I feed dry and add a bit of extra nutrition occasionally with egg, meat scraps etc etc. With dry I would say chuck a bit in whenever you feel like it, egg, fish etc is generally very well tolerated by doggy tummies!

hethmar

Oh, well done you for taking him on. Bless you and I hope you will be together for many years.

Be careful with his food, if he has not eaten well you may find he gets tummy upsets if you give him too much too soon. Little and often is the way.

The working dog or puppy food may be good for him. You can always ask your vet.

Mely

Ive had a good look at his teeth and he has quite a few missing, although his mouth seems healthy So i think i should avoid getting him the dry food and get the wet food. I shall check the nutritional information on the tin and see the best one i can get for him. Theres a farm supply outlet fairly near to where i live, im going to have a good look around there tomorrow, and also get him some warm jumpers as im scared he will catch cold or something due to being so underweight. I didnt really want to bath him tonight because of this, but i really had to as he was in quite a state really. Hes all snuggled up next to me now, wrapped up and giving the occasional contented happy sigh!:D

foreign_correspondent

he sounds lovely - dry food may be good for his teeth in the long run as it helps keep them clean, but if they are sore he may struggle, so I would agree with wet food to begin with.

Its a shame you dont know what he is normally fed - I expect he just hasnt been getting regular meals - I agree with hethmar, little and often at first if he has been hungry for a while. If you find he gets an upset tummy, maybe try him on some bland food - a little scrambled egg and boiled rice till it settles.

When can we see piccies?

Mely

He is a lovely dog and i know the lady that had him loved him dearly, its very sad really.
Id love to post piccies but i need to sort out my digital camera (kids have lost a lead off it...arghhh!). I havent even used it yet..lol. When i get it sorted i will post pics. Hes such a little love:D

CiciBaltimore

try find out what he had before and keep himon that one coz you dont want to upset his tummy at being 10 years old. he will be used to what he gets already and might jjust need more of it. he dont need any expensive food