Underweight Boxer

[boxermom2013Participant]

I have a very underweight 5 year old boxer boy. I have had him fully tested by two different vets to the tune of over $2000 and he has no discernible medical problems. He is 42 pounds and my female is 68 pounds. They are currently on Blue Buffalo grain free puppy with access to food all day. What would you recommend I try to add weight to my male? Tried Merrick Turduckin, Evo high protein and Pet Fresh among many other tactics. Please advise.

[Hound Dog MomParticipant]

Hi boxermim2013 –

I can relate to you here. One of my girls, Gertie (the dog in my avatar) is extremely difficult to keep weight on. She was so scrawny as a pup I had tests run too and they came back clear. The vet told me once she was spayed she’d put some weight on, but she was spayed 2 years ago and keeping weight on her is still a struggle. With her, as long as her hip bones aren’t protruding I feel I’m doing good!

I wasn’t able to get her over 60 lbs. until I switched her to a high protein, high fat, low carbohydrate raw diet. I make her food and I generally keep protein between 45% and 55%, fat between 30% and 40% and carbs less than 20%. I’ve now got her holding steady at 68 lbs. – given her height she should be much heavier, but at least she doesn’t look emaciated any more. I also give her lots of treats between meals, I mostly feed balanced foods as treats so I can feed her more without throwing off her diet – i.e. freeze-dried raw medallions, frozen kongs layered with grain-free kibble and canned pumpkin, ziwi peak food for training treats and (prior to the recent recall) I was using EVO’s Wild Craving biscuits which conform to AAFCO nutrient profiles for balanced foods.

Some other options – Abady makes a very calorie-dense granular food – it has around 800 calories per cup (nearly double the calories of Blue Buffalo). I’ve used Abady and before and was pleased. I also know people that have put weight on their dogs with satin balls – you can look up recipes online – they usually include fatty hamburger, eggs, oil, molasses, etc. You could add a balanced omega 3-6-9 and/or coconut oil to his food for a fat/calorie boost. You could try supplementing with digestive enzymes to ensure he’s digesting everything he does eat. If you want to stick with kibble, I’d also recommend at least picking a more calorie-dense formula (>500 kcal. per cup). Some calorie-dense options include – Canine Caviar Grain-Free Puppy (636 kcal. per cup), Dr. Tim’s Momentum (588 kcal. per cup), NutriSource Super Performance (529 kcal. per cup), Timberwolf Organics (I believe all the grain-free formulas are over 500 kcal. per cup).

Good luck!

• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by  Hound Dog Mom.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 5 months ago by  Hound Dog Mom.

[boxermom2013Participant]

Hound Dog Mom-WOW! Best info I have ever gotten!!! So glad I found this site and the forum!! Thank you tons!!

Jack and Allie’s Mom

[pugmomsandyParticipant]

Here is a really good page about Satin Balls

http://www.holisticdog.org/Nutrition/Satinballs/satinballs.html

and a modified version:

5 lb hi fat ground beef (27% Fat)
5 lb bag Mirra Coat
2 lb (approx) Creamy Peanut Butter
18-24 Eggs
16 oz bottle of Dyne

and

3 lbs meat, 3 cups oatmeal, 3 cups cereal, 6 eggs, 6 tabls molasses and 6 tabls oil, 1 tbls garlic powder

However some folks use a concoction of coconut water, banana and nut butter.

[KJ_BoxersParticipant]

I’ve tried Satin Balls as a supplement and all they succeeded in doing was to give the boxer diarrhea. Diarrhea is not something you want to happen with a skinny boxer.

[Author]

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