How to Fatten Up a Dog Fast? – Effective Tips Follow

Are you a dog parent worried about your dog’s meek body? There are multiple reasons why a dog can be underweight like recovering from an injury or sickness, is a picky eater, or has a background of abuse. With little effort like proper nutrition and care, you can bring your dog’s weight back to normal and even fatten them up. Dogs need love and care to become healthy and fit. 

Let’s take a look at how you can fatten your dog fast and in a healthy way. There are many effective tips you can follow that will increase the weight of your underweight dog. 

Is Your Dog Underweight?

How can you determine whether your dog is underweight? By simply observing your dog’s bones, does it prominently show? Look at the ribs, pelvic bones, spine, do they pop out without any sign of fat on them? Another question to ask is, does your dog’s coat lackluster? Is your dog always tired? 

If you answered yes to all the above questions there is a chance your dog is underweight and needs extra nutrition. If you suspect some other serious medical problem due to which your dog is losing weight you should consult a vet. 

Help Your Dog to Fatten Up Naturally

There are many natural weight gainers other than your usual eggs, peanut butter, or rice to fatten up your dog. 

Dogs are curious about human food, some can also be given to dogs to increase their weight. Foods like cottage cheese are full of fat, quinoa is great for amino acids that are required for muscle building and a good supply of energy, you can also give cooked or raw lean meat according to your dog’s preference. Keep a check on how much and how often you are feeding your dog to track the progress. 

Reasons Why Won’t Your Dog Gain Weight?

Multiple factors could contribute to your dog not gaining weight even after giving all the nutritional supplements. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons;

1. They’re a Picky Eater

If you’ve had dogs before you know some dogs are picky eaters. Fussy dogs will avoid anything that they don’t like however nutritional it is. If this is the case with your dog it might be difficult to maintain a healthy weight. Try to entice them by adding wet food to their regular feed. Or you can also include dog food toppers to encourage them to eat more than what they eat normally. Dog food toppers can provide dogs with extra nutrition that the regular dog food might lack which could be affecting your dog’s weight. If your dog has a sensitive stomach you can give it a pumpkin topper for weight gain. 

2. They’re Stressed

Just like us humans, dogs also tend to stress over different issues. The stress can make dogs lose their appetite and their weight as well, very much like humans. Stress is caused because of multiple reasons like change of house, a new person coming to live with you, noises from outside and many more. If you are punishing your dogs to train them, that can also stress them out. Consult the vet or your dog trainer to help you find the cause of stress and mitigate the problem. 

3. They Might Be Sick

Being sick is a common cause of weight loss and loss of appetite in dogs. If you see your dog suddenly losing weight accompanied by fever and vomiting you should seek immediate medical help. Not all illness that makes them lose weight is life-threatening but it is always advisable to consult a vet in such a situation. 

Also, Read – Do you Know How Long Can a Dog Go Without Eating?

4. Age May be a Reason

Older dogs tend to eat less and hence causes them to lose weight. This may happen due to dental problems like decay or pain. It makes chewing painful and dogs tend to avoid food. Special foods formulated for older dogs are easy to chew, some fresh and wet foods may also help dogs gain weight. They will also get the necessary nutrition from such foods to maintain their health and weight. 

Tips to Help Your Dog to Fatten Up

Here are some tips you can use to fatten up your dog and help them become more healthy. There is no alternative to a balanced diet and physical activity if your dog practices these two things he will regain weight and health. 

Also, Read – How To Successfully Care For A Dog

Food that Contains Higher Protein or Higher Fat 

We all know the importance of high fat and high proteins for our dog’s health. Especially for pups, they need a combination of high protein and high fat to build their health and boost their growth. Even though these foods are expensive it is worth it. Such foods will help your dog gain weight easily within a couple of weeks. 

You can add new protein-rich food to your dog’s existing food to enhance the protein quantity. Make sure you transition slowly to avoid any health problems. Start by adding little quantities of new food. 

Change the Feeding Schedule

When you have food just before bed the body stores it as fat instead of burning it off. Similarly, you can feed your dog smaller meals during the day and more food in the evenings before bedtime to encourage fat storage. 

You can also try feeding smaller meals at regular intervals throughout the day. See to it that your dog has no immediate physical activity right after meals. Ideally, a gap of half an hour is sufficient to get your dog moving after a meal. 

Give your Dog Sweet Potato And Pumpkin

If you are worried about giving too much protein, add sweet potato or pumpkin to your dog’s diet. This helps in providing fat and fiber to aid their digestion. You can purchase sweet potatoes and pumpkins from your local grocery store. This can cause an upset stomach, so make sure you introduce a small amount of new food to your dog. 

Exercise

We always tend to link weight loss with exercise but exercise also helps in muscle gain which should be your priority when you want your dog to gain weight. High fat and protein diet combined with regular exercise will help your dog gain muscle and weight. 

Try Wet Or Fresh Foods

Wet or fresh food is more fragrant and hence attracts dogs more than dry food. Give fresh food like veggies or fruits but know that fresh food has a shorter shelf life. Wet and fresh food has to be consumed soon after opening it. You can also heat cold food to release the aromas and make it more palatable. 

Also, Read – How To Choose the Right Dog for Your Family

Conclusion

With these tried and tested tips, you can fatten up your dog and make it healthy. It is always advisable to try out natural ways for weight gain with regular exercise. Avoid sudden introduction of new foods, slowly add small portions of new high fat and high protein food to your dog’s diet. 

How to Fatten Up a Dog: Common Questions

What foods are high in fat for dogs?

Foods like peanut butter and eggs are high in fat for dogs. They provide fats and eggs provide amino acids and fatty acids that help your dog gain weight. 

What can I feed my dog instead of dog food?

You can give your dog human foods like lean meat, cottage cheese, or quinoa, and rice instead of dog food.  

Are bananas good for dogs?

Yes, bananas are good for dogs as they are rich in potassium, fiber, vitamin, copper, and biotin. You should give them only as a treat due to their high sugar content. 

What human food is healthy for dogs?

Lean meat like chicken and turkey is healthy for dogs. Cooked eggs, yogurt, veggies, and fish like salmon and sardines are also great. 

Does rice make dogs gain weight?

Yes, as it is full of carbs it will help dogs to gain weight. You can add proteins to it to make it more healthy.  

What protein is best for dogs?

Eggs are the best source of protein for dogs as it provides all the amino acids.