puppy food for skinny adult dogs?

[yorkiepuppie]

is it ok to feed a skinny adult dog puppy food? i am under the impression that the only difference between the adult dog food and puppy food is the fat content.

[Wylie's Mom]

Usually...it's the fat...and sometimes the protein, and a few other minor things here and there. What you could do is compare the labels side-by-side, just to reassure yourself, if nothing else. Since Milu could gain a little...if the fat is only a little bit different...it wouldn't stop me from feeding it, if I was in your paws . Especially if she is liking it !

[rachelanne820]

If you are using a high quality brand then it is more than likely an All Life Stages food. This means you can feed it to puppies or adults. A good brand I used to use was Innova. They have a puppy formula and adult but both are ALS formulas. When compared, the puppy formula has more fat and protein.

I would just check to make sure the puppy formula you choose is approved for all life stages. It will tell you on the bag (or usually a brand's website) somewhere around the ingredient list.

[kjc]

Why is she skinny? You could try increasing the amount you feed her and/or increase the number of treats she gets.... if she's eating enough but not putting on or keeping on weight I would have her checked by a vet. Have you had her from puppyhood or is she recently adopted? How old is she? If recently adopted and came to you thin, it's best just to feed an adult diet, recommended amount on the package, and let the weight come on slowly and gradually. If you bump up the protein and fat you may cause other problems. If you've had her since she was a puppy, and now she just can't seem to maintain a good body weight, this can be indicative of a medical problem (Liver Shunt) and it would be best to have your vet rule this out, bc feeding her high fat/protein would be more harmful than good.

[Nancy1999]

Are you sure she's too skinny? Does her backbone stick out?

[QuickSilver]

Thor is on the lean side too. I was kind of bummed by his last vet visit, he's under 4 lbs again. He was 4.2 lbs last year, 3.8 lbs this year. Which is a 10% loss of body weight, when you think about it. 3.8 is more his usual number though, I think.

Anyway, I was realizing he gets a pretty low-fat diet, with adult dog food and meat treats. Sometimes his hair is kind of dry, so I was wondering if he could go onto puppy food. He does seem to prefer it (Halo). Or maybe it's just the novelty. I picked up a bag of puppy food by accident and I keep that at work, so he gets the puppy food a few times per week.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Thor is on the lean side too. I was kind of bummed by his last vet visit, he's under 4 lbs again. He was 4.2 lbs last year, 3.8 lbs this year. Which is a 10% loss of body weight, when you think about it. 3.8 is more his usual number though, I think.

Anyway, I was realizing he gets a pretty low-fat diet, with adult dog food and meat treats. Sometimes his hair is kind of dry, so I was wondering if he could go onto puppy food. He does seem to prefer it (Halo). Or maybe it's just the novelty. I picked up a bag of puppy food by accident and I keep that at work, so he gets the puppy food a few times per week.

How does he feel when you pet him? Are his bones covered by just skin or can you feel a bit of fat under the skin? Can you feel his ribs readily or do you have to search for them?
I am not concerned with the numbers but moreso how their weight fits them. You don't want them too fat or too skinny. My first vet was too concerned with keeping my dog at 5 pounds. He was so active and started stealing food. If I yelled at him, he would grab a hugh mouthfull (really digging into the bowl) and runaway with it! To me, this says he wasn't getting enough to eat. So I increased his ration and he was alot happier. His main problem now is treats. He loves treats. When he eats too many, he will put on too much weight. Maybe this can work for Thor?
Also, I use Alaskan Salmon oil (Omega 3's & 6'S) and coconut products oil& milk to diet and hair products with coconut oil in them, for his coat.

[misslissa]

my vet said that Purina one puppy (its in a shiny silver package) would be a goos supplement for gatsby to gain weight but it did not help i switched to home cooking and that helped so i guess the puppy food couldn't hurt

[Pup-e-Love]

Have you looked at the Orijen line? The makers of Orijen also make Acana which has a grain free line with an 'all lifestages' food.

[Nancy1999]

By the way, breeders feed pregnant and nursing mamas puppy food because they need additional calories, so you might assume it's would be ok to feed another adult dog puppy food if they need additional calories. Sometimes it's wise to keep them slightly under their ideal weight if they have any problem with their knees.

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Are you sure she's too skinny? Does her backbone stick out?

she seems skinny to me. maybe she is not too skinny. i never really know, i tried to ask the vet to tell me what is a healthy weight range for milu but he said he can't tell me that. (why not!?) so i have to rely on feeling her ribs, but i don't really know what a very skinny dog's rib feel like and what a normal dog's rib should feel like. the reason i am concerned about her weight is because she never eats the recommended serving, she is always eating less than that. but maybe it's ok because she is not very active.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by yorkiepuppie

she seems skinny to me. maybe she is not too skinny. i never really know, i tried to ask the vet to tell me what is a healthy weight range for milu but he said he can't tell me that. (why not!?) so i have to rely on feeling her ribs, but i don't really know what a very skinny dog's rib feel like and what a normal dog's rib should feel like. the reason i am concerned about her weight is because she never eats the recommended serving, she is always eating less than that. but maybe it's ok because she is not very active.

Joey's vet was able to give me a range, and said that he shouldn't weigh over 5 pounds 10 ounces, and when I got him down to that, we thought, Yay, but then the vet said, well that's not exactly his "fighting weight." This means that Joey ideal weight is less than 5 1/2 pounds. He was 5 pounds 4 ounces at his last vet check, and apparently that's not even thin. The recommended serving is just for the average dog, it just gives you an idea, but individual dogs vary. When you can see their ribs, I think they are too thin, or if you can easily feel their backbone. Some dogs are petite and small boned and can't carry the weight of a larger boned dog. When Joey ate the recommended serving, he got fat. Does she have plenty of energy when she needs it?

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Joey's vet was able to give me a range, and said that he shouldn't weigh over 5 pounds 10 ounces, and when I got him down to that, we thought, Yay, but then the vet said, well that's not exactly his "fighting weight." This means that Joey ideal weight is less than 5 1/2 pounds. He was 5 pounds 4 ounces at his last vet check, and apparently that's not even thin. The recommended serving is just for the average dog, it just gives you an idea, but individual dogs vary. When you can see their ribs, I think they are too thin, or if you can easily feel their backbone. Some dogs are petite and small boned and can't carry the weight of a larger boned dog. When Joey ate the recommended serving, he got fat. Does she have plenty of energy when she needs it?

she has energy when we go for a walk or when there's people around. but otherwise, she is always sleeping. i think maybe she needs more exercise so she will hungrier.

ok, so it's normal for them to not eat as much as the recommended serving. i think most people probably feed their dogs more than the recommended serving or at least the recommended serving.

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by kjc

Why is she skinny? You could try increasing the amount you feed her and/or increase the number of treats she gets.... if she's eating enough but not putting on or keeping on weight I would have her checked by a vet. Have you had her from puppyhood or is she recently adopted? How old is she? If recently adopted and came to you thin, it's best just to feed an adult diet, recommended amount on the package, and let the weight come on slowly and gradually. If you bump up the protein and fat you may cause other problems. If you've had her since she was a puppy, and now she just can't seem to maintain a good body weight, this can be indicative of a medical problem (Liver Shunt) and it would be best to have your vet rule this out, bc feeding her high fat/protein would be more harmful than good.

she is skinny because she doesn't like to eat. she never did.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by yorkiepuppie

she has energy when we go for a walk or when there's people around. but otherwise, she is always sleeping. i think maybe she needs more exercise so she will hungrier.

ok, so it's normal for them to not eat as much as the recommended serving. i think most people probably feed their dogs more than the recommended serving or at least the recommended serving.

Recomended serving means average, some dogs will be above average, and some below average, it's all considered normal. Joey seems to sleep most the day, he's pretty active from about 3:00 till 8 PM. I'm sure Milu will get more exercise, now that she has a new brother.