What canWhat can I give Dawson to help him gain some weight?
 

Hello Everyone,
Dawson is my 2 year old baby boy, and I would like to put some weight on him. He was very small when he was born and now he only weighs about 3 1/2 lbs. He eats well, but he still feels scrawny to me. I have him on Beneful for small breeds and switched him back to puppy food for a while hoping to beef him up. He is very energetic and at times can be high strung. Is there anything anyone can suggest that would maybe help beef him up a bit? He has a clean bill of health, but I really would like him to weigh a bit more (not obese just more sturdy). Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
:aimeeyorkYorkieProud:aimeeyork

:pEMMA AND DAWSON ARE MY FURBABIES AND IF MY SKIN BABIES LISTENED HALF AS GOOD AS THEY DO, MY HOUSEHOLD WOULD RUN MUCH SMOOTHER!!!! LOL!!:p

I would put him on a premium kibble. I put mine on California Natural kibble and they gained weight.

I have never heard of this brand. Is it available at stores, or would I need to go through my Vet to get it? Thanks for the response.
:aimeeyorkYorkieProud:aimeeyork

Switching to a higher quality food would be a good idea as the above poster said. You can buy quality food online, and when I switched to Acana (two paws up) I bought a sampler pack from Lukes Petfood online to decide which food was best. We were coming off wellness which is also another quality food but is found at place like PetCo.

I have a similar issue with Bandit. He is the same "size" as Nala but is 4.5 on a good day where Nala is almost 6 pounds. I get nervous with how skinny he is but the vet keeps assuring me he is fine, and it's good if they are thin because there is less strain on their joints especially with breeds that live as long as yorkies do.

Hi YorkieProud!
Please take a look at this website, it has lots of info on many brands of dog foods. Dog Food Reviews | Dog Food Ratings Beneful is one of the worst foods out there. Beneful Dry Dog Food | Review and Rating
there are many super premium brands available at Petco or you can order on line. Also look in the health and diet section and look at the stickies on top and you can ask for free samples of food! Yorkie Health & Diet - YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community

I also want to tell you, my foster yorkie had bladderstones, and I believe it was bc her former owners were feeding her Beneful. She was first diagnosed with UTI which was not well treated, and she was not given her prescription food and medication, but instead continued to feed Beneful. That is how I think she developed the stones. These little guys eat so little, it really isn't that much more money to feed them to good stuff. Only the best for them right? :)

As for beefing up your little guy. I had the same mindset as well. My Uni is not as small as Dawson. She is naturally 5 lbs but very tall and skinny/bony. I wanted her to get to 6 lbs, so I found a food she liked and overfed her. In a short period of time, she did gain weight, but she also ended up developing mild pancreatitis (which she is still recovering from now). If you guy is happy and healthy, keep him the weight he naturally is at. It's better for their joints and knees anyway for them to be a little on the skinny side. He is energetic so I think that is his ideal natural weight. :)

Thanks for all the advice. I am checking into buying online. This makes me sound like a bad parent, but I had no idea that beneful did not measure up. I will be switching immediately! It was also glad to hear that his weight is not really an issue. I just feel so bad, when I pick him up and feel his back and hip bones. I am sure switching will give him the nutrients he needs. Thanks again for all the help. I knew I could count on this forum for some great advice.
:aimeeyorkYorkieProud:aimeeyork

:pWHO LISTENS BETTER YORKIES OR TEENAGERS? I THINK WE ALL KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT ONE. YORKIES!!! LOL!!:p

Don't beat yourself up! You didn't know! But now you do, so you can change for your sweet baby! :) There's lots of good ones out there, and the skinny ones are always picky! I just found Honest Kitchen and Uni loves it!