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Switched from raw to kibble, now can't keep weight on. Additive suggestions?

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Zelda Princess of- Hyrule     Barked: Wed Nov 7, '12 3:01pm PST  Hey folks, we have had Zelda for nearly 2 years now, and we have always struggled with her weight. She is very slender, and slightly underweight according to our vet. We were able to put about a pound on her while eating raw, and maintain it, but we have switched to mostly kibble (with toppers) and now she is looking too "ribby" again. Currently they are eating Acana Grasslands, but they switch between the different Orijen and Acana formulas every month or so. They get occasional toppers of lots of stuff: pumpkin, raw egg, raw meat, yogurt, etc. I currently feed Zelda the recommended amount which is 1 c. per day (1/2 c. twice a day), but I may up it to 1 1/2 c. per day. I am a little nervous about giving her too much kibble in one sitting, since she is very deep chested and I'm panicky about the possibility of bloat. Was wondering if there are other options or suggestions of additive to her food that could help her put on some weight? Any help is greatly appreciated. (Also for the record, she has had this problem for nearly 2 years and has had a recent negative fecal test and a clean bill of health from the vet.) my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Saya I want to play!     Barked: Thu Nov 8, '12 7:45am PST  Sorry Zelda is having this issue. I know money is tight, but maybe if you see a deal on pork buy it just for her since pork has bit more fat? Caned fish like salmon, sardines or mackerel might be good to add for extra topper. Sweet potatoes might help too? I dunno never had issue with weight. Bella my mom's boxer does get a bit thin if she only eats kibble, but since I been giving her more raw add on and things like caned fish, eggs and stuff she has filled out. Lamb, Ewe can be more fatty.. Walmart sells a bag of chicken quarters for about 56cents lb I think.. Decent deal and the skin should help. I hope she gets better soon. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Kolbe Where can I run- today?     Barked: Thu Nov 8, '12 9:38am PST  Saya has some good suggestions...I would second that by trying some toppers like raw eggs, canned sardines, etc. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Zelda Princess of- Hyrule     Barked: Thu Nov 8, '12 3:11pm PST  Thanks guys. We add raw stuff anyway, so we'll have to keep a lookout for pork on sale, and sardines. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Jace Swiffer     Barked: Thu Nov 8, '12 3:49pm PST  Hi Zelda I would suggest upping the food by 20%, to add more calories. Because you are already feeding a somewhat higher fat food, you could try adding a bit more (tsp/tbsp) but the result may be looser stools. Generally speaking dogs can eat an increased amount of fat, provided there are no previous or ongoing issues. One tbsp of fat equals 124 calories. It is possible that the raw diet you were using had more fat on a DM basis, or gave you more overall grams of fat per day. As well, increasing the amount of food and the issue of bloat has not been indicated. Good luck my posts | my page | msg me | gift me | become pals [notify]

Ellie CGC Born to be Wild     Barked: Fri Nov 9, '12 6:07am PST  Are you feeding an adult kibble? You could mix it up with puppy formula to add more fat and calories. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Fritz Fritz, cats are- fun when they- run     Barked: Sat Nov 10, '12 6:55am PST  How does she eat? If she isn't a vacuum around food you could try feeding free choice. You could also try feeding a lot of small meals if you are afraid of feeding too much at once. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Mya 1250966     Barked: Sat Nov 10, '12 9:23pm PST  You could spread out the amount you feed her per day to three servings instead of two especially if you up the total amount per day that you are thinking of doing. That way she does not overeat the two servings that think could possibly cause blot for your baby. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Zelda Princess of- Hyrule     Barked: Sun Nov 11, '12 4:45pm PST  She eats twice a day currently and is a VACUUM. Thanks for the advice, all! my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

Rexy I dig in mud- puddles!     Barked: Thu Nov 15, '12 8:46am PST  When we fed kibble, we always had to feed more than the recommended amount. 70 lb Rexy used to eat 3.5 cups of Orijen to maintain weight (and she is not what I would consider extremely active, more likely that she worried away the calories). I too, was really worried about bloat, and so would soak the kibble in hot water for about 10 minutes before feeding it. So I guess my suggestion would be to up the amount slightly (and keep doing so until she starts maintaining weight) and keep adding the toppers. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become pals [notify]

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