Thin Collie (pic added)

[fullhouse]

We have a very thin Irish Setter. Have had him a couple years, always had good food available (Diamond at the feed store, check the ingredients), stayed thin. Recently we put him on Rimadyl because he's old and slowing down. He started eating much more. I am guessing he had/has some arthritis in his jaw from an injury and just couldn't eat enough without hurting. First time he ate a whole bowl of food in one day was the first day he took a pain med.

 

[SterlingAcres]

OMGosh Ollie is gorgeous!!!

We had a problem with Zoey putting weight on too. She was just looking too 'ribby' for me, so I switched dog foods until I found something that stuck some fat on her. Purina Dog Chow, believe it or not, has made her gain about 10lbs. A few times a month, she'll get some wet food mixed in and we buy her those large smoked ham bones from Ollie's Warehouse. She loves them. Good luck getting some weight on Ollie. I'd also try the eggs, that'll make him shine

We used to feed my beloved husky (r.i.p. Toby) two eggs a day with his food and it worked wonders for his skin too.

 

[Beekissed]

That is one gorgeous dog!!!! He looks to be in excellent health. I wouldn't worry much about his putting on weight, he looks to be perfect!

I worry more about a fat dog than I do a thin one. I try very hard to keep my older dog's weight down and her exercise level up. She's always been one of those "lay around" dogs, even when young. My skinny one can't sit still to save his soul!

 

[reallemons1]

Thanks for the compliments. We just love him. Under all that hair is ribs and hip bones. The thing is he won't eat the food. He maybe will eat only 1/3 to 1/2 of what I give him, like maybe 2 cups. I give him like 4-5 cups and would give him more if he would eat it, no use wasting. I need a good balanced food he will really like.

 

[Skyesrocket]

He is beautiful!
Did the vet take a good look inside of his mouth for sores or bad teeth?
My dogs love Purina Pro Plan. But I have to take them off of it as they get older because even though they are active little terriers, they gain too much weight on it.
Someone already mentioned tapeworms. Tapes don't show up in a fecal check. But generally with tapes they get a punky looking coat. And your dogs coat looks great.
Good Luck with him. He is a beauty!

 

[Ellie_NY_chick]

What a beautiful dog!

If the vet thinks the dog is okay, why are you worried?

I have an old dog that was losing a lot of weight and I started to give him a full can of Purina One at night about an hour before bed. I figured he wouldn't burn off the calories that way. He has access to dry Purina One all day and he grazes as he wants. It's worked very well for us.

Good luck with him. He's a gorgeous boy.

 

[glowworm]

He's so gorgeous!

How much does he currently weigh? 4-5 cups sounds like way too much, even if you are trying to beef him up. THe weight gain should be gradual.

My dogs eat Purina Pro Plan (Purina's highest quality food) too.

 

[Jaybr]

Check your local feed store for a feed with high fat content.

I raise foxhounds which are naturally a lean built dog, and when we're running them often they can get really skinny. I feed 24% protein / 20% fat and don't have a problem with mine getting too thin. During hunting season they'll run a few times a week and minimum 5-6 hours at a time, sometimes all night. Extra protein doesn't help near as much as extra fat for a high energy dog.

I have also used the weight gain powder for horses at times with puppies and it does help.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

We had the same problem with our boxer. And the vet told us to add a high quality soft canned dog food to his hard food. That did the trick. I used natural balance duck and potato (yellowish can)...its the only kind he liked.

 

[Wynette]

Oh, he's a BEAUTY! I swear by Solid Gold and Wysong. In fact, I had to switch to 1/2 of a lower-quality food due to one of my Danes gaining weight on the Solid Gold - my boy is 140 lbs., he was getting about 1 1/2 cups (about the size of a coffee cup) twice a day of the Solid Gold, and was gaining weight on it! Good luck with Ollie - he sure is a looker!