Why is my healthy, active dog not gaining weight? Ribs are showing.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Yukon. It can be difficult to keep weight on some young very active dogs. First, he should see his veterinarian for blood and urine testing to ensure there is no underlying disease that is affecting him. If he is deemed healthy, then you can consider another brand of food. Some dogs will respond better to one brand over another. I would stay within the performance line of foods though with the 30:20 ratio you are using. You can feed more than the bag recommends if necessary and supplement with canned food. Your goal is to be able to easily feel all of his ribs and see the last few for him to be at a healthy weight. He needs a defined waist from the top and side views as well. Lastly, neutering him will slow his metabolism and result in weight gain. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would have his stool checked for intestinal parasites and be sure he has been dewormed a few times. You can increase the volume of food at each meal by 25%. And see if that improves his weight in 2 weeks. Be sure he is seeing a vet for vaccines. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Being lean is not always a concern. A good body condition is based on muscle mass and palpation of the body, not a number on a scale. You should be able to feel her ribs while standing without pushing hard and she should have an hour glass waist from the sides and top of her body. She should also have good muscle definition in her chest and limbs. Make sure you are feeding what the bag of food says for her daily amount based on her weight. Make sure your vet tests for intestinal parasites so they are not consuming her calories. I hope this helps! Kisses to Soska!

Losing weight could be a sign of many things and it could range from a poor quality dog food, to parasites to something unexpected in a young dog like kidney disease. I do recommend to be safe and have her examined by your veterinarian and have some basic lab work and a stool sample checked for worms. Pay close attention to her bowels for any loose stool, blood or any vomiting which could indicate something like IBD or pancreatic insufficiency. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi and thank you for using PetCoach. From the pictures it appears that Hugo has a body condition score of 1-2/9. https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf This is too thin. Even dogs of slim breeds such as greyhounds or collies should not have their bones this prominent. I recommend having Hugo check by a veterinarian. Some issues such as parasites can cause malnutrition and are fairly easily diagnosed and treated. Some animals may have other congenital conditions or illness that prevents weight gain. And in some cases it may be higher metabolism requiring a specialized diet. The vet will perform an exam on Hugo and discuss his diet and activity at home. They may suggest testing for parasites or doing other diagnostics. I hope Hugo is back on track soon.

Increase the amount of food being fed by about 50% until he reaches an appropriate weight and body condition. You can also switch to a "performance" diet which will typically be higher in protein, carbs and fat for active or sporting dogs.

This could be due to several things like age and losing some muscle mass, he may need an increase nutritional requirements, liver or kidney problems, cancer or something else. You could get a baseline weight and increase the amount of food you are feeding as long as there is no other symptoms to see if he puts on some weight. I would reweigh him in 2-4 weeks. If he is still loosing weight or not gaining any weight or if you start seeing additional symptoms, I would have your vet take a look at him. Your vet will be able to do a fecal, blood work and even x-rays if needed to help determine the cause of weight loss. I hope this helps and he starts to gain weight quickly.