Is my English Bulldog puppy too skinny? How to help him gain weight?

He actually doesn't appear to be underweight based on the pictures shown. I'd have to examine him to be sure, but the biggest indication that he is not underweight is the fact that he appears to have well-developed muscles. Dogs of this breed tend to be naturally lean and put more weight on their muscles rather than their ribs, or belly. If I was concerned that he was underweight, then I would first want to rule-out a disease, or parasite causing him to lose or not gain weight. It's best to have a veterinarian evaluate him, so you can ensure he's healthy and ensure that you are not going to feed him unnecessarily. Dog obesity is a big problem in the U.S., which means that the average person thinks a fat dog is at ideal weight; and a dog with an ideal body condition, or a lean body condition is thought to be starving. The truth is that the lean dogs are statistically healthier and live longer than overweight dogs. Some dogs (much like people) are able to naturally maintain a lean body condition. Leo is one of those dogs, but would urge you to have a veterinarian examine him to make that call. Below is a link to a body condition scoring guide. This is what veterinarians use when assessing whether a dog is overweight or underweight. We prefer them to be at a BCS of 4 or 5, but some are naturally at a 3. https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20dogs.pdf At this time, I recommend feeding him normally and would not recommend a diet change until he can be evaluated by a veterinarian. I hope that helps and all is well with Leo.

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.

I recommend googling Purina body condition scoring chart and determining if the the degree to which you can see and feel her ribs is consistent with the lower body condition scores. If so, increasing her daily food ration slightly and re-assessing her body condition score in 2-4 weeks is advised. Good luck!

From the pictures and weight you described he seems pretty healthy, however your vet can help you monitor Murphy's weight to make sure he isn't gaining too much or becoming overweight. Most vets will use a body condition score to determine if the weight is appropriate (around 3 on a scale of 5 or 5 on a scale of 9 is good). Many vets will also let you bring your pup in for weighing without charge so you can track his weight as he grows.

First you want to make sure that Teddy is parasite free as parasites will rob his body of nutrients. Secondly, some breeds are naturally thin at his age. When he goes in for his next veterinary visit, make sure to ask the doctor about his weight. Lastly, don’t be in a hurry to put weight on Teddy. Rapid changes in body condition are not good. Instead feed a high-quality, small breed puppy food. Brands like Royal Canin and Science Diet have additional calories in their small breed formula which is different than a normal puppy food. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for the question. The ideal weight for every dog is different, and unfortunately, obesity in pets is a big problem. We see so many overweight dogs that sometimes healthy dogs look too skinny! You should be able to lightly run your fingers across the body and feel Bubbs's ribs, but not be able to see them. He should have a waist when viewed from above, and his belly should be tucked up when viewed from the side. In your pictures I do not see any ribs, so he is definitely not underweight. I hope this helps.

He is quite thin in this picture. Poor guy. Bully is still a puppy and should be eating at least twice a day at this age, around 3-4 cups daily of a high quality puppy food like Hills Science diet, Wellness, Natural Balance, Evo, or Eukanuba. If after 1-3 months he still is not gaining weight, or if he has abnormal consistency to his stool at any point, then he needs to see your local vet to explore other possible causes to him being underweight besides malnutrition, such as intestinal parasites, an underlying malabsorption disorder or even exocrine pancreatic insufficiency just to name a few. Intestinal parasites is still a possibility if he has not have a proper fecal exam, because there are many parasite possibilities and not every dewormer will kill all the possible worms out there. I hope this helps and best wishes with getting Bully to a healthy weight soon. Take care.