How to care for a neutered dog & help a picky eater gain weight?

You can try any food that mentions weight loss. Most of them will simply instruct you to feed less food than you are currently feeding, so another option is to simply decrease his current food intake. If he gets 2 cups a day, then start with 1.5 cups per day for a month and see what weight loss occurs. If you don't see results with that plan, discuss a prescription weight loss food with your vet. They are higher in fiber to keep dogs full while still decreasing caloric intake.

He may still be a bit groggy or nauseous from anesthesia yesterday or he may be a bit painful still. If he doesn't have pain medication, contact your vet and ask the something be dispensed. Mix in some warm water or a teaspoon of baby food with his food to stimulate his appetite. You can also offer a bland diet of plain white rice mixed in equal parts with boiled boneless/skinless chicken breasts. Once he begins eating, transition him slowly to his regular diet. Make sure he has water or some unflavored PediaLyte to drink to prevent dehydration. This should pass in the next 24 hours. Monitor for lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain. If Odin doesn't begin eating in the next 24-36 hours, have him examined by your veterinarian.

Congratulations on getting Price to lose 5 pounds! That is certainly an accomplishment. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to determine an accurate weight from a picture, but I suspect that Prince has a little more weight to lose. I am attaching a couple of links below that may be helpful for you to determine his Body Condition Score. https://petobesityprevention.org/pet-weight-check/ https://www.petcoach.co/healthy-weight-calculator/ Having a dog neutered does not change their appearance, but it can decrease their metabolism, so they need less calories, Since Prince has been stuck at 24 pounds for the last few months, I would recommend decreasing his food slightly from 1/2 cup to a heaping 1/3 cup twice daily. The general goal with weight loss is to decrease the total calories by 10-20%, so hopefully that little change will be enough to get Prince to his goal weight. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

He will be just as active as before the castration. You just have to watch his weight as he does not need as much food any more (being an entire boy takes more calories). He will be just as happy as he is now and just as lively. Just feed him less than you have been feeding now. If he gains weight, reduce his feed further, and if he loses weight, feed a little more, until you have found the correct amount to keep him at his present 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.

The pining for females and going on a search for females takes a lot of energy and many male dogs stop eating during that time. Having him neutered will stop this and also keeping him inside and feeding him good quality food may make him gain weight again. However, having him neutered will be best to avoid him getting skinny.

Hello. An increase in eating is not usually associated with neutering, but weight gain due to less activity is. Kovu is very young to have any of the conditions associated with an increased appetite such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism, but it might be a good idea to have this checked just to be sure. If Kovu continues to eat this way, he could become obese & could develop diabetes, so you do want to get on top of this as early as possible. See your vet to make sure there is no underlying conditions leading to his hunger. Otherwise, he may actually need a higher calorie food. Calories in cat food, both dry & wet, can be very variable in their calorie counts. Kovu might eat less of a more nutritionally dense food, so check your labels. If he just as demanding after a few weeks on a higher calorie food, you may need to actually switch him to a "light diet" where he will get more fillers & less calories. It is best to work with your vet, or ask for a referral to a veterinary nutritionist at https://www.acvn.org/ for further information. Thanks for using PetCoach.