My neutered senior dog gained weight. Is this normal? How to help?

Hello. Laboo is a beautiful dog, gorgeous coat, eyes & head. It is not unusual for a neutered dog to gain weight as they age, & Labrador Retrievers can be especially prone to obesity. Just like in people, the key is to limit calories & get more exercise. Evaluate what & how much you are feeding him & maybe work in a little more play time during the day & try to at least keep him from putting too much additional weight on. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If you have been having difficulty in getting his weight down, it certainly could be from a disease such as hypothyroidism. If you have not had a veterinarian examine him and test his thyroid level, I would suggest doing so to rule this out as a cause. If his thyroid level is normal then you may want to enquire about Hills Metabolic Diet. The vet would need to provide you with a prescription for this food as well. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Most pets lose weight for an underlying reason that should be found out and treated for directly. In puppies that reason is often intestinal parasites, so I would suggest starting with a proper fecal exam through your vet. Most pets, even unneutered males, will still eat an appropriate amount of food, regardless of hormonal influence. At this weight, he should be eating around 2.5- 3 cups daily, and he should still be eating puppy food which is high in calories and ensures proper weight gain in an of itself. Some good food brands to consider for picky eaters are: Royal canin, Eukanuba, Victor, or Fromm. You just have to find a brand he likes. Appetite stimulants are only necessary for sick pets, and also arent' guaranteed to work on pets, especially ones that are just being picky. You can also try adding in canned wet food to see if that encourages him to eat better. : ) Post neuter, he should have limited activity for 10-14 days, wear an e-collar during his recovery to discourage licking of the incision site, keep the incision clean and dry, and close monitoring of the incision site for any discharge or opening of the incision. If you do feel that Leo is ill, then its best to get him seen by your veterinarian right away for proper care. However, most Siberian Husky breeds are on the leaner side, so it is very possible he is of proper weight already, check with your vet who can do a proper physical exam and determine this for you. Best of luck with your puppy Leo moving forward. Best wishes and take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the pictures Jack doesn't look skinny, but if they are trying to make him gain weight and he isn't, I recommend taking him to a vet to rule out medical problems. Some possibilities are intestinal parasites, pancreatic problems, intestinal problems, and organ problems to name a few. Also, he may be on an inadequate diet. Once a vet performs a physical exam, they can discuss the testing recommendations. Good luck and kisses to Jack!

First of all, you should get Zorro checked by your regular vet, as he has lost a lot of weight. Weight loss could be due to liver or kidney disease but it is also commonly seen in diabetes, hormonal disfunction or even tumors. Zorro should have a blood and urine test done first (and possibly abdominal scan and chest x-ray), and if the results are negative, you can think to increase the calories intake. Giving food for young, active/working dogs is one of the option. But if Zorro, for example suffers from diabetes, he will continue losing weight regardless what he is feed until the diabetes gets under control.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! His recent weight gain is likely unrelated to his intact status. It may be a good idea to contact your veterinarian who knows him and can tell you how many calories he should be eating daily based on his weight to avoid further weight gain. You can also consider a weight loss diet such as Hill's metabolic diet. That diet you can get at your veterinarian's office. Good luck!