My puppy isn't gaining weight and has a dull coat. What helps?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I have several thoughts for you regarding Cooper. 1) He's simply hungry. Puppies, just like human children, do not all eat the same and do go through growth spurts. If he is underweight (per a veterinarian), increase the total amount by ~25%. If he is an appropriate weight, but seems to have "stalled out" in the growth department, give it time - again, sometimes weight gain comes in spurts. Your vet can actually calculate a daily calorie goal for Cooper based on his current weight and body condition score if you'd like a more specific recommendation. 2) He has an underlying problem. Liver shunt, heart defect, pancreas problem, or other issues can cause a "failure to thrive" or "runty" puppy. If he truly isn't gaining weight or is underweight despite a good appetite and plenty of food, it's time to talk to your vet about bloodwork and other testing to figure out if there is a problem. 3) He has worms. Worms do not shed eggs 24/7 and it is technically possible to have a "negative" fecal float and still have worms. If he had enough worms to cause problems gaining weight, it is doubtful the float would be negative but still, talk to your vet about a dewormer - just in case. It is much cheaper and easier than all the other testing so you'd hate to miss such a simple fix. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Cooper!

German Shepherds are lanky dogs, especially when they are puppies. Make sure you are feeding him enough and that he is dewormed regularly. If Boe is still abnormaly thin as an adult, then I would worry about something else going on. I would recommend to feed the Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy Formula. This is a nice diet with the right calories for a growing puppy. Please post again if you have any further questions!

First, I would make sure you feed Dio a puppy food, not an adult food. Second, make sure you are feeding him enough cups of food. Third, make sure to feed a high quality large breed puppy food. A grain free brand like Merrick or Wellness or Taste of the Wild would be great. Even Science Diet Large Breed puppy would be ok. Last, make sure your puppy has had a fecal test run to make sure he doesn’t have worms. A monthly heartworm prevention, like Heartgard or Interceptor, treats parasites too. If your dog is still not gaining, they may need further testing or work up. In addition, adding a probiotic may help as well. I like Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes and Probiotics.

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!

Have him examined by a veterinarian. A stool sample should be rechecked for intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Puppies typically require multiple deworming to clear parasites. Malabsorption or maldigestion issues should also be ruled out. Review the vaccination history with the veterinarian to confirm Brownie is adequately protected against illness.

Puppies tend to go through a lanky phase especially if they're a taller breed. Typically they will grow taller before they start to fill out and grow muscle mass. It sounds like your kid is still young and otherwise very happy, so I would give it some time if she was dewormed appropriately. If you're feeding once a day it might be best to consider twice a day feeding as well, like 2 cups twice a day instead of 3 cups once a day. It's very hard to overfeed puppies as they are actively growing. So if you feel like she is not gaining weight appropriately you can try adding an additional 1/2 cup at a time and reassessing in a week or two. Also most veterinary clinics will be fine with you bringing your pet in just to use the scale, just call ahead to ask. This would be a good way for you to know about weight gain. I hope this helps and thank you for using pet coach!

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.