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My puppy seems too skinny. How can I help her gain weight safely?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Golden Labrador | Female | unspayed | 1 month old | 6.92 lbs

How to help my puppy to gain weight ?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Kevin Sanada, DVM

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 15th, 2019

It's difficult to tell from the picture, but she doesn't look too skinny, or too small to me. It would take a physical exam to make this determination though. I would question the need for her to gain weight if she was otherwise healthy and not too small for her age. As long as Stella has received appropriate parasite treatment from your vet and is getting the right amount of food, she would be expected to grow well. This is all assuming that she doesn't have any other medical issue causing her not to grow well. Your vet can help make sure that is not the case.

You definitely don't want her to grow too much and too fast, because this can cause a few different bone and joint problems that can cause life-long problems. I recommend feeding her food labeled for puppies at the amount recommended on the back of the bag. This can be changed to adult dog food around 8 months of age. Make sure she also visits a vet regularly for deworming, vaccines and other preventative health care. With these simple tips, Stella should grow well and stay healthy.

I hope that helps and all is well with Stella.
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