My senior dog is too thin. Should I feed him raw food to gain weight?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Hershey is adorable! I think you can give it a try. A few pieces of advice, with raw meats we worry about bacteria and food poisoning. Also you have to be sure you balance the nutrients, especially the calcium/phosphorus ration. All commercial dog foods do this for you already. Anytime a client want to either home cook or start to feed raw I recommend they formulate their recipes through Balanceit.com. https://secure.balanceit.com/ I hope this helps!

Hello. Have you tried any canned, wet or soft-moist foods? Some dogs do seem to prefer this as they age. I would especially try the FreshPet diet as many pets really seem to like it. If he continues to refuse to eat, you should have Dash evaluated by your veterinarian as there could be an underlying reason for his refusal to eat. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Skyler. Great question! I recommend Royal Canin Small Adult 8+ dry dog food. This helps maintain a healthy weight, has small, highly palatable kibble, and enhanced palatability. I would feed this to her. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While this would be a good short term diet, this lacks some key nutrients, vitamins and minerals. For that reason, a more complete commercial diet such as any of the Purina Pro Plan or Science Diet foods would be more appropriate. Good luck!

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.

Provide food that is high in calories, like puppy food or a food that’s designed for active, athletic, or working dogs. Higher protein and fat pet foods are best. Underweight pets should be eating foods that are around 30% protein and 20% fat if they’re eating dry kibble; 7% protein and 5% fat (or higher) if you’re feeding a wet food. Intersperse your pet’s diet with small amounts of high-calorie supplemental canned food or canned products made of 100% meat sources. These will have a high protein and fat content, like 100% pheasant or bison, for example. They won’t say “complete and balanced” but rather “for intermittent or supplemental use” because they’re not meant to replace regular feeding. Some moist foods may be easier to digest, so your pet may retain more nutrients, and more importantly these products tend to be more palatable and tempting to a pet who isn’t eating enough. Any diet changes should be done gradually over a week's time as to not cause any GI upset. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Dogs can get thin as they get senior or geriatric. I recommend giving a good quality senior diet and you may try adding in another small meal during the day or before bed. Giving additional healthy dog treats will increase the calories he’s eating to prevent continued weight loss. If he starts not eating well, or the weight loss continues I do recommend a veterinary exam and tests to determine the reason so you can start any treatment if needed before he gets too debilitated. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Oban.