My dog is too thin. How often should I feed him daily?

It really depends on how she looks. If you can see her ribs than she is too thin and you should feed her more food. You could either increase the amount twice a day or add in a feeding and feed her three times a day. If you are unsure than have your vet take a look at her.

If her ribs are really sticking out and there is no fat or muscle, then see your vet. There could be a medical cause for her condition. If your vet clears her, increase the amount of food offered until she is at an appropriate weight. Ask your vet how to perform a Body Condition Score (BCS) on your dog using the 9 point scale. Ideally, she should have a waist when looked at from above. Her ribs should be seen and easily felt under a layer of fat/muscle. From the side, her chest should tuck up into her abdomen.

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.

Brandon could be thin due to parasites, liver disease or a naturally high metabolism. I would recommend to make sure his blood levels are normal and his intestines clear of worms. Being able to see the last rib is actually normal, if you can see more than that, Brandon is too thin. If all signs point to a high metabolism, neutering him can help as well as feeding a high calorie, small breed formula. Pet food labels will contain the calorie amounts. It is listed as a Kcal. Please post again if you have any further questions!

Giving Blue handfuls of food may not be giving him enough food. I would read the daily requirements of food on his food bag label and divide it into two equal portions. Intestinal worms can cause a dog to be very hungry and skinny, so I would have him seen by a vet to check to see if he does have intestinal worms. The vet can give him a deworming treatment if he does.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Smokey. The average American dog is quite overweight. So if you have one at a healthy weight, it will usually look too thin. You want a thin covering over the ribs when you run your hands along his sides. He should have a waist the curves in from the top and size views. There is a one through nine scale of body condition scores. A healthy weight is a four or five. Every dog food contains a different amount of calories per cup. At six months of age, he should still eat puppy food. Look at the side of the food bag for feeding recommendations. Keep in mind, these are typically too high for most dogs. His weight looks great in your picture, but it obviously hard to tell for sure. Your current feeding amount is likely adequate. I hope this information helps! https://www.justrightpetfood.com/blog/dog-body-condition-score

It may not be that your dog is too skinny, you should be able to feel the ribs when you touch a dog's stomach. If you can't, that means they have too much fat in that area. I'd take him into a vet to be checked out to be sure he's a good weight. Best of luck.