How To Fatten Up A Malnourished Dog? 3 Healthy Food Strategies

Dogs are the most loyal pets of the world, they are willing to sacrifice their own life whenever the need arises; without any hesitation they help and save the person who has done a good deed with them.

If we get sick, our mother takes care of us and serves us with as many things as it would take us to get healthy.

To fatten up a malnourished dog, first make sure the dog is not sick and then check if their diet is of high quality and also their environment quality.

The same way if our Dog gets sick and is not eating well we should definitely do some measures on what to feed an underweight dog and what is the fastest way to put weight on a dog.

In this article we will have a complete guide on how to fatten up a malnourished dog,  if you think that why is my dog so skinny even though he eats?, what do you feed a malnourished dog?, how can I fatten up my skinny dog? Read this all in one article and get A-Z guide

Fatten Up A Malnourished Dog

Taking care of animals the same way as we take care of our human friends is one of the greatest blessings and bountiful feelings someone may be bestowed up with. We all wanted to be treated equally, so we should also treat the animals in the same way we expect others to treat us.

Malnourished Dog Symptoms – When is a dog malnourished?

Your dog will have the following symptoms if his weight has been constantly decreasing;

• Loss of appetite
• Mood swings
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Sleeplessness
• Restlessness
• anxiety
• Emotional instability

See these important symptoms if your dog is facing, and this will help you figure out fatten up a malnourished dog.

Emaciated Dogs vs Malnourished Dogs

Figure out causes of weight loss

First step is to see the factors which are causing your dog to shrink and look skinny and why his health is deteriorating; work out on finding out what is the root cause of this problem, is he having any serious issue, because it could be a psychological or emotional factor as well to fatten up a malnourished dog

Main Causes Of Weight Loss in Dogs

• Heartworms or Intestinal Worms
• Liver Disease
• Kidney Disease in Older Dogs
• Thyroid Problems in Dogs
• Cancer

Heartworms or Intestinal Worms

The heart and intestinal worms are the first contributing factors making your dog to get malnourished and look skinny and unhealthy, he will be really sick and may not be in the mood to eat much; it will cause him to get really stressed out, upsetting the tummy of your dog, this situation needs to be resolved with proper checkup.

Liver Disease

The food with high caffeine and other harmful chemicals in the dog food may cause liver disease, also if your dog is not eating from home and is eating from outside the house in the junk areas, this will be a serious problem, as the dog may be eating from outside and the food quality might be making him ill.

Kidney Disease in Aged Dogs

The kidney diseases are more common when the dogs are aging, it is very hard to see your dog getting older; but the harder thing would be to see him getting kidney diseases, the old dogs have poor immunity and thus, they are more exposed to the virulent and bacterial infections.

Thyroid Problems

The same hormone that controls the function of thyroid gland, (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is the main factor, if the concentration of this hormone increases, it causes Hyperthyroidism and hence the dog will be getting skinny, mae feel nauseated and other possible symptoms of weight loss.

Cancer

If the situation gets worsened, the cancer dogs can get the weight loss as the primary symptom, he will be getting the loss of appetite and hence the malnourishment of his body will weaken him and make him look skinnier.

Primary Things to Do if your Dog is not eating

1. Deworm the pet
2. Maintain dog food journal
3. Carefully change dog diet after Vet consultation
4. Take dog on healthy walks
5. Dog yoga
6. Make dog feel relaxed
7. Weight Gain = Calories In – Calories Out

Deworm the pet

Deworming the pet is an important event when you are trying to  fatten up a malnourished dog, your puppy requires extra care if he is wormed.

Follow these steps to Deworm and fatten up a malnourished dog;

1. Identify the worms
2. Show Worms the Way Out
3. Give him the required medicines
4. Prevention is first priority

Identify the worms

First step to succeed towards our goal which is fatten up a malnourished dog, we  should be first doing the identification of the worms that our dog is infected with. Generally the following types of worms causes the infection in a dog;

• Hookworms
• Tapeworms
• Heartworms
• Pinworms
• Roundworms

so , in order to get the treatment of your dog started, identify which type of worms are causing the infection, hence consult your vet, and he will perform a few tests on your dog, and you will get to know the worm type.

Show Worms the Way Out

Several methods are here to help us deworm and fatten up a malnourished dog, use the proper medication and meditation to get the worms out of the dog, which are causing the dog to get skinny and look ugly.

Give him the required medicines

Take him to the vet, and give him the required medicines such as antibiotics or other things crucial for getting him back to a healthy body and so that our goal to fatten up a malnourished dog is accomplished.

Prevention is first priority

After all these steps, if you really want to fatten up a malnourished dog,  always believe the quote, that is worth the words;

Prevention is better than cure

Maintain dog food journal

Always maintain the dog food journal, here is the list of WFJs approved list of Food that could be given to the dogs to fatten up a malnourished dog.

Carefully change dog diet after Vet consultation

If you’re going to change your dog’s diet, then it is highly recommended that you change the diet of your dog only after the consultation with your vet, because if you are changing your diet, it should contain all the essential nutrients that the dog requires to nourish their body.

Carbohydrate Diet for your Dog

The carbohydrate diet can be used in order to make your dog much healthier, we have generated a picture for depicting the carbohydrate diet pros.

Take dog on healthy walks

Walking is very essential for making the dogs look musculine and cute, it increases the metabolism of the dog’s Internal system and hence it may be contributing to developing a healthy appetite, and your dog will start eating more and hence will help your dog gain a significant amount of weight.

Benefits of Dog Walk

• Healthy metabolism
• Increased appetite
• Good immune system
• Aniti-oxidants increment

Dog yoga

Dog yoga was first implemented by the american world back in 2003, it is officially known as DOGA. The dog yoga is a technique used by the trainees of yoga to give the dogs an exercising environment and they help the Dogs do yoga in order to get fit in shape.

A healthy body has a healthy mind

Meditation is essential

In order to get the basic yoga or the DOGA, the dog needs to meditate. As humans need to meditate to get off all the worries and tensions, the pets also need the same comfort zone, so provide the animals the meditation zone and also do the meditation with them.

Make dog feel relaxed

Provide the dogs an environment in which they’ll feel much better and relaxed, they also need to release the stress and you can provide the relaxing time to them;

• Make them feel you are always around
• Feed them with care
• Show them affection
• Pat them
• Spend time with them
• Regularly get them check at vet
• Take them on walk

Weight Gain = Calories In – Calories Out

The basic formula to gain weight is that we should know this balance equation, in order to fatten up a malnourished dog feed him enough so that he is not burning more calories than he is burning.

Your dog needs to get a healthy diet to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we should be providing him with the basic and the nutrition full food.

Good Foods to gain weight of a Dog

• Chicken
• Rice
• carbohydrates
• Protein
• Fiber

How To Fatten Up A Malnourished Dog?

If your Dog is not eating much even if you are trying, then it is time you change the strategy to gain weight. We must develop more interest and try to identify what is the real problem which is irritating the dog and not letting the dog gain weight.

Food and Supplements

Food supplements are a great option, and they are also a very good source of energy for their body, we can use the foods and supplements for our dogs and the rich antioxidants in the vitamins in the diet are essential to fatten up a malnourished dog.

10 basic Supplements

1. Vitamin E
2. Fish Oil
3. Cod Liver Oil (Vitamins A and D)
4. Other Oils
5. Greens Blend (Kelp or Alfalfa)
6. Vitamin B
7. Zinc
8. Iodine
9. Copper
10. Vitamin D

These essential supplements must be provided to the dogs either through the food or through the medicines. They are very essential in making the immune system boost up and hence will create a stronger and healthier metabolism, this in turn will help the dog to get a very good appetite and he will eat more than he is burning.

Benefits of Supplements

They help in making the appetite good, the muscle growth is good

Neural function is good and memory becomes good

Natural Food only

What helps fatten up a dog?

If the supplements are out of your range, then it is time you switch on the natural foods, it is a very cheap and easy process. The only thing you need to buy is the natural foods that the dog requires for the healthy nourishment of his body and will get fattened up. The natural food has more antioxidants than the supplements and hence they are more effective than the supplements.

Food Only Strategies To Help Dog Gain Weight

Always remember that the food you give to your dogs are not only essential for your dog to gain weight, but also help them do the thing to get in shape. They will get nutrients and all the key minerals essentials to make them healthier and fatten up; so always make your strategy of ood choice the best in order to get the best results.

Add Puppy Food Rich In Protein For Malnourished Dog

For a healthy dog, it should get all the minerals for it’s healthy nourishment and you should give him all the things that are essential for him to grow healthier. Proteins are also very essential to get him the basic diet plan meal. So never forgot to give him the required proteins he needs to consume everyday. Add chicken, fish, turkey, venison, beef, and liver to the diet in order to fatten up a malnourished dog.

Give Your Dog Human Food

How to fatten up a malnourished dog with human food? Try giving him the human food and thus, it might help him gain weight and he might be getting a little more healthier and fit.

Human Food List

1. Carrots
2. Apples
3. Rice
4. Fish
5. Dairy products

Two Meals Everyday At Constant Time

It is very important for your dog to get at least 2 meals in a day, and try to be more specific and choose a time so that he can be adapted at a time to get food. This will help him get a regular biological clock of appetite.

High Calorie Dog Foods

These are the high calorie foods that should be tried so that you can overcome the weight loss of your dog and fatten up a malnourished dog.

Bully Max

High-Performance pet food is a non-prescription alternative that arrives in the kind of kibble. As its name implies, it’s made particularly for American Bullies. It’s excellent for those muscular giants. But, it may also be fed into other dog breeds provided that they’re busy.

Adirondack High Fat Puppy & Performance Recipe

• Slow cooked in the USA
• A complete and balanced meal
• Family-operated facility

Blue Buffalo BLUE Life Protection Formula

It is also a great option for the high calorie diet of your dog, you can give your dog this food and hence it will be giving your dog an energy boost and help him gain weight without any kind of side effects.

Always use these kinds of supplements with the consultation of your vet, and ask him to prescribe the most safe and well reputed food for your dog in order to get good results and get a healthy and cute dog full of weight and mass.

Food And Supplement Strategy To Help Dog Gain Weight

It is therefore very essential for your dog to get all the nutrients for gaining weight and have a healthy life, the supplements and food help your dog to gain weight. Let’s look out what type of supplements should be used.

Pill Supplements

Pills supplements can be given to dogs and are really helpful in gaining weight and making them look fat.

Major Pill Supplements for Dogs

1. Glucosamine
2. Fish oil
3. Probiotics
4. antioxidants

Liquid Supplements

Liquid supplements are a great option for your dog diet, add these supplements will make your dog feel more energy and fit

List of Liquid Supplements for Dogs

1. Liquid Hepato
2. Terra Max Pro Supplement
3. Omega-3 Fish Oil for Dog

Powdered Supplements

1. Vetoquinol Epakitin
2. Glandex Dog Fiber Supplement

Probiotic Supplements

1. Dog Multi-vitamin Glucosamine MSM
2. RICHDEL Powder
3. Super Snouts Powder
4. Nutri-Vet Probiotic supplement

Dog Exercise – Crucial To Fatten Up A Malnourished Dog

Always take your dog to a morning walk and make it his routine to do a walk, because it may be helping him to digest more and in turn he can eat more to gain weight more.

Monitor Progress In Dog Weight Gain Regularly

Now, as a good pet owner you need to examine al the progress made by your dog when he is gaining weight, make a table for him and use necessary markings and make notes on daily bases that what type of behavior your dog was showing today and what should be the next strategy to gain weight and fatten up a malnourished dog.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Rice help a dog gain weight?

White rice is really essential to let the dogs gain weight, so it would be a vey nice thing if you add white rice to your Dog’s meal.

Does oatmeal help dogs gain weight?

Ordinarily, you can nourish your puppy 1 tbsp of cooked oatmeal for each 20 pounds of the pounds . Do not provide your puppy a lot of oatmeal at the same time since it includes a great deal of carbs and is comparatively high in calories. Obtaining too much may also result in diarrhea, nausea, or bloat, which may be life threatening.

How long does it take for a malnourished dog to gain weight

There is no specific time for your dog to gain the weight, if your dog is making a speedy recovery then he can gain weight in 1-2 months and you can fatten up a malnourished dog.

What is the fastest way to put weight on a dog?

The fastest way to put weight on a dog is to give him all the necessary diets and the nutrients he is missing in his diet and follow up a regular meal plan and thus, it will give him a fast track push to gain weight.

Final Verdict – How To Fatten Up A Malnourished Dog

Loving your dog is a blessing and your dog needs your attention more than anything, making him follow the strict diet plan and helping him follow the meals you have selected for him is the right way to have a healthy dog.

Always have your dog checked by the vet at regular intervals, make him use of the home made and the organic human foods like the white rice and fish oil are very good for his health, also make diet plans and charts for him.

Even, if your dog is not gaining weight, then it is time to take him to the Vet hospital and provide him the essential and proper treatment he needs to overcome the malnourishment.

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️