Fat supplement?

CoverTune · 11-08-2009, 07:39 PM

The dehydrated food my dogs are on is only a 16% fat, which is great for Corona, but Aria is skinny.. she's still very young, so I'm sure she'll fill out eventually, but she's also high energy and I really think she needs more "meat on her bones".

Aria gets twice as much food as Corona, but if I increase it any more, she'll just start pooping a lot more. Is there anything I can add to her meals to help her put on a little weight?

Pai · 11-08-2009, 07:46 PM

Maybe chicken with the skin left on? That would be a very digestible meat + you get some extra fat from the skin.

Wlfdg · 11-08-2009, 08:00 PM

No offense intended but-
Why do you feel "she needs more meat on her bones"? Maybe she is just lean? That's healthy.

CoverTune · 11-08-2009, 08:20 PM

She's not lean.. her spine sticks out and her hips and shoulders are just covered by skin. She's skinny.

Wlfdg · 11-08-2009, 08:49 PM

Well then chicken skins, beef suet or pork fat would probably be best. Pastured, free range or grass fed would be healthiest.

trumpetjock · 11-08-2009, 09:05 PM

I wouldn't recommend adding straight fat to her diet just to put weight on her. Feed a larger amount of her already balanced diet. Yes, she will poop more, but if you overbalance fat, her stool will become greasy and loose and she will more than likely have some really bad gas.

Think about it. If you were truly too skinny, like anorexic skinny.... would you doctor tell you to fix this by putting dabs of bacon fat on your food? No. He'd recommend increasing your calorie amount without overbalancing anything.

"Her poop will be bigger" is not an excuse for using fat instead of clean calories to up a dogs weight.

CoverTune · 11-08-2009, 09:28 PM

Hm.. just seems strange to me to feed more when the outcome will be more waste and a high level of undigested food, is that really going to help much?

She was getting 22% fat on her kibble, so I just thought adding a little fat to her diet wouldn't hurt.

trumpetjock · 11-08-2009, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoverTune

Hm.. just seems strange to me to feed more when the outcome will be more waste and a high level of undigested food, is that really going to help much?

She was getting 22% fat on her kibble, so I just thought adding a little fat to her diet wouldn't hurt.

The digestive system doesn't quite work the way you think it does, I think. Just because your dog poops more when you feed it more doesn't mean that the extra food is wasted.

Now, if she won't eat all of the kibble, you have a different problem and may very well have to add some supplemental calories. If she is willing to eat the extra you give her, though, go that route.

RedyreRottweilers · 11-08-2009, 09:39 PM

Very few dogs can maintain body weight and condition on a diet that is 16% fat. I feed about 30%.

Easy ways to add it include whole eggs, raw, or cooked, and high fat hamburger.

Wlfdg · 11-08-2009, 10:10 PM

CoverTune, What kind of food are you feeding? How much filler/empty calories is in it?

Nutritional density makes a big difference.

Michiyo-Fir · 11-08-2009, 10:42 PM

Hmm..16% is really not little for a dog food!

Even Orijen is only 16% and it's supposed to be a really rich food. EVO has a bit more but I think it has too much fat for a lot of dogs.

Most dog foods that aren't high protein or performance formulas are only 12-14% protein!

You could try to give some chicken with skin or fatty parts of beef I guess but to me Aria doesn't look thin!

We thought Popcorn looked kind of thin at that age but the vet said he's at a perfect weight.

He actually looks thinner than that(when wet), he's a long haired Chi so some of it is just hair.

CoverTune · 11-08-2009, 11:06 PM

This is the food she's on: NRG Vitality (Was on the Maxim formula, which I prefer, but the store was out last time I went). I need something fairly low in protein for Corona.

Again, when I was feeding her more, she was pooping about 6-8 times a day, which just seems like way too much to me. When I posted about the girls pooping so much (and having a lot of undigested food in the waste), I was told that I was feeding too much.. hence my confusion.

Michiyo-Fir · 11-08-2009, 11:09 PM

some dogs just stay thin. They can eat a lot but it doesn't mean they will use it up.

I guess unless the vet tells you that Aria is underweight or needs to put on more weight, I wouldn't worry about it. Besides 6 months olds have thinner bone structure than say a 2 year old dog so they tend to stay a lot thinner. They also haven't developed as much muscles yet so it seems pretty normal to me.

Does Aria lose weight if you fed say a bit more than 1/4 cup? And how's her poop if you fed that much?

CoverTune · 11-08-2009, 11:09 PM

Oops.. meant to say thanks for the feedback! Maybe I can just try adding some chicken and/or beef to her diet to increase calories.