# my newly adopted dog is skinny, feel ribs



## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

hes pretty skinny but abnormally strong still, his muscles pop out alot, i was wondering if what i am feeding him will help put weight on him. im weaning him off of science diet adult dog food onto alpo dog food. hes 56 lbs and willingly eats, but he was recently nuetered so i think im supose to lay off on the feeding a little bit? any recommendations, maybe feed him puppy food or something? it seems like most dogs from shelters are pretty skinny.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

You should be able to feel and see a little rib on an APBT....from his pictures he looks just fine to me


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## skelaki (Nov 9, 2006)

He's a good weight as he is. Don't forget that American/Canadian dogs (and probably others) tend to be overweight these days.

One thing. If you can afford to feed a better quality diet than Science Diet or Alpo, I would suggest that you seriously consider doing so. If you go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ you can see how various foods compare to each other based on ratings of a high of 6 to a low of 1 star.


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## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

im going to start thinking how much i can afford to spend on dog food, i would like to spend the least i need to, but i dont really want to sacrifice quality, as long as it keeps him healthy and helps put some weight on him, its fine for me. BUT this dog IS showing ribs and i can also feel his spine, i can easily feel his ribs when i touch, every one of them. i think i would like to put like 5lbs on him at least to cover it up a bit.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

do you have a picture from the side?.....how much does he weigh?...what did your vet have to say regarding his weight?

of course he is your dog so you should do what you are comfortable w/but being overweight is just as bad as being underweight health wise


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## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

i havnt taken him to MY vet yet, but the animal service vet didnt really say anything about his weight. i read his papers and it says he weighs 56lbs


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

I'm sorry if I missed it but how old is he?.....just keep in mind that 5lbs on a dog is not the same as 5lbs on a human....I wouldn't try for an exact weight goal....I would just eyeball him till you feel he looks more fit.....I would also wait till you have spoken to your vet regarding his weight.. a good vet should be able to tell you if he is too skinny...


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

When you bring a new pup or dog in the home it's always good to get a well check at the *your* vet ASAP usually within 3 days. Make a list of questions you might have and go everything at the vet visit. I would also take in a fecal sample so they can test for parasites. 

Good luck with your new dog and keep us updated as to what the vet has to say.


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## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

heres a pic from the side to show how skinny he is.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

Yeah you're right, I have to agree a tad bit thin.  I would slowly increase the amount of his daily food until the ribs barely show. JMHO


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## sizzledog (Nov 23, 2008)

> Don't forget that American/Canadian dogs (and probably others) tend to be overweight these days.


IMO, what country a dog lives in does not dictate how overweight they are, or tend to be. I think many American dogs are in very good shape.

As for the dog in question... he is a bit thin, but IMO the best way to put on weight is to just feed a high quality food (maybe a little more than you'd normally feed, but not much) and he'll get there on his own.


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## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

my aunt told me to feed him canned food like 1once or 2wice a week, she said that fattened her cat up.


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

if your feeding kibble, I would just make sure its a good quality kibble and just add a little extra till you see the desired results.

He looks a little on the thin side but not horribly so...no hip bones....I would *not* recommend putting 5lbs on him ..may be 1 or 2lbs...just eyeball it ....


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Alpo is pretty junky....I'm not sure a dog food could be any lower quality than that. Try Purina Dog Chow---it's lot better than Alpo, and costs about the same. Purina ONE would be even better. You can supplement with raw ground beef (the cheap 73%/27% kind, not lean) to help put on weight faster.


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## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

isnt alpo, dog chow, and ONE all made by purina? is there really a difference. i can definately feed purina one if thats any better. but i have to feed this whole bag of alpo first though, dont wanna waste any money.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Actually, I can't figure out if Alpo is made by Purina or not, LOL.....one source said "Alpo by Friskies" and the other said "Alpo by Purina". But all companies ahve their low-end foods and their higher-end foods, and Alpo is lower-quality than the Dog Chow and Purina ONE. Alpo has lower-quality protein sources, and contains BHA, which is a known carcinogen. Dog Chow has a slightly better protein source, and no BHA/BHT. Purina ONE has meat as the first ingredient. 

I don't know which Alpo formula you have.....Grravy, Come 'n' Get It, or Prime Cuts. Here's the main ingredients of Prime Cuts: Ground Yellow Corn, Beef And Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Beef Tallow Preserved With BHA
Come 'n' Get It: Ground yellow corn, beef and bone meal , corn germ meal, soybean meal, animal fat preserved with BHA
(can't find the ingredients of Grravy)
Dog Chow: Whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E)
Purina ONE: Chicken, brewers rice, whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, whole grain wheat, beef tallow preserved with mixed tocopherols 

None of these foods are really high-end, but all the dogs I know who eat Dog Chow or ONE are doing great. Those eating other Purina formulas foods (Beneful, Moist 'n' Meaty, etc.) ....well, not so great.

If you have a source for Diamond Naturals, that's a pretty good food, and not too expensive. If you have a CostCo membership, their store brand is the same as Diamond Naturals. If you have a Sam's Club membership, their Exceed brand is pretty good. Maxximum (at Wal-Mart) is decent, too.


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## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

whats wrong with moist and meaty? i know the 1st ingrediant is beef. and also moist n meaty cost a bit more too.


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

trickaboo said:


> whats wrong with moist and meaty? i know the 1st ingrediant is beef. and also moist n meaty cost a bit more too.


Here's the ingredients, see for yourself.

http://www.purina.com/products/MoistMeaty2.aspx

As previously suggested, I would go with a higher quality of food. I feed Innova or Wellness brands. 

Check out this site for top quality food.
www.dogaware.com


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## trickaboo (Nov 12, 2008)

thats just what i thought, beef. so whats wrong about it?


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

trickaboo said:


> whats wrong with moist and meaty? i know the 1st ingrediant is beef. and also moist n meaty cost a bit more too.


and the 2nd is high fructose corn syrup..which is junk.

there are a ton of threads on dog food....it just depends on what you want or can afford to spend....


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## Patt (Feb 12, 2008)

I don't find any of this good for dogs..... high fructose corn syrup, soybean grits, soybean flour, wheat flour, corn syrup, but that's JMO


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## BluePit (Dec 18, 2008)

He's thin, my ABPT is no where close to that skinny. First get off Alpho and on to a better food (Evo, Orijen, Artemis, Wellness, etc). Increase his food intake. If the dog doesn't show signs of fattening up and eats well, He might have a parasite or a disease that's causing it. Then it's time for a vet check.


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

Ah a picture, I posted on your thread is this something to worry about in the general section but it will probably get buried. 

Your dog is a little thin, but not that far off for what the breed should be. He would look better with a bit of fat cover on his ribs. I mentioned in the other thread to switch to a better food since you said he wasn't eating all of it. A better food with higher caloric value/digestibility (like Evo) he will need to eat less. Just be very careful not to over feed either, he only needs to put on a little weight and being overweight isn't healthy either. Leans dog live longer then those which are heavier. You want him to stay lean and muscular and he seems to already have some good tone, just put a little fat on him. Do you have a pick of him standing from the side similar to a stacked shot.

Here are the photos I posted in the other thread. 

Overweight first










Close to appropriate weight. She was obese when I had her back in May, no waste, lots of chubby fat, in June she looked better and this was from last month when she was here. Just needs more excercise to burn the extra fat/build muscle.









Good weights


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)




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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

BluePit said:


> He's thin, my ABPT is no where close to that skinny. First get off Alpho and on to a better food (Evo, Orijen, Artemis, Wellness, etc). Increase his food intake. If the dog doesn't show signs of fattening up and eats well, He might have a parasite or a disease that's causing it. Then it's time for a vet check.


Hi blue, do you have a picture of you pit bull?


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## jcw1503 (Nov 17, 2008)

pugmom said:


> and the 2nd is high fructose corn syrup..which is junk.
> 
> there are a ton of threads on dog food....it just depends on what you want or can afford to spend....


But high fructose corn syrup is made from corn, is as nutrional as sugar , and is fine in moderations....JK....i had to, just saw the commercial a little bit ago!!!! you are right!!!


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## pugmom (Sep 10, 2008)

jcw1503 said:


> But high fructose corn syrup is made from corn, is as nutrional as sugar , and is fine in moderations....JK....i had to, just saw the commercial a little bit ago!!!! you are right!!!



got to love PR spin LOL


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

jcw1503 said:


> But high fructose corn syrup is made from corn, is as nutrional as sugar , and is fine in moderations....JK....i had to, just saw the commercial a little bit ago!!!! you are right!!!


Got to love those commercials. They do crack me up. I don't care if it is just like sugar, that'd be the whole point, I don't want to go around eating a bunch of sugar right? So I didn't get the commercial.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

All the dogs I know who eat Moist 'n' Meaty are either morbidly obese (if I ate that much sugar, I would be too) with bad coats, or scrawny and nervous (sugar buzz) with bad coats. So I know it can't be good, even without looking at the ingredients. But, after looking at the ingredients, I know for a fact that dogs do not need to be eating sugar every day for their entire lives. That's just baiting diabetes.

Beneful seems to have similar main ingredients to Dog Chow: Ground yellow corn, chicken-by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols
But every dog I know who eats Beneful is also not doing well. I don't know why; maybe they use a different vitamin package.


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## Bearjing (Oct 24, 2008)

I think the idea w/ "Just like sugar" is to make people who dislike the processed aspect of corn syrup feel better about it. 

I don't feed my dogs (??!!), or myself, lots of sugar. The idea that being like sugar = good seems really weird to me too.


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