best food to put on weight

Hi,
My lad needs to put on weight, he is very active and seems to have lost weight while I was out of the country for 6 weeks.

Which food is the best to put weight back on?
He eats everything and usually has red mills leader at home.
Thanks

cocker5

bubblypop wrote: »

Hi,
My lad needs to put on weight, he is very active and seems to have lost weight while I was out of the country for 6 weeks.

Which food is the best to put weight back on?
He eats everything and usually has red mills leader at home.
Thanks

I would move him onto a higher quality dogs food firstly, try Burns or Taste of the Wild (I buy mine on www.zooplus.ie )
The higher the quality of food the better nutrients for your dog this will help him thrive… if you’re not keen on the brands above im sure other posters can make some suggestions

Secondly add some additional food to his dried food:

1. A tin of sardines in oil (once per week, great for his joints and his coat too) I’ve started using a large tin of red Salmon (all mushed up) with boiled broccoli and he goes mad for it
2. Some boiled chicken, carrots (any veg really) to bulk up his dried food
3. A raw whisked egg into his food this will give him extra protein
4. You could add some boiled pasta with chicken to also help bulk him up.
5. Add salmon oil into his dried food daily (again great for his joints, coat and general well-being)

Best of luck

lorebringer

There are foods designed specifically for dogs that are active/find it hard to keep wieght on - this would be the easiest option for getting weight back onto your dog. Most pet stores stock these foods as most larger brands have their own version (usually called something like "active" or "sensible" or similar). Just make sure it is a good brand - don't go for the cheaper stuff because with dog food, you tend to get what you pay for.

Another way is adding calories to the current diet - carbs and protein are the way to go with this. Go for rice or potatoes, and some meat left overs, eggs etc. Veg (not root veg) contains too much fibre (think green veg) which will bulk out the food without adding calories. Adding fats can cause what comes out the other end to be a bit sloppy, but a little (little!) fat off of meat/animal fat won't hurt.

tk123

Tripe!!! ....if you can handle the stench that is!

Knine

tk123 wrote: »

Tripe!!! ....if you can handle the stench that is!

Yep tripe works very well. Also more carbohydrate such as pasta if they tolerate it.

Burns food is actually not great at keeping on weight. Its not about higher quality. Its about adding more calories then they are using up. Red Mills Leader range is actually a decent food.

SingItOut

How old is your dog OP? Putting him on a high quality puppy food will help put on weight as there is more protein and fats in puppy food. Burns is a fantastic food but it won't help with weight gain, if you want to keep him on red mills then try him on the leader puppy. Red mills has a really high protein level in general anyways. Red mills leader is a fantastic food.

I'd also go with the pasta and sardines as cocker5 suggested, my dogs go crazy for them!

tk123

OP have you tried just increasing his food? The amounts on the pack are guidelines but every dog is different. You could even give an extra meal if you're worried about him digesting 2 bigger meals?

Nody

SingItOut wrote: »

How old is your dog OP? Putting him on a high quality puppy food will help put on weight as there is more protein and fats in puppy food. Burns is a fantastic food but it won't help with weight gain, if you want to keep him on red mills then try him on the leader puppy. Red mills has a really high protein level in general anyways. Red mills leader is a fantastic food.

I'd also go with the pasta and sardines as cocker5 suggested, my dogs go crazy for them!

Sorry but it's 20%; that's below average (RC breed feeds run up to 30%, Markus Muhle run 25%, Taste of the Wild over 33% etc.).

Knine

I found the Markus Muhle not great to be honest. I would not buy it again.

SingItOut

Nody wrote: »

Sorry but it's 20%; that's below average (RC breed feeds run up to 30%, Markus Muhle run 25%, Taste of the Wild over 33% etc.).

I was Speaking about red mills puppy food, it has 32% protein, not 20%. I have not fed taste of the wild or Markus muehle so I can't comment. I have fed Royal Canin in the past and since they changed their ingredients the quality has gone way down and I would definitely not feed it again.

He is actually nearly 6.
He is an active springer spaniel and he eats everything!

He gets a huge bowl of food in the morning, if he is alone for few hours he is left with treats, Kong, chews etc.
Then in the evening he gets whatever is leftover from dinner.

I'm back about 2 months but honestly just think it was the 6 weeks I was away, he clearly wasn't getting what he was used to.
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll up his food to twice a day and put him on a higher protein one for a while.

SingItOut

It could also be down to him missing you, my dogs don't eat when I am away (one of them is springer crossbreed). Feeding him later in the evening may help due to him not being as active after meals. Best of luck with him Bubblypop

snowy two

I feed my dogs pedro gold i find it a great food for putting weight on. Only problem with mine is watching they dont get too heavy.

andreac

To be honest, Pedro gold is not a good quality food and I wouldn't recommend feeding it. If you look at the ingredients you will see it's made up of mainly cheap fillers and not good quality meat.