Fattening up my puppy

Question
Dog's age:
Breed: Jack Russell X Foxi
Age: 11 months
How long since last vet visit (approximate is fine!): 1 month ago
Current Food Brand: Science Diet Dry food + fresh meat, tuna, and 'my dog' pouches.


Hi Tracie,

I have an 11 month old puppy by the name of Coco. She is just under 5kg and she's quite mini!

She is a very happy, and active little girl. She has a great appitite. No dramas there!

She is fully vaccinated along with yearly heart worm and 3 monthly intestinal worm protection. She is in good general health.

Although I can't put any bulk on her. She is very skinny. You can see her ribs. So she is very lean. Not crisis point skinny, but skinny enough for me to be starting to get a little bit worried.

In the morning she has about 1/2 a cup of science diet dry food.

At night she has almost 3/4 of science diet dry food with either fresh beef, or a little 'my dog' pouch, or tuna. (I swap them around, tuna one night, meat another night, 'my dog' another night ...)

Once a day she also has one Lucky Dog biscuit which she gets very excited about!

I have a 8 year old Jack Russell (Jimbo). She is half his size and is eating far more than him a day. I know she is a puppy and all, and that is common - although I just would like a bit of fat on her.

I took her off puppy food a while ago.

Any advise? How can I bulk her up?

Answer
Beccy,

I'm not sure which Science Diet you are feeding but they are typically lower in protein / fat than some of the premium brands. See if you can get EVO or Orijen in your area. They are both going to be more nutrient dense and should help your little gal :)

http://www.naturapet.com/where-to-buy/international.asp
http://www.championpetfoods.com/where-to-buy/

Best,

Tracie Fowler
www.TrianglePet.com

P.S. Tuna can be high in mercury so you may want to offer jack mackerel, salmon, or sardines instead but adding fresh foods to her meals is great!