food to help build up a dog

Question
We recently got a rescue dog who is under weight. He weighs about 12lbs and the vet said he should be about 18/20lbs.
What dry dog food would you suggest that we use? He's about a year old. The vet suggested he needed a high energy level, nutritious adult dog food, although he suggested science diet or eukanuba, which I have read aren't that good.
Many thanks

Answer
Good for you for taking in a rescue and for realizing that SD and Eukanuba are not good dog foods. Go to your local pet store and choose a premium food that has no by products, no wheat, no soy no corn, no bha or bht. A high energy food or puppy food will put weight on your baby more quickly than a maintenance food. You can switch to a maintence diet later. Peanut butter sandwhiches are a great way of putting weight on a dog as are healthy snacks and treats stuffed inside toys. I like Royal Canine. Flint River, Wellness, Natural Balance and Eagle Pack to name a few. They seem pricey but you will soon find that by feeding less filler (corn soy etc you will have less waste and in the end less expense. Sort of like the difference between feeding meat shaped and flavored saw dust versus real meat :)
Good luck with your new baby
Cindi