Weight Gain

Question
QUESTION: I have a male Toy Poodle that is a very active dog, by active I mean he LOVES to play fetch and will play for hours. He is very thin, I have taken him to the vet in my and they said he is a little skinner then they would like to see and mix in some puppy food because he is just barley over a year old. I have done this and he is not gaining any weight, my other dog is. I keep the food down all the time just try and get him to gain weight.I have also tried moist dog food that is a not something that his body can handle. What else can I do?

ANSWER: Karyn-

Well, the big question here is what brand of food are you feeding him? Some foods just don't have enough protein and nutrients in them to help a dog even out his weight. If the food you are feeding is made mostly with corn, wheat and other inferior grains, he may just not be getting enough nutrients to fill out all the way.

if you submit a follow up question and can give me a little more information about his diet, I might be able to help more! :)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am feeding both of my dogs IAM's Puppy and Small Toy Mini Chunks.

Answer
IAMS main ingredient is ground corn meal. While Chicken is listed as the primary ingredient on the bag, it is whole chicken and not chicken meal, so when you remove the water from the chicken during the rendering process, you end up with about 20% real meat out of the amount they have listed.

Meaning that there is really not much chicken in that dog food, the primary ingredient is the second ingredient listed, ground corn meal.

Corn meal is an inferior grain, difficult to digest and offering no real benefits. It is also a common allergy. The third ingredient, chicken byproducts, is just a term for "left over gunk from a chicken carcass". In other words, its rendered eyes, beaks, feet, eggs, feathers and other things that are deemed not fit for human consumption. again, really not a lot of nutrients there.

My plan for you would be to switch your puppies to a higher quality food. Canidae, Blue wilderness, wellness CORE, Innova EVO, etc. Anything with a good amount of protein and fat, and preferably no grains, or if you must have grains, only superior grains like white or brown rice. No wheat, no corn, no gluten. The first four ingredients should be named meats- not by products.

I think you may find that will solve your problem, and other problems you may not even realize your dogs had!