Underweight Dogs: The Causes and Ways to Treat It

Every breed of dog has its ideal weight. For instance, my dog is a Maltese and Maltese dogs generally run between six and eight pounds. My dog Buddy, however, is about ten pounds. He is not fat and is in great shape. Sometimes, dogs can be a little bigger or smaller than the average. However, if dogs are several pounds below their ideal weight (ten to twenty pounds), then they are underweight.

It is usually easy for one to see if a dog is underweight. When we humans are underweight, you can usually see our ribs, our legs and arms are too thin, and there is very little fat on our bones. They same case goes for dogs. There are three areas where an owner can examine their dogs to see if they may be underweight. These areas are the tail, the abdomen, and the ribs. A dog with an ideal weight has ribs that you can still feel, but there is some fat still on them. This is exactly how my dog is. The base of the tail is somewhat thickened, but not too thick and not too bony. The base of the tail should be smooth. The abdomen has to have some thickness to it, but not too much. The abdomen should be tucked and should not have an hourglass shape to it. Also, if your dog is young and usually healthy and has slowed down a lot in a short period of time, he/she may not be getting enough food. Also, the legs will have very little fat on them if they are underweight. If a dog is underweight for too long, they will not have a lot of energy. Dogs who are underweight for a long period of time may suffer health problems such as heart problems, stomach problems, and hair loss.

A dog can become underweight for many reasons. One reason may be that the dog is not getting enough nutrients from its food. If this is the case, try switching to a premium dog food. Our dog has eaten Iams his whole life and his weight has been steady for years. Science Diet is another great option and is recommended and used in many animal hospitals. Even the animal hospital we take our dog to has Science Diet.

There are cases in which a dog may be eating a lot of premium dog food but does not gain or even loses weight. If this is the case, there may be a health problem present. It could be things such as parasites (such as worms), diabetes, disease, or bad teeth. This is where the veterinarian comes in.

If your dog does not have a disease, parasites, or any other problem that would cause weight loss, then it may be that the dog is not fed enough throughout the day. Some people think that feeding there dogs two times a day is enough. Not all dogs are the same, so while this may work for some it may not work for others. Consider feeding your dog several times a day (not too much food each time). Supplement their diets with multivitamins or nutritious doggy treats. We always feed our dog at night and leave some food in his bowl throughout the day incase he wants to snack. Also, he gets low calorie but nutritious dog treats three times a day. So far it has worked out pretty well.

Source:

"Underweight Dogs: What are the Causes For Underweight Dogs?" Puppy-Basics.com.