Generally it's not a bad idea to leave a bowl of dry food out and full for them to graze on throughout the day. If you do this though, make sure the dog gets regular exercise, which will also help increase his muscle mass/tone and increase his weight.
Dog physiology isn't much different from human physiology in this respect. Gaining weight healthily for a dog works the same way as for a body builder. Increase calories, increase exercise. There's no miracle answer for this. It takes time, and commitment; mostly on your part. The dog will keep up happily. Walking, fetch, etc. You also might see if you can find a dog cart (ask your local Amish community if you can) and drop a cinderblock in it for added weight. Some dogs are actually bred for this and really really enjoy it. If you've got a working breed, this will be easier as they really do enjoy it.
You really need to see the vet, sooner (IMO) than a MONTH from now. 50% of all dogs age 10 & up end up with some form of cancer. Your dog is close enough to that age, for concern. Unexplained weight loss, and not seeing any GAIN in weight, despite feeding additional food, would SUGGEST Cachexia: Cancer weight loss (which often causes a 17-20% need for more calories) just to maintain the same weight. Yes, you can feed puppy food. But there are specific, MORE helpful diets if your dog is fighting cancer.
This puts the weight on very fast and you can use about 1/4 lb. per day as a supplement to your regular quality food. You probably want to cut the recipe down the first time to be sure he likes but we have never had one that didn't. We do cook ours as I have concerns about the bacteria in raw. Just be sure to save the drippings and add these to their food as well. I keep a big jar and dip out about 1T per serving and it helps them clean the bowl of regular food as well. BOL!
Ingredients
10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind - you want the fat content of the marbleized pkg]
1 lg. box of Total cereal
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil or flax seed oil
1 1/4 cup of molasses
10 raw eggs AND shells
10 envelopes of Knox gelatin
pinch of salt (be very sparing)
Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Generally it's not a bad idea to leave a bowl of dry food out and full for them to graze on throughout the day. If you do this though, make sure the dog gets regular exercise, which will also help increase his muscle mass/tone and increase his weight.
Dog physiology isn't much different from human physiology in this respect. Gaining weight healthily for a dog works the same way as for a body builder. Increase calories, increase exercise. There's no miracle answer for this. It takes time, and commitment; mostly on your part. The dog will keep up happily. Walking, fetch, etc. You also might see if you can find a dog cart (ask your local Amish community if you can) and drop a cinderblock in it for added weight. Some dogs are actually bred for this and really really enjoy it. If you've got a working breed, this will be easier as they really do enjoy it.
You really need to see the vet, sooner (IMO) than a MONTH from now. 50% of all dogs age 10 & up end up with some form of cancer. Your dog is close enough to that age, for concern. Unexplained weight loss, and not seeing any GAIN in weight, despite feeding additional food, would SUGGEST Cachexia: Cancer weight loss (which often causes a 17-20% need for more calories) just to maintain the same weight. Yes, you can feed puppy food. But there are specific, MORE helpful diets if your dog is fighting cancer.
This puts the weight on very fast and you can use about 1/4 lb. per day as a supplement to your regular quality food. You probably want to cut the recipe down the first time to be sure he likes but we have never had one that didn't. We do cook ours as I have concerns about the bacteria in raw. Just be sure to save the drippings and add these to their food as well. I keep a big jar and dip out about 1T per serving and it helps them clean the bowl of regular food as well. BOL!
Ingredients
10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind - you want the fat content of the marbleized pkg]
1 lg. box of Total cereal
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil or flax seed oil
1 1/4 cup of molasses
10 raw eggs AND shells
10 envelopes of Knox gelatin
pinch of salt (be very sparing)
Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.
Divide into 10 quart freezer bags and freeze.
Thaw as needed and feed raw!
never go to a vet about food.
feed canned with dry!