Under weight issues
There are many possibilities for why dogs can be underweight, worms, diabetes, disease, bad teeth, and anxiety. The most likely is not getting enough nutrition from their food or by being under fed. Regardless of the cause take any dog underweight issues very seriously. Every time you have an appointment at the vets your dog should always be weighed. Your vet will tell you whether he’s over or underweight and advise you on what you can do to help. There are lots of varied dog food out there that is high in calories or low to help with gaining and losing weight.
At Happy Hounds we sometimes come across dogs that seem to be looking underweight. Now we understand that every breed is different and that age has a lot to do with it. What we have noticed is that some dogs can look skinny when they are between the ages of six months to just over a year. This is very common something we tend to see in Labrador or high energy breeds. Dogs don’t fully develop till the age of two so when we see this it doesn’t massively concern us. We just like to suggest maybe increasing their food, especially if they are dog that charges around and gets lots of exercise.
We will always let you know of any concerns we may have with your dogs. Whenever we give advice it’s coming from a good place, we NEVER mean to offend. We just like to think of ourselves as doggy experts. We like to make our clients aware of any information or guidance that we can give.
What to do:
If you feel your dog is looking underweight the best thing to do is increase their food intake little by little. Don’t over feed them. Of course any major concerns it is always good to ask your vet (they are the experts after all). It’s also good to remember that dogs are not people. Their digestive system and what they should and shouldn’t eat are COMPLETELY different to ours. If you have a fit and healthy life style that is great but it doesn’t mean that your doggy should be on a strict diet to.
Now it’s important to just be aware of how your dog should look. Ribs shouldn’t be visible and the hip bones should not be poking out. (We understand this is different with greyhound breeds). So your dog’s weight and diet is just something to be aware of. Food is very important and I think we forget how much of an effect it has on our lives and our doggies, after all you are what you eat. If you ever have any questions about food or the amount of exercise your dog should be getting never hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to help you and your pooches in any way we can.