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How do I fatten up my super skinny Great Dane???

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Kermit:
Hi and welcome!

Cute new friend you've got there! I bet once he's neutered, it won't be as hard to put weight on him. Most of the intact male dogs I know are really super lean.

A few years back my ex-boyfriend and I adopted a Dane who was incredibly thin, and I remember it taking a good amount of time getting her looking healthy. In addition to high quality kibble we "supplemented" her with plenty of cottage cheese if I remember correctly... ::) :D  I still see her now and then and she stays on the thin side. I feel like it's a common issue with this breed.

Good luck!
~Rebekah

NewDaneMom:
Thanks everyone, we think he's pretty cute too!

It was part of our adoption contract that he is to be neutered within 60 days. I'm not sure if they didn't neuter him there because of his weight or financial reasons. I did think it was a little unusual though. We're to be refunded part of our adoption fee once we mail them proof that he's been altered. We have an appointment in a week for the big snip. And our vet didn't mention that his weight would be an issue. He looks good from the front, his chest is well developed but his sides and back end are VERY lean. Like you can see his hip bones and ribs and everything.

We've only had him for just under two weeks, so I'm probably over reacting. I just thought he'd gain something by now.

So maybe I should try a different food for him before trying the Satin Balls? Can anyone recommend a food of equal quality that has more filler? I will try the cottage cheese idea and see if he likes it.

This is so helpful, I'm glad I found this place!

ZooCrew:
Don't know if I can help you on the food.........l ol.  The food Gunther was on was Evo, which I still think is a great food, but one that just didn't work for him, made him lose too much weight.  I actually had a rep at a dog show this weekend tell me to try the red meat one instead but I told her there was no way I could afford to spend around $70-$75 a month just on one dog.  :-\ (was up to 5.5 cups @ 537 kcal/cup)

We switched over to Taste of the Wild.  Still a grain free food and good quality.  He does need more cups on it (7 now but will probably cut back once he's back to normal weight.......3 60-375 kcal/cup depending on flavor), as it is less calories, but it is also about $15 less a bag, and a few pounds more of food per bag (30 vs 28.6).  He has gained back 7 lbs of the 17+ he lost.  Food smells bad, but he loves it and I love that it comes in 3 flavors (something about added variety that I like).  So even though he's getting less calories now, he's actually gaining weight on it.

But I'm sure once our food guru comes on here, she will have some better suggestions for you.  How much does he weigh now compared with how tall he is?  Just curious. Enough babbling for me for one day.  :D

NewfFan:
Innova is a great food, and it seems to be higher in calories than some of the other premium foods. I know I've had trouble keeping weight off my dog while she's been on it. We're going to feed our lab puppy Innova large breed puppy and switch her to the Innova Adult at around 6-8 months, as well. I'm actually worried it might be hard to keep weight off of her on it! Maybe try Innova?

NewDaneMom:
Taste of the Wild was actually one that a friend of ours who works in rescue recommended. Along with Blue Buffalo Wilderness and California Natural (which they were feeding in rescue). Haven't heard too much about Innova, but could do some research on it. We fed him Wellness mostly because our other dog has done really well on it and we've been really happy with it. Is it kind of just trial and error or are there some foods that are better for dogs that need to gain some weight?

He is roughly 116 or somewhere thereabouts. He was leaning a bit on the wall but the vet thought it was pretty close. He's 33 1/2 inches tall at the shoulders. My vet thinks a good weight for him would be somewhere between 140-150.

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