Can't Keep Weight On In Winter

[shekhina]

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and found a way to deal with it effectively.

Daegon cannot keep the weight on in cold weather. He'll be a good weight all year, then the cold weather hits and he becomes a bag of bones! I keep him rugged up and feed him extra food and it doesn't seem to help much at all. I can see his ribs, not just feel them, and he can go from a good covering to nothing in a very short time. He's happy as always and wont give up chasing his ball around all day, which could be contributing to the problem...but he seriously loves that ball!

Any good ways I can get the weight back on him and keep it there during the cold months?

Edited July 9, 2010 by shekhina

[Stitch]

Feed twice daily???

[Andisa]

Ox cheek and lamb bones fed daily works great for bulking up my dogs - not that I have this problem very often.

[darlingdog]

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and found a way to deal with it effectively.

Daegon cannot keep the weight on in cold weather. He'll be a good weight all year, then the cold weather hits and he becomes a bag of bones! I keep him rugged up and feed him extra food and it doesn't seem to help much at all. I can see his ribs, not just feel them, and he can go from a good covering to nothing in a very short time. He's happy as always and wont give up chasing his ball around all day, which could be contributing to the problem...but he seriously loves that ball!

Any good ways I can get the weight back on him and keep it there during the cold months?

My pointers have to get more food in winter otherwise they too lose weight. I feed twice daily and they get fresh lamb flaps everyday and that seems to do the trick.

[shekhina]

Feed twice daily???

I've tried that, at one point I even tried feeding three times a day. I was going through a LOT of food!

Whenever I've asked a butcher about lamb flaps they don't seem to know what I'm talking about. Are they called something else?

[Andisa]

Ask for brisket bones, soup bones and lamb necks.

[Red Fox]

Feed twice daily???

I've tried that, at one point I even tried feeding three times a day. I was going through a LOT of food!

Whenever I've asked a butcher about lamb flaps they don't seem to know what I'm talking about. Are they called something else?

Try the supermarket for lamb flaps Most have them. Fatty beef or lamb mince added to the food might help as well.

[shekhina]

Thanks for the ideas, will see what I can get

[TangerineDream]

For Tango I add cooked rice and oatmeal to his dinner and also to both breakfast & dinner is added 3 weetbix with warm milky water.....only way I can keep weight on him in winter because he's so active...as soon as the weather warms up and he starts to sunbake I cut the weetbix out or he puts too much weight on ........his coat looks fabulous during winter too!

[Stitch]

Yes, oatmeal added to the usual food will put weight on. Sort of doggy porridge!

Lamb flaps are the section on the end of the ribs, it tends to be more fatty in that area of the sheep so not that popular with humans.

You buy the rib bones all joined together in one strip usually, if you know what I mean.

[Allerzeit]

Here is a good photo of lamb flaps, Shek

You can see how it's the tail end of the ribs, and the fatty flesh around t?

http://www.vital.org.nz/barbeque/lambflapbench2.jpeg

[Miss B]

Whenever I've asked a butcher about lamb flaps they don't seem to know what I'm talking about. Are they called something else?

Some people call them lamb skirts.

[Red Fox]

Good pic Allerzeit. I've found that most of the supermarket ones are cut into several pieces so you tend to get the bony bit (as in the pic below) and a flappy fatty meaty part too.

Puppy Kei with a lamb flap

[Tilly]

I have been feeding my youngest just under 5kg ... and he is finally putting a little weight on (he is actually looking good now so I have cut back again). When I was feeding him 3 to 4kg he was rake thin!!!

I have been giving him raw but the lamb flaps have been helping.

[JulesP]

Pro Plan Salmon has always porked my dogs up.

[Bjelkier]

I had big issues with my ABPT keeping weight on in winter.

Sleeping inside at night, always rugged, lamb flaps and necks and . . . . *ahem* Pal dog food keep the weight on him beautifully and he looked fantastic.

[Guest]

I too struggle keeping the weight on his brother Shek, he is very active and i find that all i can do is feed up and feed Merlin lots of lamb. I feed twice a day, and i am still not really that happy with weight gain. I find he is consistanly moving around and am sure this is something handed down from Dads side as Chey was the PERFECT lazy dog.

[Erny]

...... *cough* ... I'd be checking thyroid levels. And I'd be running the tests via Dr Jean Dodds in the USA, not here in Aus. I admit I have a 'thing' for checking thyroid (hence the *cough* on entry ) - but I think it is a good place to start. Also, it makes me think that if you are feeding lots but your dogs are carrying lean, there's an absorption issue. This may or may not relate to thyroid. Just my thoughts based on my own recent and current experience/s with my own boy, whose story is not over yet.

[tibetanwolf]

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and found a way to deal with it effectively.

Daegon cannot keep the weight on in cold weather. He'll be a good weight all year, then the cold weather hits and he becomes a bag of bones! I keep him rugged up and feed him extra food and it doesn't seem to help much at all. I can see his ribs, not just feel them, and he can go from a good covering to nothing in a very short time. He's happy as always and wont give up chasing his ball around all day, which could be contributing to the problem...but he seriously loves that ball!

Any good ways I can get the weight back on him and keep it there during the cold months?

My pointers have to get more food in winter otherwise they too lose weight. I feed twice daily and they get fresh lamb flaps everyday and that seems to do the trick.

eggs are good added to fatty meats like lamb brisket(flaps)lots of the fatty meats ,can you keep him inside of a night also so he is warmer maybe,double rug like a horse maybe

[Nekhbet]

any dog that loses weight quickly you need a dog coat, and one that covers the chest and right down to the tail.

http://www.whippetwear.com/

this lady is in melbourne, check out her designs. We have a whippet at dog club that just drops the weight so quickly, a well fitting coat has helped a lot.