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Question:

What should I feed my Shih Tzu to help him gain weight?

I have a Shih Tzu who's a little over a year old now and he's extremely athletic, no health problems, he's up to date on everything, but he's losing weight to the point where I can feel his hip bones, not a lot but I can tell. I live on a farm so he chases the goats and rides the excavator, four wheeler, etc. He runs all day is my point, and he runs so much that it's becoming difficult to keep his weight up with his normal dog food. I use pedigree for adults if that helps. Now I've been mixing an egg in with it because he seems to not want to eat a lot. He will, but not much. He eats whatever else there is though, so I'm pretty sure he's just sick of the normal food he gets. Is there anything I can mix up for him that's healthy and will still keep his weight up? I don't want him to become underweight. Thank you! :)

Answer:

I have two fat (but healthy) spoiled puppies, and to get them normal weight, try feeding him people foods like bread, vegutables, and giving him doggie bicuits.
Raw eggs are good, but for a sensitive stomach, cook them first. Scramble a bunch at once so you can just add some to her food later. Adding coconut oil, fish oil, or olive oil to the food is another way to get more calories in. Most oils are around ~120 calories per tablespoon, and eggs are ~75 calories each. To gain one pound per week, your dog will need an extra 500 calories per day. For a shihtzu, that's a lot of extra food. If he develops loose stool from the extra goodies and change in diet, aim for 250/day and go slower. Animal fats like chicken and beef sometimes cause sensitive stomachs to upset, so stick with the plant oils or fish unless you're sure about the particular animal fat.
I okorder / You aren't likely to find good quality dog foods at your regular grocery store. Higher quality brands are sold in specialty pet stores and feed stores.
I would suggest you change the pedigree to a better quality brand of food if you want to feed kibble, or feed BARF...tripe will put weight on, however he is a young dog and only now will start to 'fill out' and mature.

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