You’re feeding your puppy a nutritionally balanced diet and following the directions on the label with precision. You observe as your brand-new perfect buddy eats his dog’s food and conclude that the eating habits aren’t the issue. However, despite the accurate efforts, you’re not seeing him collect weight like he should. Puppies’ growth varies; if y, ours’s yours is the norm for your breed, it could be a problem. Everything from poor feeding practices to underlying illnesses can lead to slow growth for puppies, as explained by Dr. Dan Su, a clinical nutritionist at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
There is a chance that you need to feed your dog an adequate amount of calories or a diet deficient in vital nutrients that are essential for growth. But, “medical causes of slowed growth are more common and can include parasites, digestive issues (such as inflammatory bowel disease), a liver shunt, and diabetes,” Su states.
Learn more to understand why puppy breeds cannot handle weight gain and how you can change the balance towards their benefit. Be sure to consider making any adjustments you want to implement to your puppy’s diet with your vet before making any changes.
Underlying Causes
If your pet is spoiled, the failure to get pounds is not always because of inadequate nutrition, “especially if the puppy’s appetite seems good,” states Dr. Cailin Heinze, a vet nutritionist at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts.
It’s excellent to be cautious and take your dog to a vet for a checkup to determine if there are medical issues. There could be any number of reasons behind her inability to gain weight. Still, intestinal parasites–particularly roundworms and hookworms–are probably the most common, says Dr. Joe Bartges, professor of medicine and nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia in Athens.
Inflammatory bowel disease enteropathy causing loss of protein (any problem with the digestive tract that causes loss of proteins), as well as hyperglycemia, are a few examples of illnesses that your veterinarian might look for, according to Dr. Susan Jeffrey, a vet at Truesdell Animal Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. It could also be related to dental issues. “Is there something that hurts? In this case, the puppy’s teeth might not have been able to open normally and could be touching your tongue.”
In addition, certain foods may be too rich for particular pups and cause diarrhea. “This isn’t necessarily a food allergy, but I think some pups with developing gastrointestinal tracts can’t handle certain foods,” she states.
Is Your Puppy Getting Sufficient Calories?
If your veterinarian has ruled out an underlying problem, your dog may need to be getting the correct amount of calories. Jeffrey suggests discussing your pet’s diet with your vet and calculating the recommended daily caloric intake for your puppy, which depends on the breed of dog, the pet’s level of activity, and the status of its reproductive system. “Spayed or neutered animals may not need as many calories as intact animals,” she explains.
Food with higher calories could be helpful if your puppy’s appetite is not as strong and doesn’t finish the amount of food recommended, according to Heinze, who has been certified by the board in the field of veterinary nutrition. “But this should only be attempted after parasites have been checked for and treated and blood work and other diagnostics have been done to rule out health issues.”
Examine Your Puppy’s Diet
A diet deficient in a vital equilibrium of vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, and carbs could also cause problems compatible with Jeffrey, whose competent areas of interest include preventative health.
“You should be feeding your puppy a diet that is AAFCO-approved (complete and balanced) for growth, as well as choosing a diet that is appropriate for the presumed adult size,” Jeffrey says. “For example, large and giant breed puppies should eat a diet labeled for large breed puppies.”
Although you may imagine, diets designed to support development are only sometimes of the highest quality. “Consider changing the diet to a more well-known diet from a larger pet food company or even feed a therapeutic diet,” recommends Bartges, who holds a board certification in the field of veterinary internal medicine and veterinary nutrition.
A raw diet doesn’t deliver a panacea, however. “While I benefit people with raw food diets if that is what they want to feed, I discourage pet parents from feeding raw food diets to puppies,” the vet states. “The margin of safety is narrow during growth and this can be an issue not only for nutrient imbalances but also infectious disease.”
What to Avoid
It is tempting to add nutritional supplements to puppies’ diets for growth; however, combined supplements without consulting with a veterinarian could harm your dog’s pet. For example, “excess calcium can improve the risk of developmental orthopedic diseases in large breed puppies; excess vitamin D can lead to toxicity,” Su states.
A different issue that could be avoided is overweight. “Many puppies that owners deem too thin are at a healthy weight and the owners are trying to make them fat because they don’t have a good understanding of what a healthy puppy looks like,” Heinze declares. “Unless the puppy has a known health issue, being slightly ‘ribby’ is generally healthier than slightly overweight, especially for large and giant breed dogs.”
The vets suggest frequent weight checkups to ensure your puppy isn’t overweight. “And if weight acquire is faster than desired, calorie adjustments can be made before weight collect becomes excessive,” Su advises.
Identifying any underlying issues and ensuring your pet’s diet is well-balanced and contains the proper calories is also essential. You can also look at your food habits. “Some puppies need several small meals throughout the day instead of two large meals,” Jeffrey states. “Feeding small meals may benefit with weight acquisition.”
Be sure to look out for signs of behavior. “If the puppy is having to compete to eat with other dogs in the house, the puppy should be fed separately,” she states. “Not only will this benefit reduce stress, it will allow the owner to determine the exact amount of food the puppy is eating.”