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What’s the Best Weight Gaining Dog Food?
Are you troubled by the declining weight of your dog? Perhaps you’ve tried to feed him all kinds of foods you can think of but nothing seems to be happening. Whether it is because of an illness or just a lack of appetite, the deteriorating weight of a pet can be a great source of worry to the owner.
So whats the best weight gaining dog food?
The Best Weight Gaining Dog Food will have a complex blend of nutrient dense Fats, Carbohydrates and Proteins. Your Dog needs to be in a calorie surplus to gain weight, and increasing their carbohydrate and fat intake will cause them to gain weight quickly.
Below is a Buyer’s Guide for what to look for when purchasing this type of Dog Food:
Weight Gaining Dog Food – Buyer’s Guide
The best foods for increasing your dog’s weight come with various features that will not only endear to your dog’s appetite but also provide plenty of nutrition. Below are some of the common traits of weight gaining dog food:
Palatability
Dogs are generally more willing to eat food that tastes good to them. Usually, wet foods tend to be sweeter than dry ones, and the same can be said for diets rich in fat and protein.
The most palatable diet you can get for your furry friend is one that is prepared from home, but if you’re going to take this route, then make sure that you work with a nutritionist or veterinarian.
This way, they’ll be able to advise you on preparing a nutritionally balanced and complete meal.
Digestibility
Digestibility refers to the measure of how the dog food that is actually absorbed and utilised by the dog’s body after ingestion in relation to that which is eliminated through egestion. When a dog meal is highly digestible, your pup won’t have to overfeed to benefit from the nutritional value it offers. Unfortunately, it’s not impossible to determine a meal’s digestibility by merely reading its label. Read our guide here on the Healthiest Dog Food Brand to know more about digestibility.
Nevertheless, you’ll want to steer clear of all things rich in fiber as fiber by definition means indigestible.
An easy way to assess digestibility would be to check the droppings of your dog after eating the food. Typically, dogs that have fed on a highly digestible meal will leave behind small volume and well-formed poops whereas low digestible meals cause your pooch to poop more with the feces being loose.
Calorie Density
High-calorie dog diets manage to pack high amounts of calories in a small portion of food. This ensures that your pup doesn’t have to eat too much to take in enough calories. You can find information about the dog food’s calorie content on the reverse side of the package i.e. kcal/cup, kcal/kg, or kcal/can. Look for diets with high-fat content as fats offer more calories per gram compared to both carbohydrates and proteins. Dry Dog Food may not always be the best choice.
The Best Weight Gaining Dog Food- Reviews
| Weight Gaining Food for Dogs | Price | Rating | View |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellness Core RawRev Grain-free Dog Food | $30 | 4.5 / 5 | Buy Here |
| Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free | $19.99 | 4.5 / 5 | Buy Here |
| Purina Pro Plan SPORT Formula Dry Dog Food | $32.50 | 4.5 / 5 | Buy Here |
| Ziwi Peak New Zealand Beef Recipe | $68.04 | 4.5 / 5 | Buy Here |
| Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Senior Recipe | $19.99 | 4.5 / 5 | Buy Here |
Wellness Core RawRev Grain-free Dog Food
This food uses chicken and turkey as the primary sources of protein in the mixture. It also contains wholesome ingredients such as flaxseed oil and chicken liver, which are known to help pets gain weight. The omega-3 fatty acids in the flaxseed will also be a nice addition to your dog’s nutritional needs as he seeks to bulk up.
The Wellness Core dog food mixture features both freeze-dried meat and kibble to offer your precious poodle the best of both world; a raw diet and dry kibble.
You also get superfood oxidation varieties in the form of blueberries, sweet potatoes, and broccoli.
While it is not clear the number of nutrients that dogs can absorb from potatoes and yams, they display weight-gaining characteristics from the extra calories they provide. Another notable feature about this dog meal is that it comes with around 80 million live colony-forming probiotics units, as well as at least 36% protein and 16% fat.
Finally, the Wellness Core RawRev Grain-free Dog Food is rated as having 423 kilocalories/cup. Overall, it will be a great place to get your animal companion started on his weight-gaining journey!
Taste of the Wild High Prairie Grain-Free Diet
The Taste of the Wild High Prairie Diet contains nominal caloric values at 39% fats and 29% proteins. Even though it offers almost the opposite of the protein and fat content of the dog’s wild relatives, this diet turns its focus on metabolic health. The carbohydrate content is maximised at 33% of caloric value, which is a well-balanced diet according to experts in dog nutrition.
Note that a balanced diet for dogs is not the same for humans. This is why the manufacturer clarifies that their number is a representation of the maximum carbohydrates that may be present. Generally, this number is low in dry dog food, which makes it difficult to prepare kibble without a specific amount of carbs.
This probiotic blend greatly emphasises on your canine’s digestive tract, as well as the immune system involved. The company acknowledges the significant role of the endocrine and immune system in weight management, which is even greater than digestive factors.
You get a combination of lamb meal, buffalo meal, and chicken meal as the top sources of proteins in this food blend.
This is a testament to the quality offered by Taste of the Wild. Furthermore, the caloric density provided is 370 calories per cup.
Purina Pro Plan SPORT Formula Dry Dog Food
This is one of the best weight gaining dog foods currently on the market. Founded in 1894, Purina comes with a lot of experience in dog nutrition, and the Pro Plan formula was first created in 1986. This mixture uses chicken as the number one ingredient to provide your hungry hound with the much-needed nutrients.
The chicken meat is a great natural source of Glucosamine whereas omega-3 fatty acids are provided by the fish in the food.
You also get 30% protein and 20% fat content to help in enhancing metabolic needs, as well as bring about lean muscle.
Meanwhile, amino acids inside the dog food blend help to nourish the muscles, especially immediately after exercise.
The Purina Pro Plan Sport dog food features a slight amount of corn, although it has proven to be quite effective in weight gain, which will be evident in your dog after some time. With a calorie content of 500 calories a cup, you get an energy-rich meal that your dog will enjoy.
Ziwi Peak New Zealand Beef Recipe Canned food
This dog food recipe comprises a high amount of organ meat to go with native green mussels, which is a rich source of Chondroitin and omega-3 fatty acids. The meal s relatively high in fats and proteins with no grain additives. Also, the beef contained in each can comes from one source.
Generally, canned food is considered to be the richest protein source for dogs. The high meat and moisture content allow it to be a palatable option even for dogs that are reluctant to eat. For every can, you get 420 calories, which means lots of energy for your sickly pup. This blend will also favor old dogs with a fragile dental formula that need to gain weight without needing carbohydrates in their diet.
The Ziwi Peak New Zealand Beef Recipe is also a great option for facilitating the build-up of lean muscles in your dog. This will come in handy for your underweight canine cohabitant and a great way to make him gain those extra pounds.
Another noteworthy feature of using this canned meal on your anorexic pooch is that it discourages gulping food. Furthermore, it does not contain any carbs in its formula, meaning your dog won’t struggle to gas build-up in the stomach, leading to bloating.
Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Senior Recipe
Situated in Lincoln, Nebraska, Nature’s Variety is one of the leading raw foods and holistic diets manufacturers in the industry. The food is frozen to retain all the natural ingredients that are usually lost during the heating process. The implication here is that your prized poodle benefits from a high nutritional value as he looks to gain some much-needed pounds.
This recipe offered by Nature’s Variety is among the rare formulae that use coconut oil. The oil comes with a unique structure that will benefit the skin of your pup and improve the appearance of his coat. It further enhances digestion, which just what you want for your underweight dog.
The mixture also contains egg products, which are a natural source of DHA, a crucial omega-3 fatty acid, as well as chicken as a Chondroitin source.
You also get 60 million colony-forming units of probiotics in this dog food, which plays a useful role in efficient digestion.
Finally, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost Senior Recipe features 35% protein and 16% fat to offer a balanced nutritional value that will be crucial for healthy weight gain, as well as body mass management. While this recipe was primarily created for senior dogs, it is a great option for any hound struggling to maintain good body mass.
Conclusion
The only headlines you see when you turn on the TV is that the number of overweight dogs is on the increase. Somehow, people tend to overlook the plight of pups on the other side of the spectrum. Underweight is also a real problem in the doggie world that needs to be addressed!
So, if you realise that your precious pooch is losing weight by the day, the above best weight gaining dog food might just be what you need to reverse his fortunes. Try them when you can and see how it will turn out!
FAQ
How Do I Help My Dog to Gain Weight?
Underweight dogs may pose much more of a challenge compared to obese ones. Some poor pet parents panic and resort to feeding their pitiful pups a concoction of weight gain supplements or even weight gain powders. However, this is an issue you can sort out by selecting a high-quality diet designed to help your dog gain weight.
Could My Dog’s Weight Loss be the Result of Something Else?
It would be wrong to automatically attribute the weight loss in your dog to diet deficiencies! Before you jump to conclusions, it is recommended that you take your pet to the veterinarian for assessment as weight loss can be the result of a myriad of things, including:
Parasites
An extreme parasite load is something that may lead to loss of appetite in small dogs and newly-acquired strays. Whipworms, hookworms, and even tapeworms may be easy to diagnose and treat bit protozoal parasites such as Giardia and Coccidia are more difficult to diagnose.
Stress
Stress is another possible cause for deteriorating weight in dogs. This may come from the struggle to adapt to a new environment on the part of a pup that you recently adopted. The same can be said about dogs with separation anxiety when you grown children start leaving for college.
Diabetes
Diabetes is another leading undiagnosed reason for weight loss, especially in middle-aged dogs. Luckily, a quick blood test will be able to rule this out. As such, you might want to visit the veterinarian’s office to clear your doubts.
Digestive Disorders
Pancreatic insufficiency is a condition whereby the dog’s pancreas fails to produce adequate enzymes needed for the digestion of food, resulting in severe weight loss.
In the same way, malabsorption challenges in the intestine can lead to a degree of declined body mass.
Both these issues require extensive diagnostics to verify, although they are not a common cause for weight loss.
What Nutrients Are Important for Weight Gaining Dog Food Diet?
Certain nutrients prove crucial when selecting a diet to feed your underweight pup. The quality of the meal you feed him will have a significant impact on whether he regains those extra pounds or keeps on looking like a charity case. Ensure your dog food has the following:
Proteins
Underweight dogs have a necessity for high-quality protein! This becomes more vital than normal because protein from meat is easy for them to digest. Aside from absorbing as many nutrients as possible from the food they ingest, dogs also benefit from the lack of energy wasted in poor digestion.
Excellent protein sources include foods such as chicken, lamb, duck, venison, and beef meal. The primary role of these proteins is to enhance the growth and development of muscles and tissues, as well as maintenance of daily functions. If need be, your dog may also utilize the proteins as fuel!
Fats
Underweight dogs need a moderately high-fat dog food that will not ramp up their metabolism. Ideally, this will come from food sources such as eggs, fish, meat, salmon meal, mussels, and fish oil. Your dog may also benefit from coconut oil, which offers medium-chain triglycerides that get easily absorbed by dogs.
Probiotics
Probiotics cultures are extremely crucial when it comes to balancing your pup’s intestinal bacteria. This helps to make digestion and absorption of food much easier. Digest balance further helps to reduce weight-loss effects as a result of diarrhea.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals serve to make sure that your precious poodle is functionally optimally on a cellular level, which is required to maximize the absorption of nutrients, as well as the metabolism of muscle mass.
What Can I Do to Expedite My Dog’s Weight Gain?
The first thing you want to do is gradually transition to the new diet. This is because the best weight gaining dog food features a high-fat content and a rapid change could result in pancreatitis- a possibly fatal dog syndrome associated with fatty foods.
Additionally, while wet foods are typically tastier than dry ones, the latter have a greater caloric density. This means you will have to determine the benefits and disadvantages of either option or try mixing them to get the best nutritional blend for your dog.
Finally, trying feeding your furry friend multiple small meals spread across the course of the day as opposed to two large portions. This is since dogs normally eat more in such conditions, leading to an opportunity for increased digestion.
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