What to Feed to Gain Weight

[Joy Williams]

I have been MIA around here for a while, but luckily, “the Girls” have been healthy for the most part - until recently. I started home cooking for them a few months ago and they love it. They both have lost weight, but Maddie, who has always been bigger than Morgan, is continuing to lose , and weighs less than Morgan does.The vet examined her and found a mass the size of a baseball in her abdomen. It scared me to death for her to go under the knife at 11 1/2 years, but the good news is, it was not cancer. Thank Goodness!

The question I have for you “experts” is, what can I feed her to help her gain some weight? I give her more than I give Morgan but it doesn’t seem to do much good. The Vet wanted to give her the canned stuff they keep on their shelves, but I really don’t want to do that. 

So, any suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's tricky, because some of the most calorie dense foods are also the highest in fat, and high fat foods can cause pancreatitis. 

Home made food is pretty low in calories. Depending on your recipe, the average calories in a homemade chicken based diet is only about 200 kcal/cup. 
At 200 calories per cup, most adult dogs are going to need one cup for every 10 lbs of body weight per day. Small dogs are going to need more than that. This is one reason I never fed JD a 100% homemade diet; 8 cups of homemade food per day is a lot of cooking, lol!!! 
So to start, how much does Maddie weigh, and do you know the calorie content of the diet you're feeding? 

[Joy Williams]

She weighs 61 lbs. I don’t know the calorie content, but an average meal would contain penne pasta, steamed broccoli, salt free green beans, boiled white potatoes, canned tuna in water, boiled chicken breast (boneless & skinless), cut up tomatoes, chopped raw spinach, raw zucchini cut up, baked sweet potato, fresh tomatoes cut up, 1/2 cut up apple, & 1/2 of a boiled egg. I would say that it is about 2 1/2 cups twice a day. So, even with all of that, it sounds like I need to be giving them a lot more than I have been. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yeah, there are very very few calories in the vegetables. The pasta, chicken breast and potatoes all contain about 200 calories per cup. The half egg is about 45 calories. The tuna has only 10 calories per ounce. There is almost no fat content in anything you mentioned, and fat is what contains the calories. You might try adding a little vegetable oil to the mixture, that would help boost the calorie content. You really need to have at least half of the mixture consist of the chicken, the tuna, and or the egg: the animal proteins. And they do need more as far as quantity. 
It does sound like a wonderful delicious meal for them, though.
I'd also make sure they are getting a fish oil supplement every day. 

[Joy Williams]

OK, thanks Karen. Sounds like  I need to have 2 different menus, one for each of them as Morgan has an enlarged heart, so I was concentrating more on her than Maddie.  Where is the best place to find fish oil supplements? This is a lot of work and a lot of cooking, but it is so worth it to see the difference it has made in them. They just seem so much happier and so much more playful, not what I would picture a dog 11 & 1/2 years old would be. Thank God for crock pots!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some vets sell fish oil supplements. Pet supply stores do too. I wish I had a brand I could recommend but it's been awhile since I researched that. What you want is something with only Omega 3 fatty acids from fish, specifically DHA and EPA. The label will reflect that. Don't buy some conglomerate of other ingredients and Omegas. Wild salmon oils are usually a good bet.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Are human fish oil softgels usually safe for dogs?  I remember I used to give Luna human EPO capsules.

I take these myself:

https://www.costco.ca/Kirkland-Signature-Super-Concentrate-Omega-3-...

although looking at the US Costco the ingredients are slightly different (and they contain soy for some reason)

https://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature-Fish-Oil-1000-mg.%2c-400-...

They also have a salmon oil version:

https://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature-Wild-Alaskan-Fish-Oil-140...

I imagine human softgels are probably way cheaper than ones made for pets.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, human softgels are safe for dogs. JD also took human EPO capsules.

The human fish oil softgels are also safe for dogs, but a few years back, my vet told me the fish oil made for dogs was better. Not sure if that's true, or if it's what the salesman for the fish oil they sell told him, lol. I can't remember the name of the brand, but it was from Icelandic fish. 

If you're going to go with human fish oil softgels, I recommend Nature Made minis. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Riley hasn't shown any signs of allergies so far, I was just curious in case she developed symptoms.  I think I still have a giant bottle of EPO anyway if it hasn't expired.

[Joy Williams]

Thanks Karen for all your help. I knew this was the best place to come for answers!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If they can tolerate it, a little peanut butter is also a good way to put on some weight. 100 calories in one tablespoon! 

[Joy Williams]

I will try to sneak some into Maddie’s bowl, but I can’t let Morgan find out about it!!