Wishing I could fatten him up

[kateincornwall]

Reuben is a skinny minnie , he is a big ( tall ) dog with very good muscles but I think he could do with bulking out a little . Half the problem is that he seems incapable of walking , this dog loves to run like the wind . He is good at checking in with me , I rarely have to call him but oh how I wish he could slow down a gear Both he and Nelly enjoy Skinners field and trial , either the salmon and rice or the duck and rice , to which I often add cooked veggies and fish , poos are firm so I dont think its a feeding issue . I would normally maybe think of adding carbs , but one of the few foods he cannot tollerate is potato so thats out . Maybe I am being concerned over nothing , I can feel his ribs easily , there is very little fat over them and in certain lights , his ribs are almost visible but not unless you were looking for them ! Maybe he just has a high metabolic rate ( lucky Reuben ) , his coat gleams , stamina good but he just looks like a colt , bless x

 

[SteffiS]

Toffee is the same, incredibly skinny - I can see his ribs most of the time. He’s also on Skinners, as is Ripple, but he has quite a bit more than Ripple does. My daughter is coming in a couple of weeks, she’s a vet nurse (and also now a qualified paramedic) so I shall get her to score him. But quite honestly he’s such a bundle of energy I can’t see he’s suffering from being too skinny, also if I try and increase his food we just get a lot more out the other end .

 

[SwampDonkey]

He'll be ok he's just young fit and full of fun. Moo didn't fill in a bit until she slowed down. She was supper Skinny until she was about 4

 

[JES72]

Homer is like that, he is long and lean, a bit less lean now but it took quite a long time.

 

[snowbunny]

If his ribs are only "almost visible", he's fine

This week, with less running about here in Spain, Shadow has finally gone from being terribly skinny to what I consider his "fighting weight". His ribs are still visible, but this is how I like him, considering he's a hooligan who throws himself off anything and everything. Better to keep them slim to protect those joints.

Here are a couple of screenshots from the zoomies video I posted elsewhere. You can see Shadow's ribs quite clearly, but they're not sunken anymore.



Squidge has a very different structure and her massive coat, but I (try to!) keep her so that her last rib is obvious. You can see it here, and even more noticeably when she lies down.

 

[Selina27]

He is young yet don't you think? Plenty of time to fill out when he grows up
Cassie was skinny at that age, now at 4 and over 2 years post spay she is just right and still eats plenty xx

 

[Kelsey]

Axel was the same way, very tall and skinny, until he was about 3.5 then he filled out I was feeding him wayyyy more than the bag suggested plus lots of treats and bones on top of that and he was still so skinny. I was always very envious. I look at a cookie and gain 10 pounds

 

[Cupcase]

Cupar filled out as he got older. I try to keep mine lean. Rather some rib showing and a noticeable waist, than a square dog that seems to be the norm.

 

[Candy]

Joy was also a funny little skinny Minnie until quite recently. She has filled out a bit since turning three and less people are asking if she's all Labrador now!

 

[Sophiedoodle]

Lilly has always been slim (we’ve made sure of it due to her hips) so if he’s happy, and eating fine, I don’t see an issue! Hopefully he’ll fill out as he gets older like others have said.
Oreo looks like a wee chubster because of her fluff, but she’s slim, honest

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Has Reuben gotten skinnier since we last visited, @kateincornwall ? Because he was looking all muscle then, but not "skinny". He's just a super athletic dog. I love the way he looks: all that muscle!

However some ideas to add calories are:

Oils such as salmon oil, flax seed oil
Sweet potato - Carbon (and Brogan before him) vomits up regular potatoes but sweet potatoes go down great
Organ meats like liver - in moderation but they're very fatty
Sardines in olive oil
Slow-cooked steel cut oatmeal - not the instant kind, no sugar
Satin balls - I've never tried this, but the recipe has been going around in big dog (such as Rottweiler) show circles for years

 

[Jen]

Stanley’s jealous.

He used to be skinny and eat everything. Now he thinks he’s practically starved!

 

[edzbird]

Meg is having mashed sweet potato & green beans at the moment all her ribs are showing.

 

[Aitch]

Satin balls - I've never tried this, but the recipe has been going around in big dog (such as Rottweiler) show circles for years

I used to use this recipe for rescue dogs that were underweight. It did the job.

 

[Shaz82]

Maisy has never been ribby but since she got to 3 people have commented that she has filled out in the chest, not fat but bulk.

 

[MrChew]

I have to say that when I look at photos of Reuben I don't think skinny, I think "tall, dark and handsome."

 

[Oberon]

How old is he now?