Have recently experienced that your German Shepherd is losing weight for some reason and needs to gain weight in a healthy way? There are various reasons why a German Shepherd can lose weight, some include consuming insufficient food, eating the wrong food, medical reasons, etc. German Shepherds have a high metabolism rate and tend to lose weight easily. Hence, it is important to keep track of their eating schedule to ensure them a healthy life.
The ideal weight of a male adult German Shepherd is 30 to 40 kg while for a female, it is 22 to 34 kg. Now, if your GSD is weighing significantly under this range, consider weight gaining techniques. You want to know how to fatten up a German Shepherd, but only some ways are considered healthy. You need to take special care while planning your GSD’s eating schedule.
How To Understand If A GSD Is Under-Weight?
Having already mentioned the ideal weight range for a fully grown German Shepherds, there are some other ways which can help you understand if your GSD is underweight.
- Firstly, if a German Shepherd is very skinny, his appearance will make it obvious. You can see the rib cage clearly visible from his overcoat. Also, you can feel them easily.
- If they are underweight, they will mostly lack the energy and enthusiasm to engage in any kind of physical activity. This mostly happens because their body is deprived of sufficient nutrients.
- You might also see a dull coat with no shine on it. Since their body is suffering from lack of nutrition, it takes a troll on their coat as well.
- If they are severely underweight, after one point of time, the body will start using the muscles as the source of energy. This will lead to the deterioration of the muscles. Your GSD will eventually lose muscle mass.
How to fatten up a German Shepherd?
Fattening up your German Shepherd does not mean stuffing him with fatty or junk food. It is not an overnight process and you need to plan a healthy way to help your German Shepherd to gain some extra pounds.
1. Choose Food Which Has High Fat & Protein
If you find that your German Shepherd is finishing all the food which you provide as well as his eating habit is also on schedule, there might be other reasons why he is losing weight. One such reason might be that you are not feeding him the appropriate food.
If you want to fatten up your GSD, feed him those foods which have a high content of protein and fat than the existing food. Ideally, adult German Shepherds’ daily food should contain at least 20% to 25% of protein and fat each. The remaining calories should be carbohydrates.
Chances are high that you are not feeding him enough protein and fats which is why your German Shepherd is losing weight. It is recommended to continue feeding German Shepherds puppy food until they are 80% grown-up. Make sure the protein source is an animal-based protein.
2. Start Feeding Your German Shepherd Dog Puppy Food
Puppy foods are high-performance food as puppyhood is the stage when dogs grow the maximum and hence their body demands the maximum amount of nutrition. Hence, feeding puppy food for weight gain purposes can prove to be beneficial. Or else, you can also mix some amount of puppy food along with the current food which he is consuming. Though before trying this experiment, do consult your vet as high protein foods can be harmful to German Shepherds who have kidney issues.
Read: Best Wet Food For German Shepherds
3. Feed Dry Kibbles for Increased Calorie Consumption
As is known to most dog owners, dry kibbles have more calories per serve as compared to wet food because of the absence of moisture. It is said that dry kibbles have 4 times more calories than wet food. In case, you are feeding only wet food to your dog, bring a change by mixing some dry food into it.
This will help in the weight gain of your German Shepherd. Purchase dry foods which have high protein content. Consuming dry kibbles not only helps in weight gain but also keeps dental problems as par as they act as brushes when chewed.
4. Make Him Eat More
You can start feeding an extra meal to your under-weight German Shepherd. For example, if your dog eats only twice in a day, say in the morning and evening; start feeding him an extra meal at the night as well, before going to bed. Before increasing the quantity of the meal served, ask your vet for the right quantity as over-eating can be dangerous. The main objective to feed an extra meal to your dog is to provide him with more calories so that he can gain weight easily, but this needs to be done under your vet’s supervision.
Read: How to feed a German Shepherd puppy
5. Allow Your GSD To Eat As Per Their Wish
Most often it has been found that German Shepherds are picky eaters and leave their food on the plate. This can be one of the reasons why your German Shepherd is not able to gain weight. In such situations, let them eat at their convenient time.
Keep the food in their bowl and let them have it throughout the day unlike feeding him at a scheduled time. You will see how your German Shepherd is eating his food at intervals whenever he is bored or hungry. Do not try the same method with wet food as it can get spoiled if left open for a long time, unlike dry food. Try this method until he reaches the ideal weight.
6. Accompany Your Dog While Eating
There are certain dogs who do not prefer eating alone. If you observe your dog following you around the house instead of eating his food, you should consider sitting with him while he eats. German Shepherds are very loyal and loving and tend to stay close to their caretakers most of the time. Sitting next to him while he eats might make him feel less anxious and comfortable and he might start finishing his food unlike before. Do not disturb them by petting or talking to them while eating, just sit quietly.
7. Feed Him Treats With Meals
Another way to help your German Shepherd gain weight is by feeding him a little more treats than usual. This does not mean feeding him only treats throughout the day. For example, if your dog obeys you or does any rewarding activity, feed him 2-3 treats instead of 1 like before. This will automatically increase the calorie intake per day. Though before trying this technique, check for treats which are nutritious. Feeding treats can be 10% of your dog’s daily food consumption.
8. Include Natural Foods
If you are a little tight on budget and are not able to purchase expensive dog foods for weight gain, you can try feeding him some natural food which is easily available in the market. You can feed your German Shepherd some quantities of unflavored Greek yoghurt, steamed carrot, pumpkin, etc. along with some cooked meat. These cooked vegetables can also be combined with their dry kibble for breaking the monotony. These foods will help the GSD to intake for calories than usual which will lead to weight gain.
9. Add Tasty Toppers on Meals
Just like toddlers, puppies can also get bored of their regular food and often resist eating which can lead to loss of weight. To make the regular food more appealing, you can sprinkle some tasty toppers on their meals. It would make the food smell tastier and your pup might be more interested in eating the meal. Look for toppers which are nutritious and help in adding extra calories in a healthy manner.
10. Check If The Right Amount Is Fed
You need to check if you are feeding your dog way less than they should be eating at their age. This would help them get sufficient energy for the day which would keep them healthy and physically fit. Contrarily, if the right amount of food is not fed, he would not have the energy to engage himself in daily exercise and might even eventually lose muscle mass. Not only should the quantity be checked, but the quality should also be considered. Consult with your vet regarding the appropriate quantity and type of food to be fed to your German Shepherd in different stages of his life.
As per general practice, a senior German Shepherd, one who is almost leading a sedentary lifestyle requires 1,272 to 1,540 calories in a day, whereas a young GSD who is most active throughout the day would require 1,740 to 2,100 calories every day.
11. Make Him Exercise Regularly
As contrary as it may sound, regular exercise will help your dog to gain healthy weight. Some owners think that exercise just means losing extra calories and since their dog is under-weight, exercise can be detrimental to his health; but this theory is completely wrong.
German Shepherds are in constant need of physical exercise for keeping up with good health. Exercises like swimming and walking help in building muscle and also do not strain on bones and joints. If muscle mass needs to be increased, these low-intense exercises can be practiced daily. If your German Shepherd is underweight, avoid high-intensity exercises for a while.
12. Feed Him Squash and Yams
Squash and yams have a low glycemic index and are hence considered a good source of carbohydrates. You can feed your underweight German Shepherd around ½ to 1 cup of boiled yam and squash daily along with their regular meals. This will help them gain some extra weight. Squash and yams are mostly preferred because they are easily digestible, unlike oats and rice. It is recommended to remove the skin of the boiled vegetables and then feed your dog.
13. Try Feeding Tripes With Vet’s Advice
This may sound something gross, but it has been found that feeding green, raw tripe to German Shepherds helps them gain weight. This is because it contains a high amount of digestive enzymes which keeps the digestion process of the German Shepherds on track, considering the fact that GSDs mostly have sensitive stomachs. Having a good digestive system would help GSD to absorb all the nutrients present in the food fed to them. Try feeding your German Shepherd around 200-250 g of tripes for increasing the digestion function. Only consider fresh tripes and not the ones available in cans.
14. Inclusion Of Vitamin-B
One natural appetite stimulant is Vitamin-B supplements which are easily available in all the medical shops or online stores. One of the best examples of a Vitamin-B supplement is brewer’s yeast. This helps in increasing weight and providing more energy to a feeble underweight dog. Additionally, brewer’s yeast helps in providing a shining coat and skin to your German Shepherd, which lacks in underweight most often.
15. Usage of Appetite Stimulating Herbs
There are certain herbs which help increase the appetite in humans, the same is the case with dogs. One such example is dandelion. Try getting the herbal form of the same and feed it to your German Shepherd for appetite stimulation. You can also find dandelion as one of the ingredients in several multi-vitamin tablets. Before purchasing and feeding your dog, do not forget to check the ingredients list and ask your vet about the same. These herbs though alone will not help in increasing the weight of your GSD, just consider them as supplements and keep up with the other necessary steps.
Conclusion
Knowing the right way to fatten up your under-weight German Shepherd can be of help to a great extent. You will eventually be investing in your German Shepherd’s healthy life. But be very cautious to not make your GSD overweight as it can cause serious trouble.
Your dog might develop might several diseases like fatty liver, lack of motivation to move, etc. which can endanger his life. Hence, it is always recommended to buy the best quality food for your German Shepherd as well as feed him homemade food for healthy body weight.
Be in touch with your vet to know the appropriate quantity, quality and time to feed your German Shepherd. If taken care of the right way, your German Shepherd will definitely live a long healthy life!