Boxer won't gain weight

Posted by thereddiver thereddiver
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We rescued Nelson a little over a year ago. He is almost 2 years old now. The rescue thinks he was left in a crate that was too small for him and neglected. Since we've had him he hasn't gained much weight. He is about 40 pounds and you can still see his ribs and spine. We feed him purina pro plan sport 30/20 grain free - about 3 cups a day. He will not eat it plain, he is pretty picky so we add some rice, chicken breast, or Dyne (liquid calorie supplement) to get him to eat it. Sometimes he isn't interested and will skip a meal but on average he still eats about 1500 calories a day. His bowel movements are normal, however, I would say he poops more often than most dogs. The vet has ran every test they have and even sent some tests to Texas A&M and everything comes back normal. His demeanor is great, he never throws up his food, he plays with other dogs, everything is great about him except he is skinny. He has muscle in his upper body, but his back legs are pretty weak. I came across Satin Balls and was wondering if you think this will help? Thanks!




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NJBoxers NJBoxers
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

Hello!  Such a precious Boxer face, and I can see how skinny he is.  I'm glad to hear you already had the vet run all kinds of tests to rule out anything physical.  

The first thing I would do would be to get him off the Purina, which is a very sub par food, and get him on a more nutrient dense, healthier food.  If you are in the U.S., I will gladly give you a recommendation.  The Purina alone could be why he is not gaining healthy weight.

Once you have him on a much more healthier food and he gains a good amount of strength back, I would highly consider having him neutered.  It is highly possible 6 months after neutering, when his hormone levels normalize, he may naturally put a little more weight on.

Personally, I would hold off on the Satin Balls until he has made a complete and successful switch to a new high quality food.  Proper nutrition is more important than most people realize.
thereddiver thereddiver
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

Thanks so much for the quick reply! The last picture I posted is an older picture but he still looks the same except he was neutered about a year ago.

We originally had him on this Taste of the Wild Puppy Food:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/taste-of-the-wild-high-prairie-puppy-formula-with-roasted-bison-roasted-venison-dog-food-15-lb-bag

Shortly after he was neutered we switched to the Purina since he was no longer a puppy. It was chosen by the vet because it had a high calorie content:
https://www.proplan.com/dogs/products/sport-all-life-stages-performance-3020-formula

When he was on Taste of the Wild Puppy we would put some of the regular Taste of the Wild canned food in to entice him to eat but he got bored of it and wouldn't eat much. Do you think both of these dry dog foods are subpar or just the Purina? What food would you recommend switching to? We are open to anything!

Our 8 month old lab is on this food and Nelson enjoys it when we occasionally give him some kibble as treats:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-puppy-formula-dog-food-35-lb-bag

Here's a newer picture. You can see his face/chest look fuller than the older pictures but his ribs/spine/hips look the same - bones.

.
NJBoxers NJBoxers
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
He looks GREAT!  I know it's been a few months, but would love see more recent photo of him.

Please do your research.  Taste of the Wild has been on the recall list more than once (at least once).  

If you would like a recommendation of a high quality, holistic pet food that's never been on a recall list, and the one I feed my Boxers, let me know.  I will gladly help!
NJBoxers NJBoxers
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
@thereddiver, how is Nelson doing these days?  I'm sure he's turned into a gorgeous boy over this last year!  ðŸ’•  Would love to see some updated photos!  
thereddiver thereddiver
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
Hi !

Nelson has been eating close to about 2 cups twice a day for the past year and a half. His face is fuller, but he is still about 40 pounds. He's been seeing a different vet, but she had the same reply as before - we could spend thousands and thousands on additional tests, MRI, etc. to maybe figure out why he hasn't gained weight. She said to just treat him as a normal dog. Other than his bony frame, he is just like any other dog!

Would love any recommendations; would be great to add weight to him; i'm sure it'd help him later in life.








NJBoxers NJBoxers
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
He does look much better than he did months ago.  I have a female Boxer who is very bony too, and I've been able to put a little weight on her with cooked sweet potatoes (dogs LOVE them) and coconut oil on her food for the extra calories.  

Have you tried the Satin Balls with him yet?
https://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.html

My only other suggestion would be to look at the food he eats.  Have you switched brands?  How are his poo's?...any better?  Here is what the poo looks like from my Boxers, and this is what poo should look like (smaller and firm pieces).  Their food is nutritient dense, so less comes out the other end!  ðŸ˜œ

Poo from adult Boxer.
thereddiver thereddiver
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
Hi there!

He eats 4Health from Tractor Supply; do you recommend something else? His poops are usually very big and it seems like he poops a lot. Maybe he isn't getting much nutrient absorption?

Have not tried the satin balls yet. Maybe i'll do that this weekend!
NJBoxers NJBoxers
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
How is Nelson doing these days?  His poops should be small, formed and firm.  Scroll up and you'll see a photo of the perfect poo next to a small seltzer can for comparison.  This came out of one of my Boxers.  If a dog poops a lot and frequently, as well as large "piles", this tells me the food is filled with a bunch of non-nutritious fillers, and this could be another reason why it's been so difficult to put weight on him.  

Here is what I recommend and use, and I feed the All Life Stages:
http://petfood101.com

If you have any questions at all about this, please let me know!  Hoping to hear some good news!  ðŸ’•
thereddiver thereddiver
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
Hi there! We've been giving him 4Health still. He's very active but is still right at 40 pounds. He's about 4 years old right now. Not sure if it's too late to hope he gains any weight or not.
thereddiver thereddiver
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
Oh, and his poops are always very often, large and softer, but definitely not runny.
NJBoxers NJBoxers
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Re: Boxer won't gain weight

In reply to this post by thereddiver
Never give up hope!  ðŸ˜‰ If you'd like to talk further privately, feel free to fill out the contact form on the following page, and also include your phone number:

https://www.njboxers.com/contact-us.html

Would love to chit chat more about Nelson!  ðŸ’•