Pets can lose weight due to an array of causes - illness, parasites, injury – and putting on the pounds can often be just as challenging as losing them, but using a few proven methods can help owners promote healthy weight gain in a pet.
Before starting efforts to help a cat or dog gain weight, pet owners should take their animal to the veterinary clinic for an exam and blood work. Bringing along a fecal sample is also recommended to ensure that the pet is not suffering from intestinal parasites. Sudden weight loss in a dog or cat can indicate serious illness or infection, so potentially life-threatening causes for weight loss in a pet must be ruled out.
A pet who suddenly looks too skinny may have health problems; the weight loss is a symptom that should never be ignored. Once the pet gets a check-up at the veterinarian's office, efforts can be started to help the pet gain weight.
Monitoring a Dog or Cat's Weight
“The key is to put on weight gradually. This way the body systems are not stressed and the gain is more likely to be permanent,” explained Dr. Michael Levine, DVM. “The first thing you need is a scale. Whether it’s weight gain or loss, it’s going to be difficult to notice a change if it's gradual. So weekly weigh-ins are a good start.”
In fact, weekly weight checks can be a vital tool in diagnosing a more serious problem, because if an owner is taking active measures to help a pet gain weight, but the pet loses weight or the pet won't gain weight at all, then this could be indicative of a serious, underlying problem like a malabsorption disorder. So additional tests at the veterinarian's office may be required.
How to Help a Dog or Cat Gain Weight
Dr. Levine also offered the following advice to help a pet gain weight:
- Supplement cat or dog kibble and commercial dog foods by adding fresh “people” foods to each meal. Fresh meats, fish, eggs, cheese and vegetables are key, although owners should introduce new foods gradually to avoid a cat or dog with an upset stomach.
- Muscle is often consumed by the body when fat reserves are depleted, so a portion of the pet's weight gained needs to be muscle. Muscles contain a great deal of protein and this protein is required for development of new muscle and mass, so high-protein foods are key for weight gain. When the high-protein food (which has lots of amino acids) is consumed, the amino acids are absorbed and carried in the blood to the muscles, which use the amino acids to build new mass.
- For treats, instead of giving dog treats, offer fresh vegetables like carrots or celery, which are wonderful sources of nutrients.
- Switch to a high-quality puppy food, which is higher proteins and other elements that are necessary to promote growth of muscle mass and fat.
- For very thin pets suffering from more serious cases of weight loss, speak to your vet about switching to a high-calorie prescription food, like Hill’s A/D diet for pets.
- Feed the dog or cat three or four medium-sized meals each day.
- To help a cat or dog gain weight, promote rest and sleep for the two hours following each meal. This will help temporarily slow the digestion process, allowing for the absorption of more calories and nutrients.
- Begin a daily low-impact exercise regime, comprised of an activity like walking or swimming. This will help promote the formation of muscle mass, much of which is depleted during a time of illness.
- Give the thin pet a daily multi-vitamin supplement. Pet vitamins will help provide necessary nutrients and vitamins in a pet’s diet.
“One very important thing to understand is that we do not want to feed fatty foods. People think weight gain and they think fatty foods. That’s not what we’re aiming for with a pet – we’re looking for a healthy weight gain comprised of muscle and some fat. In fact, fatty foods can have the opposite effect, as you can see vomiting, diarrhea and even life-threatening conditions, like pancreatitis in dogs and cats, so it’s important to feed healthy foods, rich in nutrients – not fatty foods,” Dr. Levine concluded.
There are many methods that can be used to help a pet gain weight, but helping a thin pet is something that must be done gradually. Sudden weight gain can be harmful to a pet's health. .
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Mia Carter - Mia Carter - Journalist, Producer/Editor & Web Writer. Carter's work has appeared on CBS and CNN.com.
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