How to Fatten Up a Dog the Right Way

Let’s face it: fat dogs are cute.

Now take note, there’s a difference between a fat dog and an obese dog. A dog with enough fat on its body is cute, while an obese dog is not. Obese dogs are also prone to life threatening diseases and you wouldn’t want that for your pet right? It’s not worth having a fat pet if you’re going to trade his life for it.

There are also some dog breeds that are naturally heavily built and other that are naturally slim. For example: it would be easier to make an English Bulldog fatter when compared to a Greyhound. So, this guide may not be for everyone and the results may vary from one breed to another and from an individual dog to another.

What’s important is that you are given the right steps to help your pooch add on some weight.

This is a guide on how to fatten up a dog the right way

The first step in anything concerning your dog’s diet and lifestyle is to make sure that you consult a vet to find out if what you’re planning to do is safe. Trying to fatten up a dog that is genetically slim can have disastrous results.

Your veterinarian can also check for other reasons that could impede your dog’s weight gain like worms and other diseases that you may not have noticed.

Once your dog is given a clean bill of health, your veterinarian can give you great advice on diet, vitamins and other activities that can help you achieve your goals with your dog.

Increasing your dog’s calorie intake will help it gain more weight easily. The only caveat to this is you can’t do this all at once. You have to increase your dog’s food intake gradually.

Most commercial dog food lists down their ingredients. Check for the calories at the back and choose the ones with the highest calories per serving stated. Another tip: look for dog food that says “High Calorie” on it.

Just like humans, dogs get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. It may seem like your pooch is happy just eating dog food every day but chances are, they’re only eating because they’re hungry. If you want to increase your dog’s appetite, change his diet regularly. Chicken liver is a good addition to any dog’s diet especially if you want to fatten him up.

If you still prefer to have your dog’s diet predominantly consisting of dog food, change it up every now and then by adding tuna fish oil, egg yolks or vegetable enzymes. This will help with your dog’s digestion as well as keep their fur nice and shiny.

If your dog doesn’t like eating dry dog food, you may have to switch him to wet food and alternate between the two so you don’t spoil him too much.

Most commercial dog food that is available in the market today already contains vitamins and minerals but it won’t hurt if you add more supplements to your dog’s diet. Ask your veterinarian about doggie vitamins and minerals to help your pet increase his mass.

These are also available in pet sections in any grocery nationwide.

Dogs are creatures of habit. If you are able to maintain a schedule then your dog will be able to follow a simple diet and exercise plan that you have created making the process easier in the long run.

Last but not the least: walk your dog.

This may seem like a counter-productive measure to fatten up a dog but there are a lot of benefits to walking your dog. Walking your dog before and after meals helps it to digest the food they’ve taken in faster. This leads to proper usage of the nutrients they’ve taken in and rapid muscle development which replaces fat. Your dog will also have a healthy appetite thanks to the regular exercise you give it making feeding time a more pleasurable experience. So, if you want to fatten up a dog, take it for a walk.

This is a very simple process as all it involves is regular exercise, feeding your dog at the right time and going about your regular daily activities. The crucial element to this step by step procedure is proper timing and adherence to the schedule you’ve imposed.

At the start, you will have to either feed your dog more food every feeding time or increase the number of meals per day and gradually decrease it once you’ve hit the proper weight you are aiming for your dog.

1.       Take your dog out for a short 15 minute walk before his meal to increase his appetite and to give him a little bit of exercise. This is also the perfect time for your dog to eliminate bodily wastes to completely empty out his bowels and bladder.

Just like with humans, your dog’s breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Serve a hefty amount of food at the start of the day for your pet. Add one or two mashed hard boiled eggs (depending on your dog’s size and breed) and a few drops of tuna fish oil to make the meal more interesting.

After your dog has finished his meal, give him his vitamins and provide a high calorie treat after he has downed the pills. Make sure he has plenty of fresh water to drink throughout the day.

2.       Take your dog out for a short walk around the block again

Lunch is pretty much going to be as heavy as breakfast. This time add vegetable enzymes to increase the nutritional value of the meal. Another option is to add chopped liver into the mix.

3.       Take your dog out for a short walk again before providing him with snacks.

Snacks should consist of high calorie snacks you can purchase at any grocery or from the veterinarian’s clinic. Snack time is also the perfect time to engage in other activities with your dog. You can reinforce his obedience training during this time.

4.       Take your dog out again for a short walk before serving dinner.

Since you are trying to fatten up your dog, dinner time should be almost the same amount of food as Lunch minus a scoop or two of dog food.

Once dinner is done, take your dog out for it’s last walk of the day and repeat the process the next day for at least 2 weeks or until you see a significant amount of change in your dog’s weight or appearance.

Note: there is a reason why you have to take your dog out for a walk before and after each meal. Walking helps establish your relationship with your dog as the leader of the pack. After the walk, providing your dog with food establishes it as a reward for good behavior. Your dog will eventually be able to understand that taking a walk means there’s food afterwards. He’ll look forward to every session with you once that happens.

Each dog is unique and you may have to make adjustments here and there to create a more personalized plan for your pet.

Make sure you regularly weigh your pet and adhere to the agreed upon weight you and your veterinarian discussed. Once you’ve attained his ideal weight, gradually decrease the food intake and you’ll have a healthy pet always eager to accompany you wherever you want to go!

So, I hope this guide has helped you and I hope to hear from you soon. You and your pet just might come up with something new that we could share with the rest of the community!

Goodbye for now.