# Help my golden gain weight



## liquidr1

My golden is 1 year and 3 months old. I took him to the vet last week for his yearly shots. he weighed only 51 pounds. My vet said he should be at least 60-65 pounds by now. 

His food history. I got him at 9 weeks of age and the breeder had him on puppy chow. I know purina sucks. But he stayed on that until about 8 months. Then i switched him to Now! grain free and he ate it but not alot. He was on that until i switched him to origen about 6 weeks ago. He seemed to love origen for the first 4 days or so but now hes right back to barely eating half a cup to a cup of food a day. Some times he wont eat at all. Iv tried mixin canned food, putting beef gravy on his food, and he is just a pick eater.

I need him to gain weight and actually enjoy eating. He sheds horridly, but his skin is perfect and clear and he doesnt scratch any. 

What food do you recomend to put some pounds on him. My vet sugested i try Eukanuba premium performance 30/20. I bought that i he has refused to touch it.


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## Jim Cahill

I feed Luke Iams , he's 3 1/2 yrs old weighs in at 67lbs


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## RedDogs

If he is refusing/not eating much food...find a specialist. Some of these dogs who are refusing to eat/much for long periods of time can have something wrong...resulting in pain when they eat. One dog I know is on constant anti-inflammitory (sp?) drugs....after YEARS of barely eating they had a lot of different tests done and found out her stomach seemed to be very irritated on the inside. Now she's eating, training is going much better, and she's ---way--- more happy.

There are training protocols to teach dogs to eat but medical issues -must- be ruled out first.


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## liquidr1

well, he does eat and the vet says hes healthy. Hes very active. I just dont think iv found the food that hes excited about yet.


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## RedDogs

How easily do you feel his ribs? spine? hips?

It is possible that he's a good weight and your vet is used to seeing overweight dogs.... 10-15 pounds underweight is a LOT... and while male goldens "should" be that big according to standard, your dog might be just not that big...I have a healthy 52lb male. 

But 1/2 a cup of food a day is not a lot for an active dog...


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## Ranger

Ranger's been fed Iams (yuck), Go!, and Orijen 6 fish since I got him last May. He's always been happy to eat his meals but I recently switched him to EVO red meat and he went nuts! He's sooo excited to eat his kibble now that's it EVO. I'm not sure if it's because of the brand or the red meat but either way he's loving it. It's also a higher calorie food (527 cals a cup, I think) so that would help your dog gain weight. Ranger is 72 lbs and only gets 2 cups a day or else he starts to gain weight. 2 cups a day plus an 90 min walk a day and 3-4 hours of playtime/day and 5-6 hour hikes on the weekend and he still can't get more than 2 cups. 

You could also add a raw egg occasionally to entice him to eat his kibble or some sardines. Ranger will sometimes get the tuna or salmon juice from the tin to top up his meals.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

Get some canned Trippetts tripe... smells horrid but dogs go batty for it. If you can't find it locally, you can order online from places like pawschoice. Put a quarter can or so in with his kibble. Also, satin balls can be used to gain weight, but are not to be used long term for their only food.


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

Satin Balls:



> *Satin Balls - The Original Recipe*​The following recipe was sent to *Wellpet* by Diana Carreon, R.N.,C. It quickly became one of the most requested posts on Wellpet.​*Ingredients*​
> 10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
> 1 lg. box of Total cereal
> 1 lg. box oatmeal
> 1 jar of wheat germ
> 1 1/4 cup veg oil
> 1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
> 10 raw eggs AND shells
> 10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
> pinch of salt
> Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.
> Divide into 10 quart freezer bags and freeze.
> Thaw as needed and feed raw!
> *Uses*​"I take a frozen pack to dogs' shows with me, kept on ice, and never have had any trouble with it spoiling, even in the heat of Texas summers..."
> "All my dogs go crazy over this stuff...but you have to be careful, it will put weight on the dogs pretty fast if you feed enough....I feed a pack a day...half in am , half in pm."
> "When I want to increase the weight on a dog, I feed more; so far I haven't got to the point where they won't eat anymore, and believe me, Satin has eaten a lot at one setting. It will put on the weight, make the coats soft and blue black (on black dogs at least, that's all I have)."
> "The dogs stop all the itching and chewing at their coats/skin, their eyes get this bright look and the energy level goes out the roof (not that Belgians need any more energy)."
> "The bitch that I got this recipe for is a picky eater, but when she in on the food (I long ago stopped trying to "bury" it the other food; they just hunt it down to eat first, and making a mess trying) she eats much better. It seems


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## Ladyinblack

How does he look to you? My puppy is 10 months and he is 63 lbs. He looks small to me, thin, I would say. He is long and tall so that makes him look thin, I don't feel his ribs though. I feed him California Natural, Herring and Sweet Potato. I thought he liked it but I went to Petsmart I encountered a sales rep from Bil-Jac, he said it was premium food fed to T.V. dogs. He told me about a challenge so I tried it I fed it to him for a couple of days and then I tried to give him back his old food to see what he would choose. I kept moving the bowl around and he kept going for the Bil-Jac. You can go to their website and get a sample to try it...

If you like the food you are giving him try to give it to him with a teaspoon of canned 100% pumkin or plain yogurt. I've considered maybe switching my puppy to Flint River, Lamb and rice, I heard is good for shedding... They have samples so I'll try it...


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## Jax's Mom

What about adding fresh cooked meats to his food, liked cooked chicken or chopped meat? What about a small amount of chicken hearts. Mine love that flavor.


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## BeauShel

There is not one weight that a golden should weigh by a certain time. It depends on what the parents looked like. Not all goldens are the same size. If you can feel his ribs but not see them then I would not worry. Dont keep changing the foods all the time because that will make a more picky eater. If you do change something again try adding things to the food but keep him on a schedule of putting the food down for 10 minutes and then pick it up. And then again at the next meal. A healthy dog will not starve themselves. 
Good luck!!


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## FlyingQuizini

How 'bout a picture of your pup?

I have a healthy, active, fully grown male Golden who is 21.5" and 43 lbs.


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## hgatesy

> There is not one weight that a golden should weigh by a certain time. Not all goldens are the same size.


Agreed! Comparing my two male goldens... there was a difference in weight throughout. At this time Parker weighs about 69lbs and Camden weighs 59lbs. I would make sure your dog is really "underweight" before you start packing on the pounds. 

We once had to make an emergency trip to the vet with our lab (not our usual vet) and the vet commented on how underweight Tyson is.... "he's too thin". I of course looked at him like he was crazy, and told him I completely disagreed with him. The dog weighs 73lbs and is all muscle. He does of course look thin compared to probably 95% of the labs you'll see just because I do keep him lean, however he is by no means underweight. When we visit our regular vet we get praise for not having fat dogs. So right there are two vets with different perspectives on things.


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## kwiland

I think that it's actually better for a dog to be a bit lean. It's better for their joints, and overall health. That being said, if your dog does need to gain weight (I'd love to see some photos), then add healthy calories. I feed my dog a raw diet, so that's my bias. But good protein, and healthy fats would be a good idea. Most Goldens love fatty fish like tuna, salmon, sardines, and mackrel. Essential fatty acids, and the Omega fats will add calories, and do wonders for the skin, coat, and joints. Eggs are great. And natural peanut butter is also a source of calories and good fat.

This link shows the shape a dog is in, if it's over or underweight. How does your dog compare? http://www.pet-health-care-gazette....dogs-and-cats/dog-body-condition-score-chart/


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom

Ladyinblack said:


> How does he look to you? My puppy is 10 months and he is 63 lbs. He looks small to me, thin, I would say. He is long and tall so that makes him look thin, I don't feel his ribs though. I feed him California Natural, Herring and Sweet Potato. I thought he liked it but I went to Petsmart I encountered a sales rep from Bil-Jac, he said it was premium food fed to T.V. dogs. He told me about a challenge so I tried it I fed it to him for a couple of days and then I tried to give him back his old food to see what he would choose. I kept moving the bowl around and he kept going for the Bil-Jac. You can go to their website and get a sample to try it...
> 
> If you like the food you are giving him try to give it to him with a teaspoon of canned 100% pumkin or plain yogurt. I've considered maybe switching my puppy to Flint River, Lamb and rice, I heard is good for shedding... They have samples so I'll try it...


 
Bill-Jac has either BHA or BHT, artificial carcinogenic preservatives. Almost all foods have removed it from their products but them. As I remember, it isn't listed on the website.... pretty cryptic with their analysis/nutritional breakdown, but I looked just a few weeks ago while in Pet Supplies Plus ( since I couldn't believe it was being used) and it is stated on the bag.


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## liquidr1

Ladyinblack said:


> How does he look to you? My puppy is 10 months and he is 63 lbs. He looks small to me, thin, I would say. He is long and tall so that makes him look thin, I don't feel his ribs though. I feed him California Natural, Herring and Sweet Potato. I thought he liked it but I went to Petsmart I encountered a sales rep from Bil-Jac, he said it was premium food fed to T.V. dogs. He told me about a challenge so I tried it I fed it to him for a couple of days and then I tried to give him back his old food to see what he would choose. I kept moving the bowl around and he kept going for the Bil-Jac. You can go to their website and get a sample to try it...
> 
> If you like the food you are giving him try to give it to him with a teaspoon of canned 100% pumkin or plain yogurt. I've considered maybe switching my puppy to Flint River, Lamb and rice, I heard is good for shedding... They have samples so I'll try it...


i can feel his ribs faily well. His fron and rear leg muscles are very solid and look good. its just that he wont fill out any and now my vet says he too light for his age. it has me worried. I want him to fill out to the beautiful golden that he is. He looks like the perfect golden but he just needs to fill out some. And if i could get him in a higher calorie diet i think he would. 

im thinking about trying the EVO red meat


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## liquidr1

kwiland said:


> I think that it's actually better for a dog to be a bit lean. It's better for their joints, and overall health. That being said, if your dog does need to gain weight (I'd love to see some photos), then add healthy calories. I feed my dog a raw diet, so that's my bias. But good protein, and healthy fats would be a good idea. Most Goldens love fatty fish like tuna, salmon, sardines, and mackrel. Essential fatty acids, and the Omega fats will add calories, and do wonders for the skin, coat, and joints. Eggs are great. And natural peanut butter is also a source of calories and good fat.
> 
> This link shows the shape a dog is in, if it's over or underweight. How does your dog compare? http://www.pet-health-care-gazette....dogs-and-cats/dog-body-condition-score-chart/


I would say that he is a 4 judging by scale. I will take some up today pics when i get home tonight. He is a very happy and active dog. He just came in from running all over the yard with my sisters dog. 

Judging by that scale my vet would think he needs to be a 5 or 6 with emphasis closer to 6.


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## Tahnee GR

If he's a 4, I would say he's probably right where he needs to be, within a pound or two. I'm a little confused by what you mean by "fill out." Some Goldens simply will not develop much rib spring, and simply adding fat to the ribs is not going to add it either.

It sounds like he is well muscled. He may simply be a rangier type Golden. As someone else said, pictures would be helpful.


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## liquidr1

Here are some pics of him from my myspace page. Thats all i can post until i get back home from my parents house later tonight.

Page 3 is all pics take since he turned 1 year old in January.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/ind...ture&friendID=20284426&albumId=2809750&page=3


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## Ladyinblack

Penny & Maggie's Mom said:


> Bill-Jac has either BHA or BHT, artificial carcinogenic preservatives. Almost all foods have removed it from their products but them. As I remember, it isn't listed on the website.... pretty cryptic with their analysis/nutritional breakdown, but I looked just a few weeks ago while in Pet Supplies Plus ( since I couldn't believe it was being used) and it is stated on the bag.


Good to know about Bil-Jac... I almost switched him to that food because he seemed to like it so much...


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## Ladyinblack

liquidr1 said:


> i can feel his ribs faily well. His fron and rear leg muscles are very solid and look good. its just that he wont fill out any and now my vet says he too light for his age. it has me worried. I want him to fill out to the beautiful golden that he is. He looks like the perfect golden but he just needs to fill out some. And if i could get him in a higher calorie diet i think he would.
> 
> im thinking about trying the EVO red meat


I don't think weight is really an issue with your Golden. You did mentioned that he is such a pick eater that only eats about 1/2- 1 cup of food a day. The trick with your dog is getting him to eat all his food and he will fill up. Some people feed their dogs pumpkin when they have loose stools but I feed it everyday. My puppy's breeder said is good for males and their prostate. My puppy loves it and swallows his food in seconds when I run out he takes longer to eat. I don't know how healthy organs are to make them eat their food so I rather try something somewhat healthy IMO. 

Also maybe trying snacking... carrots, frozen green beans. Even frozen Kongs with their food and some yogurt. I sometimes give him a kong with banana and cream cheese. I feed my puppy a kong filled with peanut butter (high protein) every night like a bottle to a baby. All that licking tires him out and goes to sleep... It's help him bulk up a little... I started doing that when a vet told me that he was underweight. She told me to follow the food bag directions. I wasn't doing to slow growth thing but I didn't want him to grow to fast into his bones... once he got to a big size I did that to give him more calories and fill up... I can always go down but so far he is 63 lbs and still thin.


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## Ranger

Oh yeah those peanut butter kongs can really add weight. Ranger was getting one every second day in the winter since we weren't walking as much with cold weather and he quickly started to plump up! I've cut them out since February and he's lost about 2 lbs since then. Not to mention the dogs love them!


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## liquidr1

UPDATE: Great News.

Monday i went and got Jaxon some EVO Red Meat and a 12 pack of the EVO chicken and Turkey canned food. 

He is finally excited about eating. He actually loves the red meat dry by its self. But when i mix the chicken/turky canned with it he laps it all up.

He finally eats a hole bowl of food in one sitting. Last night he actually went to his empty bowl and whined for more. I gave him half a bowl more and he at it all up.

And to beat it all, he did not get runny or loose stools from the switch from orijen to Evo. His stool have been much much smaller on the evo. Iv read that orijen is really good, but his stools where huge on it compare to the evo. I wonder if he was even digesting the origen at all. 

But whats already amazing is that in just 3 days i can already see his ribs dissappearing.


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## Pudden

good news - but please please don't let him get fat now. If he was a 4 on the body scale, then he's right where he should be. Being lean and healthy is great and will keep him fit and strong. 

It sounds a bit as though your vet is not all that clear on what a healthy weight golden should be like. Sadly, I've found, there's a great number of vets out there who have little clue how to bodyscore a dog (one wonders if this never comes up in vet school?)


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## BeauShel

I agree with Pudden. You dont want to see the ribs but you do want to feel them very easily. Dont let him dictate to you what he gets fed. Stick to a food amount and dont let that sad whine and puppy face influence you.


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## AquaClaraCanines

He looks fine in those photos.


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## Duke's Momma

He's very handsome. I agree with most all that he doesn't look too thin for his age anyway. If he's only 1 or so then he's still a "puppy" trying to fill in. 

Duke was once an overweight golden and it wasn't pretty. So I echo the concerns regarding allowing him to get too heavy now that he's eating. That said, 1/2 cup of food per day isn't much food! So, you now must be very diligent to watch his weight. Take him in every week to get a weight. And then log it. And, watch that waist. It can disappear on you and then he is too heavy and you have the task of him losing weight!

Again, he's very handsome.


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## kgiff

I agree on many vets not being up on what a healthy weight for dogs is. I had a new vet to our practice want to run all sorts of test on my berner based on the number that came up on the scale. She hadn't even taken a good look at him or felt him before coming to the conclusion that he didn't weight enough and there had to be something wrong with him. 

I also had a vet tell me when I said my golden was too heavy at 91 pounds that I may be able to take a little weight off of him, but he's big boned and I'd never be able to get him under 85. Imagine her surprise when I brought him back weighing 67. She deemed him healthy and probably the most fit golden in her practice. 

Weight is one area I don't always agree with my vet on. And I will agree with everyone else with the concerns about allowing him to get too heavy. I try to keep my dogs on the lean side of normal and they're healthy and happy and even my older guys are considered to be in great shape for their age -- which I attribute in part to keeping them lean. (And I'm another with a young male that weighs in at 46.5 pounds sopping wet.)


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## Willow52

Ladyinblack said:


> ...I've considered maybe switching my puppy to Flint River, Lamb and rice, I heard is good for shedding... They have samples so I'll try it...


My Maggie (RIP) ate Flint River Ranch Lamb & Rice most of her life, it was a good food, she did well on it but if you're buying it with the idea that it will help with the shedding...don't. I can tell you from experience it won't make a difference. All goldens shed, a lot, and no particular food will change that. Of course a good quality food will help with a healthy coat.


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## Solas Goldens

HI... I had the same issue with Jake, and was really worried. It looked like I never fed him. He was healthy active, but really thin. I tried changing his food, and put him on food for a high activity dog for the extra calories. We gave him all kinds of food incentives to make him eat more.I took him to the vet an had a work up done on him to make sure he didn't have something going on.There wasn't anything wrong. and the vet said that he was fine, and that he would probably gain weight after he was neutered.Which is exactly what happened. I had him neutered at 18 months and within that year he gained weight and now looks fine. He still isn't a big eater and on;y will eat when hingry. I wish I could say the same for myself! LOL!


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## NuttinButGoldens

I went through the same exact thing with Gilmour. It took him all day to eat meals. He also had soft stools. This went on for months and months.

In the end the cure for him was....

Another Golden 

Instantly, his eating issues were solved. He started eating immediately and with passion. A little food competition, turns out, is a good thing 

The soft stools remained, however. I finally bit the bullet and changed his food to California Natural Lamb & Rice. He was on a Chicken based product.

Within a day his stools returned to normal, and were 1/3 the size in quantity of what they were. This tells me that he wasn't digesting the old food properly.

Gilmour is a smaller Golden (and I love this about him). He's at the 65-70 pound range. Normal males are 65-75 pounds.

Once you do get him eating well, watch his structure as much as his actual weight. Don't let him get fat just to put weight on him. That's very, very bad. If he's small, he's small.

You definitely need to have your Vet involved in all this as well. Thorough checks for parasites need to be done. Some of them are very hard to detect, such as Giardia.


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## NuttinButGoldens

To me, an otherwise healthy small Golden in the 50-60 pound range is a very special thing indeed 



RedDogs said:


> How easily do you feel his ribs? spine? hips?
> 
> It is possible that he's a good weight and your vet is used to seeing overweight dogs.... 10-15 pounds underweight is a LOT... and while male goldens "should" be that big according to standard, your dog might be just not that big...I have a healthy 52lb male.
> 
> But 1/2 a cup of food a day is not a lot for an active dog...


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## Ranger

Glad to hear the EVO red meat is working out for you! Make sure you watch his weight, especially now that he's on a higher calorie kibble AND he's finally eating full meals. Ranger gets under 2 cups a day to maintain his weight at 72 lbs.

Ranger made the switch from Orijen to EVO with no loose poops either. I didn't even transition him as I had run out of Orijen - just made the switch. He had a breakfast of Orijen then supper with EVO and not a problem.

I think once dogs get used to the high protein foods, feeding them comparative types of kibble doesn't affect them as much. Ranger can eat EVO, Orijen or GO! (sometimes 2 different in a day) without any adverse effects but it took him months before he got used to Orijen when he switched from a poorer quality food.


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## Pudden

The Pudden gets about 2 cups of Innova Evo per day, most meals with some fresh meat substituting part of the kibble.

Before each feeding, I feel her ribs and hips. I want to feel no fat covering ribs and hip bones, and I want to feel a touch of spine between the hip bones, but not too much. 

I'd recommend to everybody to feel their dogs daily and get a good feel for what hips and ribs are like at a healthy weight. That way, you won't ever have to weigh them. I can feel immediately if the Pudden has put on or lost a pound or two, and I adjust her food accordingly. The only time the Pud goes on a scale is when she gets loaded into a bush plane, and I can usually predict her weight within one or two pounds. 

And don't ever let anyone tell you that all that "is just his thick coat". Even the thickest coat doesn't make that much of a difference. You should still feel ribs right through.

I learned all that while working at a sled dog kennel, and some of them have about the thickest coats around. :yes:


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## liquidr1

Well Jaxon has been on Evo read meat for about a week now. Iv been giving him 1.5 cups mixed with a can of the Evo 95% chicken/turky.

Took him to the vet this morning to get on the scale. Guess what. He went from 51 lbs. to 54.5 in a week. His ribs are starting to dissapear now. 

i feel much relieved now that he actually enjoys eating.

im also starting to see a decrease in his shedding too.


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## GR_Princess

I also heard, part of the issues when dogs are have trouble gaining weight, they are not absorbing all of the nutrients in the food and sometimes adding Digestive Enzymes like Great Life, will do the trick.


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## Bender

Remember he's still a 'teen' and could take till he's 3 or 4 to totally fill out. Don't let him get fat just because the vet said he should weigh a certain number.... that's like saying every human adult should weigh the same.... not going to happen!

Lana


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## Toffifay

My dog has been eating the Evo Red meat for over a month, now, and I've noticed she's getting a little "fluffy"! According to the Natura feeding calculator she is supposed to have 3 1/3 cups per day. That is too much for her, so although she would happily eat herself into oblivion, I have cut her back to 2 1/2 cups per day. She still isn't too thin even on that amount..


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## Ranger

Oh man, I can't imagine feeding Ranger 3 cups a day of EVO. He'd be huge! Even with 2 cups a day, he still needs to get out for his daily walks or else he packs on the pounds quickly. He gets at least an hour's walk a day plus 4 hours of playtime with his doggie buddy AND on the weekends we go on 3-6 hour hikes...and he still maintains his weigh on 2 cups. Of course, when he's not playing/exercising he's passed out sleeping...but still.


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## Pudden

Ranger said:


> Oh man, I can't imagine feeding Ranger 3 cups a day of EVO. He'd be huge! Even with 2 cups a day, he still needs to get out for his daily walks or else he packs on the pounds quickly. He gets at least an hour's walk a day plus 4 hours of playtime with his doggie buddy AND on the weekends we go on 3-6 hour hikes...and he still maintains his weigh on 2 cups. Of course, when he's not playing/exercising he's passed out sleeping...but still.


ditto Pudden. She gets about 2 cups of Evo per day, and she has at least 1-2 hrs of intense exercise (skijoring, biking, running) every day and more on weekends


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## sifuyono

if you would like to have your golden gain weight... use performance food

i use proplan performance, it's easier to gain weight compare to the reguler food


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## mjf

I have a puppy who was only 53 pounds, and should have been closer to 60 or 65 (he had a "rough start" with puppy diseases.... I won't go into all of that!!)

Anyway, I started him on a food that I had heard wonderful things about; Life Abundance. It is a very fresh dry-food, loaded with good stuff (you can get a canned version as well). When I purchased it, I was told, _"the one thing some people have to be careful with this product is, not letting their dogs gain too much weight!! Most dogs get plenty of nutrition will less amount"_ I thought "Perfect!!"

My puppy has a huge appetite, so I started him on 1-1/2 cup, twice a day. After 3 weeks, he is up to 57.6 pounds. Not wanting "too much of a good thing", I now have him on 1 cup, twice a day.

He also has TONS of energy, and loves the food. This has been such a success, I now have my female on the weight-control formula. She loves it as well.

I know you have received many good comments as to what you can do; just thought I would add my comment to the mix! Good luck. :wavey:


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