# Old dog with low body fat



## weedrea (Mar 29, 2009)

My old boy is going on for 15 1/2 now....not sure how he's lasted so long! He's always been a very slim golden as he's from a working line. His weight though has decreased from 35kg when he was younger to about 27kg now. He eats well but doesn't seem to be absorbing nutrition as much. Vet says given his age that they're not keen to do any extensive tests to see if something is wrong (clearly at his age he has some problems). 

But I wondered, has anyone any tips for helping your dog add fat/weight? He always just eats what he wants and if you give him bigger meals (or more meat) he'll just leave it. Plus if he does eat more (like bulking it out with carrots or mushrooms or yoghurt), it just turns him into a pooping/smelly machine.

Thanks
Andrea


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

15 1/2 is so great! He must have a very good life with you!

I might try changing to a higher fat food. The food I feed my dog, it comes in a higher fat-higher protein formula made specifically for sporting or working dogs. More calories, more fat. Something like that might help. 

Otherwise, if that's not an option, I'd maybe substitute some higher fat, higher calorie food in for his kibble - so he doesn't have to eat MORE, as that sounds like it doesn't work - but gets more calories. There are wet foods specifically made for nursing mother dogs - I fed that to my old girl when she was on chemo and losing weight. Major calorie pack. That might be a good place to start. The fact that it is a wet food also makes it more palatable. Oh, my vet also had a special wet food for dogs recovering from surgery or on chemo. Same idea - higher calories in a smaller portion - to help them heal. 

Good luck!


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## Pilgrim123 (Jul 26, 2014)

I'm not sure if it available in Canada, but here in Aus we have a powdered protein supplement called Sustagen which is a human food, but is often recommended for people who are recovering from operations or just need a bit of a boost to their diet. The hospital formula is best. As long as your dog isn't lactose intolerant, it may be worth giving something like that a go.


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