[laura11982]

The vet said he needs to bulk up so he recommended adding Pedigree wet stuff to his dry Kirkland's Puppy food... The book we got on Boxers mentions feeding puppies his age 1/3 C three times a day.  The package of Kirland's Puppy says 2-2 3/4 C. per day.  We've been feeding him about 1/2 C of the dry mixed with about 1/2 C of the wet Pedigree...

I feel like we're underfeeding him.  He's only 27 lbs and you can see his spine and ribs.  He SCARFS his food like a mad man and always seems hungry.  I've heard that Boxers do this (scarf) but I am wondering if he's just totally famished!  

Any adivce would be awesome... I will call the vet in the AM, but I kind of think fellow Boxer people may know more about this.   :?   Here's some pics showing his 'skinnyness'.

 

[g00dgirl]

He doesn't look too bad in the photos, but I can't see his spine in the pics either.
I would feed him at least twice a day and split his meals.  Wet food isn't going to make him gain weight any more than dry and Kirklands is a better quality food so I wouldn't feed the wet unless you go with a better brand.  Feed him at least 2.5 cups per day so, 1.25 cups per meal if you feed twice per day.
Just give him time, he will gain weight you don't want to rush on the pounds by grossly overfeeding.  Boxers are lean dogs anyway, so a few pounds may be all he needs to fill out a bit.
Good luck with him!

 

[Nikki08]

Well believe it or not Ace went through a skinny phase too. Ate like a champ though! I'm with the previous poster- I wouldn't really bother with wet and would stick with a higher end food as long as the protein and fat levels are correct. At least it is an easy problem to fix! I feel your concern though, I was like that when I noticed Ace was getting gangly :wink: ! And now look...he's a beast!! 8)

 

[chiefster]

Chief was pretty skinny when we got him.  He wasn't interested in his food at all, so we brought him to the vet to make sure nothing else was wrong.  He is healthy, just thin, about 47 lbs at 8 months.  We added some Nature's Choice (or something like that, can't remember the brand exactly, it has no meat byproducts) wet pouches to his dry food, and now he eats great, gobbles it up instead of letting it sit all day.  We feed him 1.5 cups dry mixed with 1/2 wet pouch, splashed with some warm water to make it more gravier.  He get's that 2x's a day.  Plus he gets treats for sitting, going potty and his Kong with banana/peanut butter in it a few times a week.  He is filling out slowly but surely....

 

[Britneysdad]

Good Advice. I think the key is under weight is much easier to fix in most cases than over weight issues. They seem to go through different stages.  Sometimes wanting to eat more and sometimes less. Because boxers are lean dogs they seem to stay more on the lean side of things.

For Britney I look at the recommendations feeding schedule just as a guide only. Sometimes, she will eat less and sometimes more. If she acts as if she is really hungry and is looking for more I add a small portion until she says she is done.  For the most part she will only eat when she is hungry. (at least with dog food!)

You can see his ribs but I think from the pictures he looks fine.

 

[nano]

I always feed my young pups three times a day and they usually take about twice the recommended amounts.  Boxers are high energy dogs with a high metabolism when they are in their first two years.  You always want to moisten dry food with water when using it as it helps start it digesting and is easier for them to swallow.

Nano

 

[samsonsmom]

Take it slowly, like was already said, it's easier to fix an "underweight' problem than an overweight...Stuffing him to the gills is not the answer...As he will be getting regular meals now, that in itself will put weight on..Course an occasional protein snack of a Kong with PB & yogurt is awfully nice

 

[Drayken]

This may be slightly off topic, but one of the things that confuses me, is the amount to feed the pups, at certain ages. I want to feed 3 times a day, but not sure how much at ages 3 months, 5 months, 8 months, etc... Is there a "ball park" amount to go by? It seems many people don't follow the bag's instructions, since the boxer uses more energy than most dogs.

 

[sully]

He doesn't look overly thin to me, pretty normal for a boxer pup (some ribs).  The fact that he's only 27 pounds and not blatantly scrawny says to me that he just has a small frame.  At 6 months I was feeding Oggie up to 6 cups a day of human-grade kibble and he was still all ribs, but you just have to experiment because every dog is different.  But I do think 3 cups a day sounds a little light, and whatever book told you 1 cup a day I would immediately throw in the garbage.

 

[PhoenixsMom]

I would agree with what the others have already said. I think the recommendation of wet dog food was made perhaps on the thought that Porter wasn't eating - thus adding wet food would make it more appealing to him. A good grade dry kibble would be beneficial. Peanut butter is always a good treat to give and it is also entertaining to watch!

 

[Barbs2Ks]

I would feed at least 2 times a day and add in some snacks, like PB sandwiches.  I like to add sardines and eggs (at different times) to their meals for something different and for health reasons.

 

[Majorsdad]

Major, at 6 months was just a little over 30 lbs, and his ribs were sticking out, you could see his spine, and also his hip bones.  It seems like all boxers go through the really skinny phase.  The vet told me to feed him 1/3 more.  At the time we were feeding him 2/3 of a cup 3 times per day, so he wanted us to increase it to a cup 3x per day.  He got diarrhea because we increased too fast, so we also switched to a rice based food to stop that problem.  Increase his food slowly, and feed him 3x per day also.  Once he starts to put weight on though, make sure he doesn't start to get fat(which i doubt he would).  Major just turned 10 months and he's at 1.5cups 3x per day.

 

[laura11982]

Thanks for all the advice and reassurance!  I know that he used to have to compete for food with 4 other dags at his old home, so that may be part of it.  I will increase him to 1 cup 3 x per day and take the wet food back.

 

[Hedgey]

Well after readin these posts i don't know if i'm doing right with cassie as we just fill her bowl and put it down for her but she's not interested in it at all till about 6pm onwards, she has treats during the day for when she's done what we ask sort of thing but we can't get her to eat her food till at least that time every day. sometimes she will have that then maybe about 11pm she might want more but if her bowl gets empty we just fill it, even tho she eats like she does she still weighed 33lb at 5 months so think she is ok