I've had my dog for almost 2 years now and she is still underweight. When we got her she was very close to normal weight, but suffered severe separation anxiety when she parted with her previous owner. She caught a bad case of fleas and from that got tapeworm which that, combined with the anxiety, caused her to lose weight quickly when we got her. We were able to clear out the worms and the vet said she is in excellent health but the weight has never come back. We have tried many things, first the vet gave us expensive food along with a powder supplement to add to her meal with a feeding guide. That did nothing. I went on here and asked and was recommended to try a few high calorie natural dog foods as well as another type of supplement, nothing. Since none of these high end foods made a difference, and some she didn't like, we put her back on the food the previous owner had her on since she was at a good weight before. Still nothing. I know what her feeding schedule was like and we feed her more than that along with treats and appropriate human food and her weight still won't budge. The vet said she needs to gain about 5 pounds, you can't see her ribs but you can easily feel her ribs, spine, and hips. She's extremely energetic and get lots of exercise to help with her anxiety and hyperness. Because of her high energy and high metabolism we were told to feed her at least 3 times a day, but we haven't gotten a straight answer as to how much. We have a solo cup we use to fill her bowl along with a can of wet food and 3/4 of a teaspoon of GNC high calorie booster. I have used this product in the past when I worked in the shelter so I know it works. She is 56 pounds, she has a very small body for a shepherd, but she should weigh over 60 pounds. Does anyone have other suggestions for feeding schedule, homemade foods to add, other good foods you used for an underweight dog? Is there anything the vet should check for specifically? So far everything checks out and the vet says she is a healthy, happy dog and attributes the low weight to her being young and having a very high metabolism.
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