My 6-month Akita puppy is underweight. Can quality food help him grow?

Most puppies should be proper weight if they are getting fed puppy food, and in his case large breed puppy food. If you are concerned about his weight, then I would recommend getting him checked to ensure he isn't losing nutrition due to intestinal parasites, which is the #`1 cause for weight loss in puppies. Otherwise, he may just be naturally lean. I can see his ribs there but he is laying down, if he stands and his ribs are still readily pronounced, then he may be a tad bit underweight. Also if he has any loose stool, this can indicate other internal organ issues that should be checked by your vet. If he has an underlying issue that is not treated, then no matter what you feed him, he will continue to be undersized. I hope that things work out well for your pet Thunder and that his weight normalizes soon! Best wishes and take care.

First, I would make sure you feed Dio a puppy food, not an adult food. Second, make sure you are feeding him enough cups of food. Third, make sure to feed a high quality large breed puppy food. A grain free brand like Merrick or Wellness or Taste of the Wild would be great. Even Science Diet Large Breed puppy would be ok. Last, make sure your puppy has had a fecal test run to make sure he doesn’t have worms. A monthly heartworm prevention, like Heartgard or Interceptor, treats parasites too. If your dog is still not gaining, they may need further testing or work up. In addition, adding a probiotic may help as well. I like Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes and Probiotics.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Yukon. It can be difficult to keep weight on some young very active dogs. First, he should see his veterinarian for blood and urine testing to ensure there is no underlying disease that is affecting him. If he is deemed healthy, then you can consider another brand of food. Some dogs will respond better to one brand over another. I would stay within the performance line of foods though with the 30:20 ratio you are using. You can feed more than the bag recommends if necessary and supplement with canned food. Your goal is to be able to easily feel all of his ribs and see the last few for him to be at a healthy weight. He needs a defined waist from the top and side views as well. Lastly, neutering him will slow his metabolism and result in weight gain. I hope this information helps!

It can be normal for some dogs to be picky eaters, especially if they are rewarded with human food if they wait long enough. It is not normal however for Yuki to be losing weight. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian to rule out a medical problem first - if she seems otherwise healthy you can then discuss trying to find a commercial dog food that she likes (canned food might be an option), or discuss talking to a nutritionist to formulate a balanced home cooked diet.

If she is underweight she may have an underlying medical condition. I suggest you have her examined by a vet. That is big weight discrepancy. Be sure you are feeding her a high quality food like Royal Canin puppy and be sure she has been properly dewormed. You can also try this supplement. ( https://jawsnpaws.in/pet-mankind-aptiquik.html ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Smokey. The average American dog is quite overweight. So if you have one at a healthy weight, it will usually look too thin. You want a thin covering over the ribs when you run your hands along his sides. He should have a waist the curves in from the top and size views. There is a one through nine scale of body condition scores. A healthy weight is a four or five. Every dog food contains a different amount of calories per cup. At six months of age, he should still eat puppy food. Look at the side of the food bag for feeding recommendations. Keep in mind, these are typically too high for most dogs. His weight looks great in your picture, but it obviously hard to tell for sure. Your current feeding amount is likely adequate. I hope this information helps! https://www.justrightpetfood.com/blog/dog-body-condition-score

You should feed a good quality brandname puppy food for medium sized dogs. This will have enough protein to make appropriate muscle in your puppy. If you get too much muscle at his age his bones may not be strong enough for it. So it is better to let him grow slowly. Give him lots of exercise appropriate for his age. If you think he still does not have enough muscle at the age of 1 1/2 years you should take him to a vet for a general exam and assessment. If all is well then you can feed the adult version of the food you are feeding or go to a veterinary nutritionist and have a healthy ration calculated for what you want. Do not overfeed protein at this age as it will be detrimental to his bone development and may compromise kidney function. His muscle mass will vary while he is growing, he will have more one day and less another until the body is fully grown.