Tips for New Adopters

How do I get my Pyrenees to gain weight?

Goofy Chuck

There are a wide range of questions posed by those who adopt Great Pyrenees dogs.  And most certainly some of these same questions have been raised by foster families as no two dogs are alike.
In these posts we will share foster and adoptive parent's unique situations with their dogs and their experiences finding solutions.

This post about Chuck and his amazing foster parents Bethany and Jonathan.

Chuck is our first foster dog, so we didn't know what to expect.  Would he be playful or mellow?  Would he have any health problems?  It didn't take long for us to discover he is just a big, lovable goofball.  And yes-he's BIG.  Right now, he weighs around 100 lbs.  We estimate he'll probably weigh around 110-120 lbs. But it wasn't always that way.  When he first arrived, he was close to 70 lbs.


Since he was our first foster we were a little nervous but also excited to meet him.  He bounded out of the truck and ran toward us, his tail wagging.  And that was it.  He licked our faces and our hearts melted.  But it was also obvious his life hadn't always been easy.  We didn't know his history, but we could see he was far too skinny.  We could see his ribs and could feel each vertebra when we pet his back.  It broke our hearts.  But one of the reasons we singed up to foster was to make a difference in a dog's life.  This was our first opportunity.

Operation:   Help Chuck gain weight.

Tip 1:  Frequent, yet smaller meals

If you have an underweight dog, the temptation might be to feel large meals frequently.  But this isn't actually a good idea.  GPRS suggested feeding Chuck smaller meals more often.  This is, in part, to help prevent bloat, a common and extremely dangerous condition.  We didn't know much about bloat, so we did our research.  If you have an underweight dog, it's important to learn as much as you can about the condition.  Do your own research, yes, but also consult with your vet and or fostering agency.

Now we feed Chuck 4 times per day (2 cups each meal-like we said, he's a big boy!).  At first he was so hungry he'd gobble it down in a matter of seconds, so we bought a puzzle bowl.  This helped slow him down.

Tip 2:  High quality food

You will want to make sure your underweight dog is getting the very best in nutrition.  We feed chuck Wellness Core Large Breed, but we've also had good experiences with Canidae Pure, and Merrick Backcountry.  This is, of course, just personal preference.  The goal here is to feed the best quality food you can afford (check back to see the next Health and Wellness post where we will be exploring dog foods!).  Look for a high protein content and good quality ingredients.  We recommend checking Dog Food Advisor for reviews.

Chuck and Rain

Tip 3:  Satin balls/weight gain treats

Before Chuck, we'd never heard of satin balls.  They sounded delicious-but learned quickly they weren't for us.  Satin balls are high-calorie, weight supplement treats made specifically for underweight dogs.  We use the small version of this recipe.  We'll whip up a batch and store in the fridge for a few days.  Chuck gives two paws up for this tip!  He LOVES his satin balls.  WE can also see the difference they've made.  Each week, he's averaged around 5 lbs of weight gain when eating the satin balls.

Just make sure you let all the humans in the house know they're not for them.  Sure, they might look like delicious balls of dessert, but your human family members probably won't appreciate these raw beef and egg treats.

Handsome Chuck!

Tip 4:  Regular weigh-ins

Chuck looks forward to his Saturday morning weigh-ins!  He strolls into the vet's office like he's a celebrity-and he sort of is!  We can't blame him for loving it.  He gets pets, treats-and all he has to do is sit on the scale for a few seconds!  Regular weigh-ins are extremely important when you're trying to track a dog's weight.  We recommend just once a week.  It's enough time to see a difference, but not enough to obsess over the result.

Tip 5:  Love

Although cuddles and belly rubs may not have a direct correlation with weight gain, we feel they're an important part of any dog's recover.  And Chuck agrees!  He's still the happy, loveable boy he was when we first met him.  Only now he doesn't have to worry about where his next meal comes from.

Bethany

Thank you to Bethany and Jonathan for providing such great care for Chuck while he is in foster care and for providing this tip for new adopters!  If you are interested in adopting Chuck, his bio can be found here.  If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please click here.