Please help! My chocolate lab is so skinny! Not sick looking, but definitely WAY skinnier than most labs. He has a really sensitive stomach, so the vet has us feeding him Hill's prescription diet, and he said to feed him 1 1/2 cups 2 X a day, but I feed 3 X a day because I just feel so bad for my dog! He has BOUNDLESS energy and loves to eat, but he never gains a pound! People give me dirty looks because they think I'm starving my dog. Any all-natural advice on how to get him to bulk up? He weighs around 65 lbs, but he has the LONG, gangly legs so he looks like he's walking on stilts!

Mmmmmm
How old is he, and what cant he eat?
Personally i really dont rate Hills science diet at all (the vet i used to do part time weekend slavery for would not feed it too his dogs, adn only stocked it for a couple of ladies who wouldnt feed anything else. He never once reccommended it to anyone!)

Could you consider feeding a raw diet?
Yoghurt is good for upset stomachs, the live stuff with the bacteria in, it replaces the bacteria in the gut and stuff, so that they work effectively.
There are also loads of herbal things, Tarragon, Marjoram, Basil, Oregano, Thyme Coriander, and Dill are all beneficial to the digestive system. What i do with my lot is offer them a selection of the above, and they like all of them, but dont always pick out the same ones each time.

At the end of the day, if he was mine, id feed a raw diet, which without all the chemicals and antioxidants, carcinogenic compounds, and al the other rubbish, is much easier on the digestive system.
But, its what ever you feel comfortable doing, If you are interested, read Dr Billingtons 'Give your dog a bone' about the barf diet. I find him a bit patronising, but never the less, i cant really pick any major faults with what he says.

I would say though, its more likely to do your dog harm if he is overweight rather than underweight!

Em

My son was like this The doctors always said that as long as he was full of energy and otherwise well, then that was just the way he was going to be. Now at nearly twenty, 6'3", he is barely 9 stone.

My vet says that she prefers dogs to be on the thin side and having seen a lot of overweight young labs who can't keep up running with my two dogs, I can see why. You may be doing him a kindness by keeping him thin

Daisy

i would not worry as long as your dog seems to be fit and happy with lots of energy. it is much better for dogs to be on the lean side rather than on the fat side. how old is he and what is his breeding? is he from working labs as these tend not to be as heavy and stocky as the show labs. virtually every lab i have seen at work has been horribly overweight, with the exception of the nice lean fit working labs and certain types of guide dogs. unless he seems lethargic or miserable i would not worry, people probably think he is too thin cos they are comparing him to labs that are too fat! if he is young he may still fill out. you should be able to feel his ribs under a light covering, unless his ribs or spine are very prominant i would not worry. if you still think he needs to put on weight you could try adding some raw lamb to his diet.
kelly

What is his poo like. It should be firm, and be able to be rolled onto a shovel, not need scraping up?

65 pounds for a young lab doesn't sound bad, and with him being fed several times a day I get the impression he is under a year old.

Yopung dogs especially makles look gangly and thin it is immaturity and cannot and should not be hurried.

I made this mistake with my Elkhound bitch at about 18 months thinking she was too thin at 5 pounds under average weight, and when I bulked her up she was fat. After getting her slim again I found that when she got to 3 years old she looked more like the pictures of mature animaqls I had been comparing ehr to, and that was with keeping her slim, the maturing process added the width.

Thank you for your tips. He is 1 1/2 years now, and I'm not entirely sure what breed lines he comes from. I am hesitant to switch his food again because he gets the runs from even the slightest change, like a piece of cheese.