Compared to other dogs, greyhounds have a unique body structure. The streamlined nature of this breeds’ body may present a challenge when trying to determine whether your greyhound is skinny or that it is just their regular healthy body shape and size. Keeping your hound healthy involves helping your companion maintain the ideal weight for its age.
First, it is important to know the normal weight and appearance of a greyhound before getting to know whether they are skinny. The normal weight of a 3-month-old grey is 10-12 kg, but a male can get up to 14 kg. At around 7 to 8 months, a hound weighs approximately 18 kg to 24 kg, but some males can get up to 26 kg. At a year, they can range between 27 kg to 37 kg. A male greyhound will end growing between 16 months to 19 months, depending on their size while a female end up growing at 16 months.
With trending searches being ‘Help! My dog is skinny.’ and ‘Why is my dog skinny?’ it is a reflection then that most dog owners have no idea how their greyhounds should look and weigh. In this article, we expound on how to tell if your greyhound is skinny, how to help your canine companion regain a few pounds and the causes of weight loss.
How do I tell if my greyhound is skinny?
With its unique body, a greyhound may look skinny compared to a Labrador or any other pet dog. Some of its unique features include a flexible spine, muscular and powerful neck and chest, tall legs, and a slender body. Despite all these features like any other pet, greyhounds do get skinny.
Here are five ways to tell if your greyhound is skinny:
Exaggerated waistline
You can examine this by looking at your dog’s waist. For a better vantage view, stand behind your greyhound and look down towards his body. From this position, you can now correctly examine your dog. If he is healthy, he will tend to have a waistline that gradually curves from his ribs. An underweight greyhound appears shriveled with an exaggerated waist.
Protruding vertebrae
This examination will require you to run your fingers down your greyhound’s spine. Starting from the base of his head all the down his pelvic. If he is underweight, then his vertebra and pelvic will tend to be prominent. The idea here is that if he is healthy, he should have a thin layer of fat underneath his fur coat. This padding between the bones and fur coat, you can check for the padding by felling it with your fingers.
Sharply tucked in the abdomen
For this examination, move to either of your dog’s side and look at his abdomen. A healthy greyhound’s abdomen will slope gradually and smoothly upwards. This slope starts at the ending of the rib cage. His appearance will tend to look somehow muscular. This examination is similar to checking his waistline, the only difference being that it is viewing from his sides. A skinny greyhound will have a sharply tucked in the abdomen with no noticeable body fat.
Distinct protruding ribs
Protruding ribs are the easiest way of telling if your dog is skinny. Try feeling either side of your greyhound’s body along his ribs with your hand. For a healthy greyhound, you can feel each rib on its own they are not visible. If you can see the ribs, leave alone the breathing movement of his rib cage, he is underweight. Like feeling the vertebrae, between the ribs and fur, should be a thin layer of fat.
Muscle loss
Structurally, your greyhound is made up of fat and muscle. To examine muscle loss, you should try feeling your dog’s major muscle areas like the abdomen, rib cage, and neck. During this examination is when you can feel and see his significant bones.
For better, accurate results, you should do the examinations while your dog is standing up. The reason for this is when your furry friend lies down, his skin and fat tend to fall. This can cause the exposition of his ribs, and his waist seems to look narrower. If indeed, your dog is underweight, it is better to take him to the vet to investigate the cause of his weight loss.
What should I feed my skinny greyhound?
After getting to the root cause of your greyhound’s weight loss and if medication is needed, putting the right dosage into place, the next step is adopting a healthier diet plan. A better dietary plan will help your furry companion regain his lost weight. This plan involves giving him the best weight gain food available and in the appropriate portions.
Here are ten skinny dog foods that are healthy for your dog and that are also pocket-friendly:
Crave grain-free chicken adult dry dog food
With most high-quality dog food being too expensive, Crave provides all the essentials for your greyhound to get back his lost weight. Crave is keen at providing your dog with all the nourishment. Its recipe includes a high amount of protein, taking up 34%. Meat being its key ingredient and to top it all, it is entirely grain-free. The chicken recipe has fresh chicken meat with protein supplements ranging from pork to lamb. Each cup scoop contains over 460 calories having around 17.5% of fats. If asked, I would prefer feeding my greyhound this. It’s not only made of real natural meat giving him that sensational taste. It is also affordable. This product is manufactured explicitly for adult dogs and is among the best skinny dog foods available in the mark.
Bully Max high-performance dog food
Bully Max is not only a highly-rated dog food brand in the market but is a favorite of most dog owners. It is an all-natural recipe with an almost perfect formula. This ensures that it has the most extensive working capabilities. It is formulated to provide dogs with a healthy way to gain back their weight. It consists of 30% protein, 20% fat, and 535 calories per cup, making it the ultimate weight gaining formula. Suppose you are looking for a sure and healthy way of giving your skinny greyhound some pounds, go for a Bully Max, that is if the vet did not prescribe it to you already.
Wellness core grain-free chicken liver &turkey Liver canned dog food
Wellness Core designs its recipes to provide adequate nutrition to fit the need of your pets. This dish has carefully regulated mineral levels that aide your dog’s overall metabolic function. Its main ingredient is actual meat being 95% chicken meat and a hint of broccoli. The veggies not only bring in the fiber but also offer a nutritional balance. This food has a healthy dose of not only protein but also fiber. Its composition is 10% of it is protein, 8% fat, 1% fiber, and 460 calories per can.
Instinct raw boost with Real Chicken & Freeze-Dried Raw Pieces Dry Dog Food
Instinct raw boost is the best pick when it comes to feeding your senior dog. This does not mean that the food is for senior dogs but all dogs in general. Its raw chicken meat has been freeze-dried to remove all the moisture in it. The food being freeze-dried not only eliminates the trouble cooking the dog food, but it also helps him absorb the nutrients in the food. It consists of kibble that is high in protein and grain-free; this makes it the best pick for your senior greyhound. In it are 38% protein, 20% fat, 4.5% fiber, and 454 calories per cup and a dash of omega fatty acids that nourish the skin and coat.
Nulo freestyle dry dog food
If your greyhound has been getting skinny because of his sensitive tummy, this is the right food for him. Nulo is a privately owned brand. It has produced a variety of delicious food for different pets, with its recipes being not only tasty but also healthy. Their high-end recipe has natural ingredients and pure salmon meat as the first ingredient. This makes it the perfect candidate to help your hound gain pounds. Like the raw instinct boost, Nulo has a blend of omega fatty acids and some probiotics to help with your dog’s digestion. In it are some chelated minerals. In it is 30% protein, salmon being its source, 6% fiber, 18% fat, and its calories are 438 per cup. The only downside to this is that it can be a bit costly to feed it as a staple diet, but it is worth it.
Ziwi peak beef recipe canned food
This New Zealand based brand offers the best nutritional beef food that helps you as a dog owner answer how to make your skinny dog gain weight. Its recipe is entirely grain-free; its ingredients are all-natural. Apart from the protein and fat, it has grain-free chickpeas as a source of carbohydrates and chelated minerals. The added carbohydrates give it a completely balanced diet to your underweight greyhound pal. To top it all off, Ziki Peak food recipe has New Zealand green-lipped mussels that are a source of chondroitin and glucosamine for healthier joints. It features 8% protein, 6% fat, 1% fiber, and 419 calories per cup.
Solid gold barking at the moon dry food
Solid gold company has been providing dog owners with natural dog food recipes since 1974. The founder was so passionate about dogs that he traveled to Germany to get them. He later on, ended up starting up a pet food brand. The sole aim of reliable gold food products is to help dogs gain weight, as their products are high protein dry food. This high content blend makes it the perfect menu for your skinny hound. Its recipe consists of various top protein-based ingredients from eggs to beef and peas. It is also essential to note that Solid Gold is entirely grain-free and gluten-free, making it the perfect food for dogs off all stages. Its key features are 41% protein, 20% fat, 4% fiber, and a calorie capacity of 425 per cup.
Blue buffalo wilderness duck recipe
For those people whose dogs are allergic to the usual beef, chicken, lamb, and grain, then this is the food for you. It gets its protein from a variety of meat; it has salmon, alligator, turkey, venison, and duck. The specific ingredient here being a duck, it has a higher protein level compared to the rest. The other bit is that it has omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for healthier skin and fur coats; it is also gluten and grain-free to avoid depriving your pooch of minerals. It has chelated mineral supplements to help in optimal nutrient absorption. In it are 34% protein and a calorie capacity of 416 per cup.
Blackwood Adirondack 30% high-fat dog food
Blackwood is a family-owned company that has been in business for over four decades. It is a manufacturing company that takes pride in how it cooks its dog food before packaging and presenting it to the consumer. By doing so, the dogs get to experience the pleasant taste in every bite. The best part is that not only is it the best weight gaining food for puppies but also for an adult dog. This makes it the best food for your skinny greyhound no matter the age. It is prepared using all-natural ingredients, ensuring that your dog gets all the nutritional benefits. It possesses a high protein level along with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. It consists of corn, wheat, soy, and other natural top protein ingredients. Its features 4% fiber, 30% protein, 20% fat, and 535 calories per cup.
Nature’s logic of chicken meal dry food.
This brand uses only natural ingredients, no preservatives, and no food flavors. Doing this provides dogs with a high-quality source of nutrition that is also tasty and delicious. The primary source of protein and the main ingredient is chicken meat that has dried. It also has other ingredients such as millet providing carbohydrates, and pumpkin seed. It is entirely gluten-free and has dried fruits and vegetables as a source of probiotics to aid in digestion. The key features in it are 36% protein, 15% fat, 420 calories per cup, and 5% fiber.
When feeding your underweight greyhound, do not fill his bowl with the intention of the meal lasting the entire day. Instead, feed him small quantities of food every few hours to allow for digestion and absorption of the nutrients in the food. Feeding your dog vast quantities, at once, can be dangerous as his stomach is not used to digesting such amounts of food.
Is having a skinny greyhound dangerous?
Just as in humans, being skinny even in dogs is just as bad and is equally harmful as obesity in greyhounds. Yes, it is hazardous when your pooch is underweight.
Here are the reasons why being too skinny is dangerous:
1) Being underweight increases the risk of your pooch contracting chronic illnesses that could potentially kill him! This is because his being underweight, his immune system will tend to be a bit lower, making it hard for your dog to recover fast from illnesses.
2) Being skinny increases the chances of him getting bone fractures and breakages. It can worsen if your greyhound is deficient in minerals and vitamins that help in bone strengthening. A deficiency in minerals and vitamins can cause the loss of the body’s ability to protect itself during a fall, and there is not enough muscle and flesh to cushion the bones.
3) Being underweight increases the chances of you losing your dog from surgery. During surgery, the pooch might end up bleeding to death, or even if he did make it out, his wound might not heal but instead ends up being infected.
Why is my greyhound skinny?
If you are feeding your greyhound with nutritional food, then you need to consult your vet. Being skinny can result from some underlying medical issues that require medical attention. Here are a few reasons why your dog might be losing weight.
Age
One most common thing among senior dogs is that they shed a few pounds. Their age affects them in different ways. These effects include digestive problems, loss of appetite, and muscle mass. The best remedy for this is changing up his food too much simpler digested food that still gives him the needed nutrients.
Dental disease
Dental diseases can include mouth sores, toothaches, teeth loss, broken teeth, swelling in the gums, and countless others. Like humans, if your furry companion has any sort of discomfort or pain, he will try to avoid eating. This can cause him to lose a few pounds. If you have a senior greyhound and notice his weight change, check his dental condition before taking him to the vet.
Thyroid problems
Dogs can very well experience hormonal imbalance often as we do. If they are experiencing any thyroid problems, which often manifests itself. It ends up causing the dog to have a quick metabolism, which initial results to weight loss. Once you have detected it, you can quickly fix it via medication or just increasing the food potion.
Protein-losing nephropathy
This is a chronic kidney disease where the kidney loses protein molecules buy only leaking them out as urine. This is a fatal condition, as the body cannot get enough protein no matter how much food your furry pal eats. If not treated early, it might end up getting the best of him, leading to death due to protein deficiency.
Diabetes
Yes, as shockingly as it sounds, dogs do get diabetic. This is the only illness where your dog is always drinking water and peeing excessively and is accompanied by loss of weight. Most diabetic cases are in older female dogs. The best option is to take your furry friend to the vet, who will help you regulate the amount of glucose in your dog’s blood.
Cancer
This disease can sometimes get annoying, especially if detected late. It can be hard to tell since it can strike in many different ways. The only sure way to know if it is cancer is the loss of muscle mass and body weight. The loss of muscle mass is a result of the tumor or tumors drawing away from the nutrients. Cancer may have spread through the dog’s body if he starts losing weight and lacks a good appetite.
Allergies
This is when your greyhound’s body reacts badly towards a portion of a particular food, more like rejecting it. Before feeding your skinny hound any diet, it is essential to check for any allergens. Dog allergens may include a specific type of meat; it can be white meat or red meat, gluten, and grain.
Other weight loss causes are; chronic inflammation, infection, mal-digestion, parasites, liver disease, etc.
A greyhound’s athletic structure is one of its most alluring traits; maintaining this svelte body without starving your dog is the trick. If your hound has started to become underweight, the best solution to consult a vet. After a thorough medical examination, and getting to the root cause of why your hound is skinny, then you can start feeding them skinny dog foods. When feeding your greyhound, you should create a feeding plan. A feeding plan helps you to keep track of what he is eating and when.
