What's the best way to help a dog gain weight?

I'm fostering a female yellow lab mix who has recently had pups, but she's no longer nursing them. She was a stray, and she's very underweight. I would estimate she needs to put on at least 10lbs in order to be healthy. Her ribs and hips are very, very obvious, and she's even had some hair loss due to poor nutrition. I need to help her get her weight back up, but I don't want to do it by just stuffing her and making her fat. The shelter where I volunteer doesn't have a vet on staff, and the kennel manager just said to give her some extra food. That doesn't seem to be adequate in my opinion, but maybe I'm just making too much of it.

Any suggestions on how to help her put on weight in a healthy way? Here is a picture to let you see how thin she is at the moment: http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=4ka4j2v

What's the best way to help a dog gain weight?

try feeding her puppy food..thats the best because it has lots of calories that will help her gain weight in no time. also, you might want to make sure the hair loss isnt caused by a skin mite. Even if shes had porr nutrition its still a possibility it might be mange. i work in a vet clinic and this is what all the vets would recommend. make sure she has had a dewormer also because sometimes intestinal parasites will help with weight loss. take her to the vet just for a routine check up to see where you stand.

What's the best way to help a dog gain weight?

she may be suffering from calcium shock,it would be best to take her to a vet.good luck.

What's the best way to help a dog gain weight?

awwww..poor thing..she is so skinny!!!

I know you are worried..but..do as the vet says...

get her good dog food..dry and wet..and let her eat what she wants. In time..she will gain her appetite back, and be healthy as can be !

What's the best way to help a dog gain weight?

Some females look gaunt after whelping and nursing.

You just need to feed her good dog food and let her regain her weight slowly. I would probably feed her 4 cups of food a day. 2 AM and 2 PM. It may take a while for her hormones to settle down and return to normal after the pups but she should regain her weight with in a month maybe a bit longer. OK

What's the best way to help a dog gain weight?

I agree with previous poster, feed puppy food. To not over do it with the calories you could give her half puppy food and half adult food. My once underweight stray puppy eats half puppy food and half adult (he's now 6 months) and he is at a fabulous weight for his frame.