A safe way to put weight on giant breed dog?

The dog is a nine year old female Mastiff, hellishly emaciated. You can count every rib. She came in too weak to stand, but with a week of good feed and vet care she can walk a bit and even jump up. I hope to foster her and it looks like I will. What would be the safest way to put weight on the dog? Plain, normal diet? Would supplements (cooked meat, cottage cheese, egg) help or hurt? Is feeding more than what is required to maintain? It's important she doesn't put on a lot of weight too quickly, but it's dangerous for her to remain the weight she is.



I'm just looking for a little extra information; I am not substituting Y!A for actual veterinary help.



Answer on A safe way to put weight on giant breed dog?



Put the weight on slowly. Doing it too quickly will be bad for her digestive system & heart.



A good quality kibble (Acana or Orijen) with some wet tinned meat, a handful of boiled rice, and a bit of scrambled egg all mixed in.

Feed twice a day.



Also make sure she gets enough exercise.

A 10-15 min walk, twice a day, for a couple of weeks, just to monitor how well she walks, etc.

As her health & strength improves, gradually increase the length of her walks to 2x30-min walks.



A large breed like that will probably only have a life expectancy of 11 or 12 years anyway, so don't expect too much from her.

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