Sometimes puppies could become underweight due to several reasons such as illness, lack of appetite, parasites, etc.
When you notice drastic weight loss in your puppy don’t just begin to give them puppy weight gainers, you should consult your vet first to find out the cause of the weight loss in your puppy.
i know seeing your puppy’s ribs and back bones can make you feel bad, it is normal for most puppy parent but i advice you do not rush to use any puppy weight gainer.
There are a lot of puppy weight gainers out there but not all are standard or safe for a puppy.
Based on my experience with some of the puppy weight gainers, the experience of members of the dog groups i belong to on Facebook and Reddit, and the intense research I have done, we would be looking at the best puppy weight gain supplements.
Puppy weight gainers should not be given to puppies younger than 4 weeks.
Best puppy weight gainer supplements
MVP K9 Formula mass weight gainer for dogs
This puppy weight gainer helps promote healthy weight gain, size, and muscles and it is appropriate for dogs of all ages.
If your puppy is a picky eater, he/she may like this because it has a good taste, most dogs really love the taste.
If your puppy eats a lot but still does not gain weight, this could help you because a lot of puppy parents whose puppy had that problem said this helped.
The company says that the puppy weight gainer was formulated for skinny, underweight dogs to help them put on weight fast.
Each serving scoop contains 50% healthy fats for adding mass, 28% whey protein for size and muscle support, and 18+ BCCAs for overall support.
BCCA stands for Branched-chain amino acid.
Ingredients: Vegetable Fat, Whey Protein, Flax Seed, Creapure, Crude Protein (Min) 28%, Crude Fat (Min) 50%, Crude Fiber (Max) 2%, Moisture Max 5%, Creapure 200mg, Omega 3 Fatty Acid 176 mg, Omega 6 Fatty Acid 56 mg
Amino Acid Profile: Alanine 82 mg, Arginine 45 mg, Asparitc Acid 172mg, Cysteine 39 mg, Glutaminc Acid 274 mg, Glycine 30mg, Histadine 29mg, Isoleucine 97 mg, Leucine 166 mg, Lysine 163 mg, Methionine 36 mg, Phenylalanine 52 mg, Proline 97 mg, Serine 84 mg, Threonine 110 mg, Tryptophan 28 mg, Tyrosine 50mg, Valine 86 mg.
Though a friend from my Reddit group used it, I still took my time to research each of the ingredients to ensure they are safe for puppies and they are.
Vegetable fat would help to fatten up your puppy while the whey protein would help to increase the muscles to support your puppy’s new weight.
Flax seeds are an excellent source of healthy fats, including omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are essential for maintaining overall health and can help support weight gain healthily.
Omega 6 fatty acids can increase your appetite and also make your puppy gain weight.
This puppy weight gainer has a lot of amino acids, the calories in them would make your puppy add weight and amino acids also promote growth, and your puppy needs that.
Whey protein and creapure would help your puppy develop muscles so that your puppy does not only put develop fat but also muscles to support their weight.
If your puppy has hypersensitivity to calcium carbonate or your puppy has a high calcium level, this weight gainer would be good for him/her because it doesn’t contain calcium or calcium carbonate like some other weight gainers.
This puppy weight gainer is made in the united states of America.
Follow the feeding instruction on the container.
My friend from the Reddit group who I mentioned earlier said, the scoop was buried in the powder, so if you get yours and you don’t see the scoop on top, dig deeper.
A member of a dog group on Facebook which I belong to said it gave his puppy bad breath but it works, so I just thought I should mention it.
At the time of making this blog post, it cost $34.99 for a 0.57kg container.
Pet care sciences weight gain supplement
This is another puppy weight gainer that could work for picky eaters because it has a bacon flavor, my puppy liked it and your puppy might like it too.
Pet care sciences weight gain supplement is made in the USA
Ingredients: Vegetable fat, Whey Protein Concentrate, Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptide (Type II), Betaine HCI, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), Beef Broth Protein, Natural Flavor, Blueberry Fruit Powder, Pumpkin Seed Extract (5:1), Calcium Concentrate.
I took my time to research each of the ingredients before giving the product to my puppy to ensure they were safe for puppies and they were.
Vegetable oil contains evolutionarily unprecedented amounts of omega-6 fat linoleic acid, which can make your puppy fat.
Whey protein would help your puppy develop muscles which would support your puppy,s new weight, so your puppy does not develop only fat.
Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptide (Type II) is good for your puppy’s joints, it would prevent any pain in the joint due to the new weight.
Beef Broth Protein contains essential fatty acids and amino acids that would make your puppy gain weight, it contains amino acids that support joint health.
The pumpkin seed extract is very good for your puppy’s skin and hair, so if your puppy is trying to gain weight and has bad skin or fur, this would be good for them
Pumpkin seed extract stimulates follicles, delivers nutrients, and boosts circulation to the scalp.
The pumpkin seed extract is rich in many nutrients that benefit your puppy’s scalp and fur health, including Phosphorus, Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamins E, and A, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, and precious essential fatty acids (EFAs).
The improvement I saw in my puppy’s skin and fur was not big, but I noticed improvements.
Pet care sciences weight gain supplement guaranteed analysis
If your puppy has high calcium levels, I suggest you don’t use this but if you must then you should ask your vet first.
I started to notice significant weight gain in my puppy after two weeks of use but yours could be different though.
Follow the feeding instruction on the container, it comes with a scoop.
Reviews on amazon
Reviews on their site
At the time of making this blog post, this puppy weight gainer cost $35.47 for a 0.75kg pack.
Miracle vet weight gain liquid for pets
This weight gainer can be used for puppies, on the pack it is written that it is safe for all ages. It contains 2400 calories in each 16 oz bottle.
This is best for puppies that cannot take solid food but need to put on weight, other puppies can still take it too.
Ingredients :
Omega Fish Oil, Canola Oil, Purified Water, Dextrose, Whey Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Vegetable Lecithin, Vitamin Supplement Mix (Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta carotene, Cholecalciferol, dl-alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Biotin, Folic Acid,
Niacinamide, Calcium d-Pantothenate, Thiamin HCl, Cyanocobalamin, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine HCl, Ascorbic Acid, Phytonadione, Copper Gluconate, Potassium Iodide, Ferrous Fumarate Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Zinc Sulfate, Choline Bitartrate, Calcium carbonate, Taurine, Polysorbate, Sorbic Acid, Calcium Propionate (to maintain freshness), Caramel Color (natural), Xanthan Gum, Rosemary Extract.
Omega fish oil has a high calorie content which would make your puppy to gain weight.
Canola oil would make your puppy gain weight because of the number of calories in it.
Dextrose would also make your puppy put on weight because it breaks down very quickly and will store any sugar that is not required as fat.
Whey protein would help your puppy develop muscles which would support your puppy,s new weight, so your puppy does not develop only fat.
Vegetable lecithin is a mixture of fat that is essential to your puppy, it also reduces cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
Miracle vet weight gain liquid for pets guaranteed analysis
If your puppy has hypersensitivity to calcium carbonate or high calcium levels, I don’t recommend this for him/her.
Review on their site
At the time of making this blog post, this puppy weight gainer cost $23.99 for a 16 oz pack.
The dosage and feeding instructions are written on the pack.
Bully max liquid weight gainer for dogs
I have seen many good remarks about this dog weight gainer on dog Facebook groups and Reddit, it is appropriate for puppies.
It has 2400 calories in a 16 oz pack.
Ingredients: Omega Fish Oil, Canola Oil, Purified Water, Dextrose, Whey Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Vegetable Lecithin, Vitamin Supplement Mix (Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta carotene (vitamin A), Cholecalciferol (vitamin B), dl-alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E), Biotin (vitamin B7), Folic Acid (vitamin B), Niacinamide (vitamin B3), Calcium d-Pantothenate (vitamin B5),
Thiamin HCl (vitamin B1), Cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), Riboflavin (vitamin B), Pyridoxine HCl (vitamin B6), Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), vitamin K1, Copper Gluconate, Potassium Iodide, Ferrous Fumarate Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Zinc Sulfate, Choline Bitartrate, Calcium carbonate, Taurine, Polysorbate, Sorbic Acid, Calcium Propionate (to maintain freshness), Caramel Color (natural), Xanthan Gum, Rosemary Extract.
Bully max liquid weight gainer for dogs guaranteed analysis
If your puppy has hypersensitivity to calcium carbonate or high calcium levels, I don’t recommend this for him/her.
Review on amazon
Review on their site
At the time of making this post, this product cost $23.97 for a 16 fl oz pack.
Homemade alternatives to puppy weight gainers
Corn syrup as a puppy weight gainer
A lot of people on the dog Facebook groups and Reddit groups I am on, have claimed that the usage of corn syrup has led to an increase in weight in their dogs and puppies.
Raw eggs as a puppy weight gainer
Raw eggs are high in calories which could make your puppy gain weight, so I get why people give their pups raw eggs for weight gain.
Conclusion
Puppies can be different in so many ways, so what works for my puppy might not work for yours.
Also, weight gain only occurs when we burn fewer calories than we take in, though I don’t know how energetic your puppy is or he/her workout routine but if your puppy is burning more calories than the weight gainer is providing, you may not see weight gain.
FAQs about puppy weight gainers
How can I get my puppy to gain weight fast?
You should try giving them high-calorie puppy food like Orijen puppy food, and if that is not working well, you can try a puppy weight gainer.
What is the best puppy food for weight gain?
For me, Orijen puppy dry food is the best puppy food for weight gain.
When one of my puppies was smaller than the rest and it was probably because of competition for food because my dog gave birth to a lot of puppies.
As I noticed he was growing but still smaller than the rest, I got advice from people on my dog Facebook group to feed him Orijen puppy food and it worked.
It contains 520 kcal per 250ml/130g cup with calories distributed to support peak conditioning; 38% from protein, 17% from vegetables and fruits, and 45% from fat.
Ingredients:
Fresh chicken (23%), raw turkey (10%), fresh chicken giblets (liver, heart) (8%), raw whole herring (6%), raw whole hake (5%), fresh eggs (5%), dehydrated chicken (4%), dehydrated turkey (4%), dehydrated mackerel (4%), dehydrated sardine
(4%), dehydrated herring (4%), chicken fat (4%), whole red lentils, whole peas, whole green lentils, whole chickpeas, lentil fiber, whole pinto beans, whole navy beans, raw turkey liver (2%), pollock oil (2%), pea starch, dried kelp, fresh whole pumpkin, fresh whole butternut squash, fresh whole zucchini, fresh whole carrots, fresh whole apples, fresh
whole pears, dried chicory root, fresh kale, fresh spinach, fresh beet greens, fresh turnip greens, whole cranberries, whole blueberries, whole Saskatoon berries, turmeric, milk thistle, burdock root, lavender, marshmallow root, rosehips.
ADDITIVES (per kg) Technological additives: Tocopherol extracts from vegetable oils: 121 mg, Citric acid: 40 mg. Sensory additives: Rosemary extract: 80 mg Nutritional additives: Zinc proteinate: 105 mg, Copper proteinate: 11 mg,
Vitamin B1: 14.7 mg, Vitamin B5: 12.5 mg, Vitamin A: 3750 IU, Vitamin D3: 500 IU, Vitamin E: 110 IU. Zootechnical additives: Enterococcus faecium DSM 10663/ NCIMB 10415 1×10⁹ CFU
Review on amazon
Review on their site
Important information
I am not a vet but I own dogs, so any information I gave in this post was either from my experience, the experience of the members of the dog groups I belong to on Facebook and Reddit, deep research, and some advice from vets.
You can still put a call through to your vet before you use any of the weight gainers, homemade alternatives, or foods in this blog post.