My dog Holly is nearly 5 years old, she is a very active fox terrier and runs around a lot. I was playing with her today rolling around on the carpet and I noticed I could feel most of the bumbs in her spine, and also all her ribs. You can't see them through her fur, but I am worried that she is too skinny... She looks like she doesn't get enough food....

This is how I feed her....
In the morning she is sent outside for the day as me and my husband work, there is a big ice-cream container of food outside for her to eat throughout the day - it is always topped up so I assume she is eating it.
For her evening dinner she has a home-cooked dog food of minced meat, rice and vegetables, she has a large bowl mixed with a little dry food, I mix in the dry food to slow her down as she gobbles her food so quickly I am scared one day she will choke on it. She also get tidbits throughout the day - when we are cooking dinner ofter a little piece of meat will get thrown down to her, she has chicken necks twice a week and leftovers off our dinner plate.

We don't feed her any fat - eg. we cut the fat off our own meat but don't give it to the dog, same as with chicken skin etc.... she does get the bacon rind occasionally - but we don't often cook with bacon rashers so it is a very rare treat.

She was starting to put on weight at the start of the year and then we got a friend for her - a daschund puppy called Frankie... Holly and Frankie run and play all day - yet Frankie is on the chubby side :blink:

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can improve holly's diet and help her to gain some healthy weight??

Thanks heaps

Sherrie :)

It sounds like you're giving her a good diet, she's getting lots of food and if Frankie is a bit chubby, she's probably getting all the food she needs.
It could just be the breed that she is. Foxies are terriers and so as a rule very energetic, so she's probably burning off alot of the food you give her, and I would think that its just her build, unless she's really skinny. If she's happy and seems otherwise healthy I wouldn't worry too much.
Has she been wormed recently? If you're really concerned take her to a vet.

Yep, that's what I was about to say. Sometimes dogs that have worms can lose weight with all the worms munching around inside them

:unsure: I worm her at the start of every new season (summer,autumn, winter & spring) so she is due to be wormed again next week..

I went to the pet shop and bought her some high protein dry dog food to mix in with her mince - they told me that should help her put on some healthy weight :) You can't SEE her bones but you can feel them.

Thanks for your help

Sherrie :)

in some dogs it normal. i wouldnt worrie unless she stop eating,and since your worming her that rules that out. maby she has a fast mabtablasim(think thats right) it like humans some are by nature skinny and some are a bit bigger

I agree with Enna. And if you can't see her ribs I wouldn't be too worried. Tara's the same (under all that fluff :P ).

our vet/the RSPCA told us that a healthy weight for our golden retreiever is when you can just feel her ribs...if that helps