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Hoots : Dextrose powder for puppies My puppy is too skinny, even though he eats rice and other things I feed him. I bought dextrose powder in case he will become ill. But since he is not sick, can I put a dextrose powder in his water/food - freshhoot.com

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Dextrose powder for puppies
My puppy is too skinny, even though he eats rice and other things I feed him. I bought dextrose powder in case he will become ill. But since he is not sick, can I put a dextrose powder in his water/food even he is not sick? My puppy is about 3 months old. Or if you have any tips how to make my puppy fat please leave me a comment or answer. Thanks guys.


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Puppies need more energy and different nutrients than adult dogs.

They play and are very active, which burns many calories
Their bones must grow, which requires calcium and other minerals
Their muscles must grow, which requires protein (meat)
Their brains must grow and develop, which requires fat

Rice is a bad dog food, because it contains only carbohydrates and water (if cooked). All the other important nutrients like protein, fat and minerals are missing. That can lead to malnourishment. Wikipedia states:

A diet based on unenriched white rice leaves many people vulnerable to the neurological disease beriberi, due to a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1). [...] Adopted over brown rice in the second half of the 19th century because it was favored by traders, white rice has led to a beriberi epidemic in Asia.

Adding dextrose to the rice won't add any nutritional value, it's just more carbohydrates on top of carbohydrates. In the worst case you cause diabetes in your dog.
What you need to do is feed your puppy proper dog food, preferably one especially formulated for puppies.


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If your puppy is truly too thin, I urge you to feed it with a well balanced diet (with “diet” = “the way the food is composed” not “diet” = “ less food to become slimmer”!). Months 3-6 are the time frame when a puppy grows the fastest and needs a nutrient-dense food that will supply all the calories, nutrients, minerals and vitamins it needs. All malnutrition (both considering amount and composition) can and likely will lead to physical damage that may impede the dog for life.
So if you have been feeding whatever you had on hand (rice is not a suitable dog food, except in small amounts for adult dogs), you need to get either dog food formulated for a puppy or do a lot of research about proper food composition before mixing your own. There are lots of sources available on the Internet.
Dextrose will neither prevent illnesses nor cure them. It might under very specific circumstances be administered by a vet or based on a vet’s instructions for medical purposes e.g. when he dog has severe diarrhea or vomiting as a fast available energy source for a very limited time, but it’s not a home remedy and shouldn’t be randomly given.
While a very small puppy (up to three months or so) should be “plump”, the puppy will and should slim down noticeably when the 3-6 months growth spurt kicks in, and for the first year or so especially larger breeds should be kept on the slimmer side, to protect them from growing too quickly and excess weight, which can both damage the still fragile skeletal system. So you have to decide for yourself whether your puppy is truly underweight or just losing some of the puppy plumpness on the way to the “lanky youth” stage. Do not just aim to “make a puppy fat”, please.


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