How to tell if your dog is too thin? Is it dangerous for a dog to be too thin?

Jul 26,2025
4Min

How to judge whether a dog is thin

Touch with your hands and observe with your eyes. If you touch an overly thin dog, you will find that there is no subcutaneous fat at all, and there is almost no muscle between the skin and the bones. The ribs are clearly visible, and the tailbone is also very prominent. Viewed from the side, the dog's abdomen is severely sunken, and viewed from the back, the body resembles an hourglass with a large curvature.
Thin dogs can only feel a little fat, and there is very little muscle between the skin and bones. The ribs are easily palpable and the tailbone is prominent. Viewed from the side, there is an obvious depression in the abdomen. Viewed from the back, the body looks like an hourglass with a relatively small curvature.
Owners can also refer to the relevant weight information of various breeds of dogs to compare the weight of their own dogs, or go to the pet hospital to have a veterinarian identify it.

Causes of thin dogs

1. Dogs eat less food and lack adequate nutrition, which can easily cause dogs to become thin and lose energy.
2. Dogs suffer from internal parasites. The parasites absorb the nutrients of the host, causing the dog to not gain weight no matter how much he eats, or even become thinner and thinner.
3. Dogs’ digestive systems are not good and they cannot fully digest and absorb food. Without nutrients, they will naturally lose weight.
4. The dog is picky about food or the owner’s nutrition is not comprehensive, or the dog is fed one meal at a time and is hungry at the same time, and the feeding is irregular, resulting in the dog being thin.
5. Obstacles in the utilization of nutrients. Even if the nutrients can be fully absorbed, when the liver function is reduced, the nutrients cannot be assimilated, which will also lead to overweight.
6. When viral infection or chronic disease leads to intense physical exertion, or when many puppies need to be nursed during pregnancy or after childbirth, the metabolism in the body will be more accelerated than usual, and more calories will be consumed than usual. If you don't give enough nutrition, it will become the cause of being too thin.

Disadvantages of thin dogs

Dogs that are too thin will have reduced resistance and are easily infected with diseases. Dogs that are too thin cannot gain an advantage among their own kind, are easily bullied, and are at the bottom of the group hierarchy. Dogs that are too thin have insufficient nutrition, poor resistance, and reduced ability to adapt to the environment.

How to gain weight for dogs

The dog’s diet must be reasonably arranged and the nutritional mix must be complete. Feeding your dog should be done regularly and quantitatively, not more and less every now and then. If the dog has internal parasites, it should be dewormed in time, and for digestive system diseases, it should go to the hospital for treatment in time. You can take your dog to exercise more to strengthen his body and increase his appetite.
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