My dog eats well but I see her ribs. Is she too thin or sick?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
I feed her 3 times a day and she eats well but I see a rib cage am I doing something wrong
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on October 3rd, 2015
If her ribs are really sticking out and there is no fat or muscle, then see your vet. There could be a medical cause for her condition. If your vet clears her, increase the amount of food offered until she is at an appropriate weight. Ask your vet how to perform a Body Condition Score (BCS) on your dog using the 9 point scale. Ideally, she should have a waist when looked at from above. Her ribs should be seen and easily felt under a layer of fat/muscle. From the side, her chest should tuck up into her abdomen.
7Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on January 1st, 2017
Hopefully you have tried several varieties of high quality puppy food to see if this is just a preference issue with her current food. She should also be tested for intestinal parasites, as sometimes we get very little signs to tell us there is a problem other than failure to gain weight. You can try tempting her with a little bit of boiled white meat chicken mixed in to her regular food, then slowly wean her off of that. I would also recommend consulting your vet to determine what her ideal weight is - in an adult dog, ideally you would be able to "just" see the ribs.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Food & Nutrition
hello. my frenchie is 8.5 kg. i think that she is skinny, because i can see her ribs too. however, her apetite and mood isnt bad. should i be concerned?
I recommend googling Purina body condition scoring chart and determining if the the degree to which you can see and feel her ribs is consistent with the lower body condition scores. If so, increasing her daily food ration slightly and re-assessing her body condition score in 2-4 weeks is advised. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
His ribs seem more rounded and sticking out. Not in skinny ness. It’s like it on both sides so not a tumour. Should I be worried?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! It is hard to know without being able to see Timber. However, it is possible that this means that he needs to gain a bit of weight as usually ribs sticking out is one of the criteria veterinarians use to determine the body conditions score of a patient. Perhaps make sure that Timber is being fed the needed caloric intake based on his specific information which takes into account the breed, activity level, age, among other things. This is something your veterinarian can calculate for you with some additional information. Good luck and have a great day!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog eats alot finishes all it's food she is very active and running all day her weight is perfect but the shape of her body is thin
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Being lean is not always a concern. A good body condition is based on muscle mass and palpation of the body, not a number on a scale. You should be able to feel her ribs while standing without pushing hard and she should have an hour glass waist from the sides and top of her body. She should also have good muscle definition in her chest and limbs. Make sure you are feeding what the bag of food says for her daily amount based on her weight. Make sure your vet tests for intestinal parasites so they are not consuming her calories. I hope this helps! Kisses to Soska!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Won't eat. She's not teething. Normal serving is 1 1/3 cups of food. Weight is 23 pounds. Tried to reduce excerciss but she won't take none of that and plays in the morning 2 hrs in park. If she does eat, very little. What can I do to get her to eat?
Hopefully you have tried several varieties of high quality puppy food to see if this is just a preference issue with her current food. She should also be tested for intestinal parasites, as sometimes we get very little signs to tell us there is a problem other than failure to gain weight. You can try tempting her with a little bit of boiled white meat chicken mixed in to her regular food, then slowly wean her off of that. I would also recommend consulting your vet to determine what her ideal weight is - in an adult dog, ideally you would be able to "just" see the ribs.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My dog (1 year old) eats fresh pet food and Acacia dry food mix. I give her more than instructed, but her ribs and hip bones are visible. What should I feed?
Some young, growing, active dogs require more calories then other dogs. If she feel she is lean then i would up the amount of food you are feeding or add in another meal per day. I typically recommend increasing the amount fed by 25%. You can spread this extra amount over the meals. You can also try supplementing some extra protein sources like chicken or ground turkey. You can also look up the calories (kcal) in her diets to figure out if she is getting enough. The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical School has a good site about determining how many calories a pet needs. If you google Ohio State pet calorie calculator it should come up. This will allow you to figure out her energy requirement (kcal/day) and compare this to what she is eating. Keep in mind that she still may need more then what you calculate if she is not gaining weight as every dog is different. I hope this helps and thank you for using Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hi, my golden retriever is 5 yrs old. He eats a lot of human food and dislikes dog food. But he is also very skinny, I can feel his ribs when i touch his tummy area. I don't understand why he's that skinny when he eats proper amount of food
It may not be that your dog is too skinny, you should be able to feel the ribs when you touch a dog's stomach. If you can't, that means they have too much fat in that area. I'd take him into a vet to be checked out to be sure he's a good weight. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My dog is 1 year and 9 months old. She’s a lab/husky mix. Eats very well and is active. She seems to be losing weight and I can feel her ribs now. No other signs or symptoms. What can I do to help and when do you recommend a visit to the vet?
Losing weight could be a sign of many things and it could range from a poor quality dog food, to parasites to something unexpected in a young dog like kidney disease. I do recommend to be safe and have her examined by your veterinarian and have some basic lab work and a stool sample checked for worms. Pay close attention to her bowels for any loose stool, blood or any vomiting which could indicate something like IBD or pancreatic insufficiency. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I'm taking care of a boxer. Is it normal to feel and see her spine and pelvic bone? she only eats 1/2 a cup 3 times a day. She is 1 yr old.
It sounds like she could be too thin. Here is a link to a body score chart so you can compare. You may need to increase her feeding to 1 cup each feeding and see if she puts on some weight. https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/images/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20dogs_0.pdf
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
What would her body condition score be to you guys and why? I have many people telling me shes severely emaciated and underfed, however, my vet tells me she has adequate muscling over her lateral muscles, thighs, and shoulders. She does have a somewh
I agree with your vet. Only someone who doesn't know the meaning of emaciated would call this dog emaciated. Yes, she is very lean, but she is well muscled (including the back area you mentioned), which indicates that she is getting adequate nutrition and is not suffering from an illness. Body condition scoring is not an exact science, because if you look at the guide you may call her a 3/9. This is because you can see her ribs. However, knowing how lean this dog is, I would put her more around a 4/9. No matter the score, she is in perfect condition - really, she's a great looking dog. I'll also note that studies have shown that dogs with these lower body condition scores tend to be healthier and live longer. The truth is that most people are used to seeing fat dogs (obesity is just as big of a problem with pet dogs in the U.S. as it is people) and will usually balk at the site of a 4/9, or even a 5/9 dog. I know you are and will continue to get comments from people who th
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hello, I have a 2yr old pitbull/lab mix (I think), she has been healthy but for the last few weeks she seems to have been eating less and less and won't eat her dry dog food unless I sit right next to her and encourage her to eat. I just got a weight
A decrease in appetite can indicate a medical problem, so it's best to have a vet examine her to make sure nothing is wrong. She actually doesn't appear to be underweight based on the pictures shown. I'd have to examine her to be sure, but the biggest indication that she is not underweight is the fact that she appears to have well-developed muscles. Some dogs tend to be naturally lean and put more weight on their muscles rather than their ribs, or belly. If I was concerned that she was underweight, then I would first want to rule-out a disease, or parasite causing her to lose or not gain weight. It's best to have a veterinarian evaluate her, so you can ensure she's healthy and ensure that you are not going to feed her unnecessarily. Dog obesity is a big problem in the U.S., which means that the average person thinks a fat dog is at ideal weight; and a dog with an ideal body condition, or a lean body condition is thought to be starving. The truth is that the lean dogs are stati
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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