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My puppy won't eat and seems underweight, but the vet says he's fine.

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 6 months and 26 days old | 115 lbs

How can I make my dog eat his food!? He needs to gain weight and fast! I’ve tried wetting the kibble and mixing with wet food and warming it EVERYTHING this is his fourth switch of dog food cause of food allergies and he just won’t eat and he’s going to get even thinner and he is 20 pounds and maybe more under. He will only eat a little and he went to the vet for a checkup and they said he was fine! He’s on Royal Canin Giant Breed Puppy Food now.Hes half Newfie and should be 80 not 61lbs

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 23rd, 2018

It sounds like his weight is fine. Puppies go through growth spurts and sometimes they look thin and other times heavier. I don't get too worried about them being too thin unless the ribs are showing. I think you may be getting too wrapped up in a number. Can you post again with some photos so we can maybe help you better? If he is only half Newfoundland then he probably won't actually get as big as a Newfoundland. What is his other half? I find it hard to believe that a vet would tell you he is fine if he was truly 20 pounds underweight. That is a significant amount of weight. Also, it is very rare for a puppy this young to show allergy symptoms, especially to food. It is actually rare for dogs to have a true food allergy at all. If you have not had him allergy tested I doubt he has a food allergy. You may just have to keep switching diets until you find one he likes.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 16th, 2018

    The questions on the forum are not linked and I do not have access to the previous information you have posted. It sounds like poor Bear is very underweight and I would be concerned there may be an underlying condition causing him to not thrive. It is important to find a high quality puppy food that he will eat in order to ensure he is receiving the correct balance of nutrients, vet essentials and royal canin ranges are highly palatable and some warmed canned food can help to tempt him

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 22nd, 2018

    You can try mixing canned food with the dry to try to make it more palatable, but I would be concerned that Bear has a medical problem if he is truly 20 lbs underweight. You may want to check in with your vet and see if there are any more tests that would be recommended to determine why Bear has a decreased appetite and is underweight. They may want to check a stool sample for parasites or look for signs of pancreatic or gastrointestinal disease.

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