I really need to know if my Pug is ok.

We have a pug, Elliot. And we LOVE him to death.

He is VERY active. He runs constantly. And plays and snorts around.

But ever since we got him, he hasn't gained much weight. At sometimes we can see his ribs. We feed him so much but he justs runs and runs.

He does this cute thing we call the 'Sneak Attack'. Where he will run from room to room, corner to corner, and then just stop.

But he does that so much, we think he is losing the weight he needs.

PLEASE advise one what we should be feeding him to help him gain atleast a little bit of weight, I am VERY worried.


Thank you!
-Sarah (new to forum 12/3/2009)

How old is he? What and how much are you feeding him?

In addition, what food are you feeding him. Have you had him checked for worms?

Totally agree with what's been said. I would have a vet evaluate him for worms and any other condition.

Knowing his age, weight, exercise and energy level and what he is currently being fed and how much will help people make suggestions. And remember, it's not always about the AMOUNT of food you give, but the calorie level it contains. Hope we can help you find some answers!

Nothing to add, but welcome to PA! We do love to see pictures, by the way..........

Pugsaunt wrote:Nothing to add, but welcome to PA! We do love to see pictures, by the way..........

I second the welcome and the request for pictures.

A pic would be great to really evaluate the weight of your boy. Skinny means different things to different people. Unless he is seriously underweight, you can count yourself lucky as most of us as pug owners, have the exact opposite.

I would have him checked for worms asap! There are a couple of different parasites that are hard to detect on fecal exams and are often missed until a dog is just loaded with them. I adopted a non pug small dog who was horribly skinny. His fecal was negative when he entered rescue, but by the time I got him he was loaded with hookworms. Once we got those cleared, he began gaining weight. Also, have you had any bloodwork done on him? This could also indicate if there was another issue taking place. In the mean time, I would increase his food.

Again, not much to add to what others have suggested--hard to know what to advise without knowing age, current weight, what you are feeding, etc.

Yes, I'd definitely get a fecal done and a full blood panel.

I'd be feeding a high quality kibble.

And some pugs just ARE busy as stink and stay pretty slim--I've fostered several that were very busy indeed and never really put on much weight, but weren't underweight. Just lithe and slim like athletes.

Aussie Witch wrote:Totally agree with what's been said. I would have a vet evaluate him for worms and any other condition.

Knowing his age, weight, exercise and energy level and what he is currently being fed and how much will help people make suggestions. And remember, it's not always about the AMOUNT of food you give, but the calorie level it contains. Hope we can help you find some answers!

Also, is he neutered? un-neutered dogs will usually stay leaner than the neutered one.

PS: If that is him in your avatar, he looks good. He doesn't look too skinny to me at all!

sorry to hear about his weight! poor lil pugger! try to feed him a more calorie rich diet since he seems to be burning it off pretty fast....if not, then see what the vet has to say... good luck! keep us posted ! :)

My Otto was a skinny, very active pug during his first year. I remember worrying about that. He started filling out between 1.5 and 2 years of age.

I'd have the fecal check done, but if your pug is under a year old, he might just be a very active, slender pug (sort of like a teen-ager)!

Welcome to PA!

Yes thats him!