Can you influency the growth of a mongrel?

i have found a mongrel about 4 months ago. he was very skinny and full of mytes etc. now he is about 7 months old and healthy and put on a good amount of weight. i still think he is a bit on the skinny side and not as muscular as i'd like.


i have a few questions.


a.) he has a bit of loose skin around his whole body. will he grow into that or will it stay? i know it's hard to say as he is a mongrel but generally is there a rule like that?


b.) is there anything i can give him or do to help him put on muscle weight? (i take him for a run on the field and a walk every day)


c.) can i give him anything for his growth? i am not sure how big he will be but can i influence him to help him to make him bigger?


thanks

Can you influency the growth of a mongrel?
Puppies generally do grow into their skin as they grow- he'll probably fill out.





Keep up what you're doing, it sounds great. Plenty of exercise and a quality dog food will ensure he grows to his full potential and has proper muscle growth. Right now he's more or less a "teenage" dog- and he's supposed to be long, lean and lanky.





Much like a lot of teenage boys, LOL....it's not until adulthood that their full, mature muscle development is complete. He'll only grow as big as his genetics allow- you can't make him bigger by feeding him more (just fatter!). Don't over-do the exercise while he's this young but as he nears adulthood you can increase his exercise and condition him if you want to see prime muscle tone. Good for you for taking such good care of a previously neglected doggie :)
Reply:a.) he has a bit of loose skin around his whole body. will he grow into that or will it stay?





Without knowing what breeds he has in him, there is no way to answer this without seeing the dog.








b.) is there anything i can give him or do to help him put on muscle weight? (i take him for a run on the field and a walk every day)





Keeping him active means that he will have muscle weight. He can only develop so much muscle. This is determined by genetics and his are mixed up.








c.) can i give him anything for his growth? i am not sure how big he will be but can i influence him to help him to make him bigger?





You cannot make him into a bigger dog than gentics were going to make him.
Reply:Loose skin could be quite common at that age as some dogs don't really fill out until about two years old. I suppose that depends on what your dog is mixed with. The best thing you can do for him is take him to a Vet and ask about the dog's size according to breed mixtures and age. I have three dogs and one of them has a naturally thin build. She will always be that way. Another has a stout thick build and we have to watch her diet to keep her from too much weight gain. The youngest is a breed that has some loose skin naturally around the nape of her neck and between her shoulder blades. She is a bit thicker than she should be so we are having to alter her diet some per Vet advice.


You are exercising your dog and that is good. Most dogs don't fill out with their full muscle weight until about two years old. Feeding a good quality food will help and adding any needed supplements. IMO, all commercial foods, no matter how high priced or "holistic" they are, have shelf lives that are for YEARS or at least a year and there is no way they can have the vitamins in them that are sufficient for dogs.


So I feed my dogs a good quality food without wheat or corn and where there are three identified meats in the first five ingredients rather than one meat source (i.e. chicken meal) followed by three or more grains, chicken fat and more grain. It means the food is mostly GRAIN. This is high in protein but not the kind of protein a dog needs.


I add Brewer's Yeast, fish/flax oil capsule to my dog's food. About twice a week I give them a raw egg apiece.


Since I know the quality of the eggs I get and how I store them, I haven't EVER had a problem with a dog getting sick from raw egg as long as they aren't overfed them. Too much of any good thing can be counter-productive for dogs or people.


I also sometimes give them some plain yogurt.
Reply:some breeds just have loose skin as a part of their natural make-up.


I don't see anything else you can do as far as exercise.the running and the walking are both great natural activities.


don't do anything to pile on the weight...if you fatten him up his metabolism will slow down and he will get sluggish and lazy...not healthy .


i think you are doing all the right things for your pet.