Does exercise help a dog gain weight

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Dog Weight Gain Will Eggs Help? (We Ask the Experts)

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As pet parents, we want the best for our dogs, including ensuring that our dogs have a healthy weight. If your dog has just had surgery, an illness, or has a fast metabolism, you may be trying to help your dog pack on a few pounds. You can do several things to help, including feeding your dog the right food, but will eggs help?

Eggs can help your dog gain weight because theyre calorie-rich foods (70-80 calories apiece). They are also an excellent protein source (6 grams), which helps with weight gain and your dogs general health. Most dogs also love the taste, making them a great and easy addition to their diet.

Before giving your dog eggs to eat, it is essential to understand how eggs can impact your dogs overall health. This article explores the reason eggs can help with your dogs weight gain. Using expert opinions and research, we will also consider the best way to include eggs in your dogs diet, as well as other things you can do to help your dog healthily gain weight.

How Do Eggs Help My Dogs Gain Weight?

PetMD suggests that mild to moderately underweight dogs should eat a diet of mainly fat and protein. Eggs will easily fit in with these recommendations a large egg contains 5 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein. Therefore, eating eggs can help your dog put on some weight.

Dogs, like humans, rely on protein to power up their bodies. Proteins consist of smaller components called amino acids. While dogs bodies produce all but a few amino acids naturally, all the remaining amino acids they need are conveniently in eggs!

As well as being rich in protein, eggs are also high in calories, with each containing between 70-80 calories. When your dog eats an egg, he or she will absorb these calories quickly, which will help your dog put on weight.

Eggs also contain Vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, fatty acids, and folic acid, all of which contribute to a dogs health in various ways.

Should I Feed My Dog Cooked or Raw Eggs?

Have you decided that it may be a good idea to feed your dog eggs? Then, you may now be wondering how you should add eggs to your dogs diet.

Why Dogs Shouldnt Eat Raw Eggs

Raw eggs would have been snacks for dogs in the wild and the ancestors of our domestic dogs. However, when we domesticated dogs and began feeding them cooked food, their digestive abilities changed slightly. According to experts, you should not give your dogs raw eggs because:

Raw eggs can carry salmonella, a type of bacteria that may cause lethargy, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. If a dog contracts salmonella, it can also expose you the owner to this bacteria.
Raw eggs contain avidin, an enzyme that stops biotin from being absorbed in the body. Dogs need biotin to help with digestion, so feeding your dog raw eggs may prevent them from getting the biotin he or she needs.

Why Cooked Eggs Are Better for Dogs

Its better to give your dog cooked eggs. Jan Dempsey, a nutritionist at Purina, recommends that you follow a 10% rule give your dog enough eggs to make up 10% of their daily calorie needs. So, if you have a dog that needs 2000 calories a day, you can give your dog up to 3 eggs.

Theres a variety of ways you can prepare the eggs for your pup:

Scramble the eggs and mix them in with your dogs regular kibble.
Boil an egg, break it into pieces and give it to your dog as a snack.
Poach the egg, break it into pieces and give it to your dog as a training treat.
Fried eggs have to be cooked using oil or butter, so theyre not the best option for your dog. However, if you would like to give him a fried egg occasionally, fry it in a non-stick pan so that it absorbs as little of the oil as possible.

You can give your dog both the egg white and the yolk and occasionally provide your dog eggshells, as theyre a great source of calcium. Bake the eggshells for 10-15 minutes and then grind them to create a fine powder. Add half a teaspoon of this powder to your dogs daily meal once a fortnight.

Try to buy eggs that are from local farms. If thats not possible, look for organic, free-range eggs.

Safety Protocols

After introducing eggs to your dog, closely monitor any impacts this new addition may have. Some dogs can be allergic to eggs they may cause itchiness and other skin issues around the ears and paws. Eggs may also upset your dogs digestive system, causing vomiting or diarrhea.

If you suspect your dog is having an allergic reaction to eggs, consult with your vet and stop feeding your dog eggs.

Other Ways To Help Your Dog Gain Weight

As well as infusing eggs into your dogs diet, there are various other things you can do to help with weight gain. Lets explore a few egg alternatives.

Feed Your Dog These Foods

One reason that eggs help dogs gain weight is that they are calorie-rich, but theyre not the only high-calorie food out there. Other calorie-rich foods include:

Full fat cottage cheese
Lean meat (such as shredded chicken)
Quinoa
Peanut butter (ensure that the peanut butter you are feeding your dog doesnt contain xylitol)

Several dog food mixes have a high amount of high-quality calories and nutrients. Some of the better options include:

Ask Your Vet for Some Supplements

If you dont want to change your dogs diet completely, another option is to add some supplements to his or her food. Its best to consult with your vet for supplement recommendations that can boost your dogs weight.

Track the Changes in Your Dogs Body

If you are adapting your dogs diet or lifestyle, it is essential to keep track of the changes. Monitor any additions or changes to your dogs food and record whether your dog had any reactions to the change. Things to look out for include:

Increased bouts of energy
Symptoms of gastrointestinal disturbance such as vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea
Disinterest in eating

These records will help you assess what is helping and what is hindering your dogs weight gain.

Continuously monitor not just your dogs weight but their muscle weight and structure. After all, you dont want your dogs weight gain to be pure fat. While you can get your dogs muscle weight by visiting the vet, you will be able to feel changes. Feel their hips, ribs, and back if they feel more defined, they are likely putting on more muscle weight.

Exercise Regularly

Exercising may seem counterproductive if you want your dog to put on weight. However, if your dog gets regular bouts of high-quality exercise, he or she will not put on fat but rather develop defined muscles.

Exercise will also help increase your dogs appetite. High-quality exercise may include:

Running up and down hills
Playing tug of war
Navigating hurdles and other obstacles
Swimming or paddling in shallow water

Maintain Your Dogs Weight

Once your dog has reached the desired weight, it is your job to help him or her maintain it. Dont change their diet drastically, but instead gradually reduce the amount of high protein or high-calorie food available. Continue to monitor your pets weight and behavior and adapt diets or routines accordingly.

Conclusion

Eggs can definitely help your dog gain weight because they contain a significant amount of calories and are also rich in protein. They are also an excellent source of other nutrients, making them the perfect addition to your dogs diet.

If you have tried multiple ways to help your dog gain weight but are still not seeing results, it may be time to consult with a vet. The vet will be able to assess your dogs overall health, find the causes of your dogs low weight and recommend medication or lifestyle choices that will help.

Sources

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How to Exercise to Bulk Up and Shape Your Body

Just as exercise can help people lose weight, it can also help others gain weight in a healthy way.

You may want to gain weight to build muscle or if youre underweight, which means you weigh less than is healthy for your height. Not sure if youre underweight? Use this body mass index (BMI) calculator to find out.

Regular exercise is one of the most important steps to bulk up. But as with losing weight, gaining weight should be a part of a holistic plan.

Here, well cover some exercise tips for gaining weight with minimal equipment that you can start doing right now. Then, well talk about how to build healthy body mass.

Female and male bodies store fat and distribute muscle mass differently. Focus on the exercises that give you the most promising results for your body type.

Pushups

Pushups are simple and help build muscle in your arms and shoulders. To do a pushup:

Lie face down on the ground.
Put your hands on the ground, palms flat, with your arms out at your sides and your hands shoulder-width apart.
Slowly push your body up until your arms are fully extended. Keep your back and legs straight so that your body makes a straight line.
Slowly lower yourself back down until your nose nearly touches the floor.
Repeat as many times as you feel comfortable.

Pullups

Youll need some kind of pullup bar or sturdy cylindrical object to do pullups. Otherwise, this exercise is a simple way to build arm and shoulder muscles.

Grip the pullup bar with both hands. Your palms should face away from you. Keep your arms shoulder-width apart.
Pull yourself up enough to hang off the bar so that your feet arent touching the ground and your arms are straight.
Continue to pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar.
Slowly lower yourself down so that your arms are straight again.
Repeat as many times as you want.

Squats

This exercise helps build muscle in your butt and legs, especially your quadriceps femoris (quads) muscles.

Stand up straight so that your feet are hips-width distance apart.
Put your hands on your hips and flex your abdominal muscles.
Begin lowering yourself down using only your legs, as if youre about to sit down, and get into a seated position until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Keep your upper body as still as possible.
Raise yourself back up to your original position.
Repeat as many times as you want.

Lunges

You can do this exercise anywhere. Its great for bulking up and toning your leg and butt muscles.

Stand up straight, flexing your abdominal muscles.
Extend one leg like youre taking a step, then lean forward like youre kneeling until your knees are at 90-degree angles.
Push back on your heel to lift yourself back up to your initial position.
Repeat as many times as you feel comfortable on one leg.
Repeat for the other leg.

Bench press

For this exercise, youll need a flat bench to lie on and a weighted bar. Dont overload the bar, though, because you can injure yourself.

Bench presses help build shoulder, tricep, and chest muscles. This is a good exercise for bulking up. The more weight you can bench, the more muscle youll build.

You may want to perform this exercise with the help of a spotter for safety.

Lie on your back on the bench. If the bench has a rack for the bar, face the bar. If theres no rack, hold the bar carefully and slowly lie backward on the bench until youre comfortable.
If theres a rack, grab the bar with both hands, including your thumbs. Feel free to spread your fingers a bit.
Extend your arms to take the bar out of the rack.
Slowly lower your arms to bring the bar down to your chest.
Slowly straighten your arms and raise the bar back toward the rack. If theres no rack, make sure you have the strength to sit back up after youre done.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 as many times as you feel comfortable.

Overhead press

Youll need a weighted bar to perform this exercise. Overhead presses will help bulk up the muscles in your arms, shoulders, back, abs, and legs.

Grip the bar with your hands about shoulder-width apart.
Lift the bar up to just above the front of your chest, even with your shoulders.
Slowly lift the bar above you until your arms are straight. Keep your elbows locked and raise your shoulders like youre shrugging.
Slowly lower the bar back to shoulder height.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as comfortable.

To gain weight, minimize aerobic and cardio exercises. These are meant to burn fat and tone muscle, not bulk you up.

You dont have to avoid them entirely, though. You can do these exercises in moderation to tone your muscles. This will help you build definition so that you can achieve the look that you want.

Its not hard to gain weight by eating more. But be mindful of what you eat to gain healthy weight. A diet to bulk up mainly consists of healthy fats, proteins, and complex carbohydrates that help build muscle and use fat to burn energy.

Try some of the following foods:

Take notes of what you eat in a journal or an app that tracks nutrients. Its surprisingly hard to know exactly how much you eat unless you write it down. You may find that you arent consuming enough calories or that your food choices arent nutritious enough for a healthy diet.

Keeping track of your habits in a journal can help you optimize your intake of healthy fats and proteins, cut out junk food, and track your calorie consumption over time.

Weight gain is more than eating and exercise. Heres what else you can do to make sure you get the most out of your workout without harming your body:

Get enough sleep. Aim for about six to eight hours a night.
Reduce stress. Cortisol released by stress can make you gain unhealthy weight or even lose weight again. Meditate, get a massage, or spend more time on your favorite hobbies.
Reduce or stop bad habits. Reduce or eliminate alcohol, and try to quit smoking. This can be difficult, but a doctor can help you create a smoking cessation plan thats right for you.
Set reasonable goals for yourself. Going too hard, too fast can burn you out and do more harm than good. Start small, increase your reps each time, and record your progress.

Talk to a doctor, nutritionist, or personal trainer about achieving a healthy weight gain.

A holistic approach will get you the best results. Get in reasonable and regular amounts of exercises targeted at building muscle, eat healthy fats and proteins, and build a lifestyle around rest, relaxation, and self-care.