rottweiler too thin

i have 4 rotties, the oldest one is 7 and during the winter he seems to lose weight in his ribs and hips. he eats and does the same as the other 3 but they are all strong and sturdy.

this is the 2nd winter i'm having this problem. during the other seasons he is fine. i tried adding rice to his food but its not working either.





Hi
During cold weather your dog's bodies burn more calories trying to keep warm, and they generally need more nutrition to provide this energy. Your dog is also older and so his body is metabolizing his food differently.

I'd first of all recommend getting him a food specifically designed for older dogs as it has a different ratio of nutrients. Also giving him a fish-oil or omega-3 type supplement may also help.

If he's kept outdoors the best thing you can do is to bring him inside so that his metabolism doesn't have to work so hard to maintain his condition and weight. If he lives indoors, limit his time outside.

It would probably also be a good idea to have your vet check him out to make sure that there's no other underlying health problem that could be stressing his body and making it less able to handle the cold etc.

Hope this helps and that he does better over the coming months.