Dog has lost over 2lb in 3-4 years? Hi, I thought I had posted about this already in the recent past but I cannot find it. Sprout has gone from 7.9 lb to 5.3 lb in the last 3-4 years. His backbone is poky and his ribs do protrude (a bit) but he eats like a little piggy. He is on puppy food per the vet's instructions, and has been for the last 4 years or so and will continue to be as long as his liver enzymes keep coming back "great". Full panel bloodwork, enzyme tests, x-rays and even 2 costly MRIs have been done and everything is coming back per the vet "great, even better than great". He has everything done once a year now (except the MRI) and everything keeps coming back "great". The vets (there have been three) keep swearing up and down that his weight loss is due to nothing but "Muscle mass loss due to age" but I have a hard time believing that over 2lb of weight was nothing but muscle. Sprout's 2 back legs are always stiff when he walks. I mean, he doesn't whine or act like he's in pain whatsoever but they're 'straightish?' when he walks and don't bend like they used to. He runs and jumps and plays and chases squirrels - eats very well and drinks normally. He has all of his teeth still and they are in good shape. ...so why do his bones stick out and they didn't before? And how come his back legs don't bend the same anymore? Does anyone else have experience with this - is this really just due to "muscle mass loss due to age" or should I get yet another opinion (would be a fourth). |
You might want to do an expanded thryoid panel. The thyroid levels that come back from general bloodwork, are not specific enough to always point out a thyroid problem. www.hemopets.com Dr Jean Dodds, does a very good expanded thryoid panel. I'm not sure how old your dog is, but walking stiffly indicates to me some arthritic changes that can be located anywhere along the leg joints. Do you add cosequin to his food? I'd really consider this, as it truly can be very effective for "general joint health". Try feeding late at night prior bedtime, and no exercising after his last meal. I don't have any other ideas, other than thyroid panel. If that comes back normal, maybe seek a consult with a geriartic specialist. It is a far amount of muscle loss, and given you are keeping up his exercise, I would not expect to see 25% or so loss over 3/4 yrs. |
Have you ever upped the amount of food you are giving him? If he's having joint problems, it might be better that he's on the thin side though. |
I would get a 2nd opinion mine are 7 and have maintained and 1 gained weight in aging |
Thank you so much for the responses. I don't believe we've ever had a Thyroid work up on him. At least if they did it, they never said. I will contact our vet and ask about that. Thank you! He doesn't have cosequin but we do have him on apawthecary senior blend and he digests that okay - not sure what cosequin is - can that be given in addition to his apawthecary? In regard to feeding, our dogs do not have a feeding time, and have always been on 'free feed'. The vet said it's perfectly fine, especially for small breeds, as long as they're not overindulging on it and are of a healthy weight. He eats throughout the day on a regular basis. I don't really know what to do to feed him 'more' as he eats like a piggy as it is. My husband calls him his little oinky. I also make pudding for him that is completely gross but I use it in place of canned food - he only gets that twice a week and it's a mixture of green beans, watermelon, yogurt and peanut butter. The vet approved all the ingredients. =/ To answer your question, Sprout just turned 13 years old in June. Thank you again for the replies thus far. |
I just called the vet's office and asked them to pull Sprout's chart and see if any thyroid testing had ever been done. She said it had, last year and his tee3, tee4, free and antibodies came back within normal range. I asked her what all those numbers meant exactly and she said she couldn't tell me because she was the receptionist. She said she'll have the vet or the vet-tech call me back tomorrow as they are with patients. |
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Thyroid-Articles If you go to this website they have lots of information on Thyroid. I would check with the vet about the addition of cosequin maybe what you are using already have the ingredient needed for optimal joint health. One of the reasons I've never free fed is that I have no way of knowing with mutiple dogs how much each one is actually eating, so if health problems crop up, you usually need to start measuring the food out. |
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There are also some recipes for Satin Balls that some breeders use to keep weight on their male dogs who tend to lose when they are around females in season. How to: Make Satin Balls or Fat Balls - DogForum.net | Dog Forums and Community |
Canned food contains more nutrients than dry kibble. You can also add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top to add fat and calories. Probiotics w/digestive enzymes may help. |
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