Weight loss in senior dog

Jump to Last Post 1-3 of 3 discussions (7 posts)
  1. we wece profile image61
    we weceposted 14 years ago

    I have a 10 year old Labrador cross that has lost about 2 kilograms in weight lately, his breath also smells really bad like dead animal or a rubbish dump.
    He still has a very good appetite and will eat anything he can get into including his own and cat poo.
    Otherwise he seems healthy for an older dog, sleeps a lot but still loves a walk around the block.
    Is still able to bark vigorously at anyone that comes up the driveway.
    Anybody have any ideas what this might be, we thought it could be diabetes but the breath is rotten rather than sweet.
    Is it just old age?
    http://s1.hubimg.com/u/4713532_f248.jpg

    1. Just Ask Susan profile image74
      Just Ask Susanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I am not an expert but have you had his thyroid checked? If there is a problem there the vet can put him on medication for that.

    2. Puppyluv profile image61
      Puppyluvposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      He needs to be checked out by a vet.  The bad breath could be caused by rotting teeth (which smells like a dead animal) and that could be causing complications in other internal organs, causing weight loss.  Also if he's eating feces, he could have picked up an intestinal parasite which would also cause weight loss.  Good luck!

      1. leahlefler profile image100
        leahleflerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        I agree with Puppylove. Get him to a vet - it could be something as simple as bad teeth, or something more serious. I hope he is OK once the vet sees him!

    3. Dog Ma profile image60
      Dog Maposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      He needs to see a vet, but also ask your vet about putting your dog on a home cooked diet. My dog has been on one for 6 years and her teeth and breath are perfect now.

  2. flacoinohio profile image76
    flacoinohioposted 12 years ago

    My dog is a five year old dalmation/yellow lab mix, both breeds are commonly diagnosed with a condition called Mega esophagus.  Megaesophagus is the failure of the esophagus to function properly, it does not push food that is swallowed into the stomach.  The food just sits in the esophagus until it is regurgitated or aspirated.  This could be the smell that you are experiencing with your dog.  A flouroscope will determine if megaesophagus is the issue.  Aspiration can lead to pneumonia which can lead to death, there is no way to fix it, but there are ways to feed your dog to help him get food into his system.  My vet fiddled around for six months before admiting he had no idea what was wrong.  I was referred to the Ohio State Veterinary Hospital where they discovered my dog had Megaesophagus.  My vet and Ohio State ran thousands of dollars worth of tests for nearly a year before they figured out the problem, they were milking me for money.  The test cost me $250 and it involved my dog being xrayed while drinking water, then eating soft mush food, and then hard dog food chunks.  The xray is live action photgraphed during the proceedure and the matter can be seen moving through the esophagus to the stomach.  My dog aspirated on the water so they stopped.  If you are still seeking an answer ask your vet about megaesophagus.

  3. wordscribe43 profile image94
    wordscribe43posted 12 years ago

    Time to see a vet- kidney disease is another possibility.

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)