Dog losing weight

My dog, a female almost 4 yr old black lab, is losing
weight. Her appetite is good, she has had no behavior changes, and
is still very active. I have had her blood sugar tested and it was totally
normal. I have checked her stool and all was normal. Nixa has started looking
too thin the past few days.

Nixa has not been sick. Nixa is not coughing, sneezing, have the runs, or
acting anything except like her usual self. Nixa's coat is in great shape and
very shiny.

While she has lost about 3 pounds, she still has great muscle tone. Usually
I can just barely see her last rib, and can feel the rest of her ribs with light pressure.
I do not like the fact that I can see just about all of her ribs and feel her backbone
too easily. I also do not like the way Nixa's haunches seem gaunt.

I have upped her food 1/2 cup at each feeding, for a total of 3 cups a day.
Nixa also gets lots of treats during the day.

Previously Nixa has had a tendency to gain weight. So Nixa losing weight has
me perplexed. I also know that labs can have thyroid problems, but it is usually
hypothyroid--which would cause Nixa to gain weight.

I cannot figure this out.
Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Renee (Nixa's worried mom)

"R. Zimmerman" wrote in message
.. .
My dog, a female almost 4 yr old black lab, is losing
weight. Her appetite is good, she has had no behavior changes, and
is still very active. I have had her blood sugar tested and it was totally
normal. I have checked her stool and all was normal.

.............what other blood tests did you run? I'd get a complete blood
panel - CBC and chemistry.

I have upped her food 1/2 cup at each feeding, for a total of 3 cups a day.
Nixa also gets lots of treats during the day.

..........how long ago did you do this? Seen any results?

Previously Nixa has had a tendency to gain weight. So Nixa losing weight has
me perplexed. I also know that labs can have thyroid problems, but it is
usually
hypothyroid--which would cause Nixa to gain weight.

..........labs are also prone to Addison's disease. Symptoms are usually
vague and varied and although just plain weight loss isn't necessarily a
marker, I'd keep it in mind. Only way to rule it out is an ACTH stimulation
test. Otherwise it's a bit of a puzzler. Are there absolutely no other
things going on physically or behaviorally? Dog is on no kind of
medication? Had the urine tested?

buglady
take out the dog before replying

R. Zimmerman wrote:
My dog, a female almost 4 yr old black lab, is losing
weight. Her appetite is good, she has had no behavior changes, and
is still very active. I have had her blood sugar tested and it was totally
normal. I have checked her stool and all was normal. Nixa has started
looking
too thin the past few days.

Nixa has not been sick. Nixa is not coughing, sneezing, have the runs, or
acting anything except like her usual self. Nixa's coat is in great
shape and
very shiny.

While she has lost about 3 pounds, she still has great muscle tone. Usually
I can just barely see her last rib, and can feel the rest of her ribs
with light pressure.
I do not like the fact that I can see just about all of her ribs and
feel her backbone
too easily. I also do not like the way Nixa's haunches seem gaunt.

I have upped her food 1/2 cup at each feeding, for a total of 3 cups a day.
Nixa also gets lots of treats during the day.

Previously Nixa has had a tendency to gain weight. So Nixa losing weight has
me perplexed. I also know that labs can have thyroid problems, but it is
usually
hypothyroid--which would cause Nixa to gain weight.

I cannot figure this out.
Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Renee (Nixa's worried mom)
The exact same thing happened to my wire haired fox terrier this last
October. He had just had his annual exam in early August so the weight
loss was easily verified. I had already upped his food and he was still
not maintaining his weight. I got him into the vet's and he was shocked
at the decline.

These are the questions the vet asked me:
- do you have new neighbors?
- anyway to see if something "odd" is going on while you are gone?
- is the dog sleeping well or restless at night?
- has he gotten a new toy that he is playing with a lot more than your
realize?
- has the company changed anything with the food you are feeding?
- has your stress level increased for any reason? financial, personal,
medical and have you had any schedule or workload changes?

In our case it was the behavioral and personality changes in my husband
who was being tested for early onset dementia. As soon as my husband
was put on medication that controlled those changes a bit Hudson's
weight went back to where it belonged. I notice that as my husband's
condition worsens a bit I have to up Hudson's feeding again.

The vet had me up Hudson's food intake from 2 cups a day to 3 cups ( I
took food package in so that the vet could see what the company
suggested as compared to what I was feeding). I was also "ordered" (and
he meant it too!) to not weigh Hudson for a 10 day period. The last
thing the dog needed was for me to add more stress to his life by me
weighing him constantly. At the same time he realized that I would note
any further loss and am the type that would have been "beating the doors
down" if he had lost any additional weight.

~karen~

Thanks for all the great info.

Since Nixa is my service dog, she goes everywhere with me. We are never
apart.

I think that the problem might have been stress. I was dog sitting
for some friends for a week. Nixa had been very good friends with
the dog and has had many playdates, so I thought that having the dog
stay with us would be ok. Upon reflection, this was not a very good idea.
The other dog has been back at his home for over a week.

Nixa probably did not get as much sleep as she was used to. I know
that taking care of the other dog disrupted my schedule. The other
dog was much higher maintenance and this must have stressed out
Nixa. I know that having the other dog stressed me out. My being
stressed did not help Nixa.

I noticed that Nixa starting to look thinner the last day or two that the
visitor dog was here. After the dog left, we both spent 2 days catching
up on sleep. Now Nixa's sleeping habits are normal for her. Nixa is a deep
sleeper, with lots of dreaming. It is great fun to watch her yip, run,
and wag her tail in her sleep.

Nixa is still full of energy, and is her normal wonderful hard working
self. I will give it a few more days and if she still continues to look thin
to me,
I will take her to the vet for a complete work up.

Thanks again for all the input.

Renee (Nixa's mom)

"~karen~" wrote in message
...
R. Zimmerman wrote:
My dog, a female almost 4 yr old black lab, is losing
weight. Her appetite is good, she has had no behavior changes, and
is still very active. I have had her blood sugar tested and it was
totally
normal. I have checked her stool and all was normal. Nixa has started
looking
too thin the past few days.
Nixa has not been sick. Nixa is not coughing, sneezing, have the runs,
or
acting anything except like her usual self. Nixa's coat is in great shape
and
very shiny.
While she has lost about 3 pounds, she still has great muscle tone.
Usually
I can just barely see her last rib, and can feel the rest of her ribs
with light pressure.
I do not like the fact that I can see just about all of her ribs and feel
her backbone
too easily. I also do not like the way Nixa's haunches seem gaunt.
I have upped her food 1/2 cup at each feeding, for a total of 3 cups a
day.
Nixa also gets lots of treats during the day.
Previously Nixa has had a tendency to gain weight. So Nixa losing weight
has
me perplexed. I also know that labs can have thyroid problems, but it is
usually
hypothyroid--which would cause Nixa to gain weight.
I cannot figure this out. Any help and suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.
Thanks,
Renee (Nixa's worried mom)
The exact same thing happened to my wire haired fox terrier this last
October. He had just had his annual exam in early August so the weight
loss was easily verified. I had already upped his food and he was still
not maintaining his weight. I got him into the vet's and he was shocked
at the decline.

These are the questions the vet asked me:
- do you have new neighbors?
- anyway to see if something "odd" is going on while you are gone?
- is the dog sleeping well or restless at night?
- has he gotten a new toy that he is playing with a lot more than your
realize?
- has the company changed anything with the food you are feeding?
- has your stress level increased for any reason? financial, personal,
medical and have you had any schedule or workload changes?

In our case it was the behavioral and personality changes in my husband
who was being tested for early onset dementia. As soon as my husband was
put on medication that controlled those changes a bit Hudson's weight went
back to where it belonged. I notice that as my husband's condition
worsens a bit I have to up Hudson's feeding again.

The vet had me up Hudson's food intake from 2 cups a day to 3 cups ( I
took food package in so that the vet could see what the company suggested
as compared to what I was feeding). I was also "ordered" (and he meant it
too!) to not weigh Hudson for a 10 day period. The last thing the dog
needed was for me to add more stress to his life by me weighing him
constantly. At the same time he realized that I would note any further
loss and am the type that would have been "beating the doors down" if he
had lost any additional weight.

~karen~

R. Zimmerman wrote:
My dog, a female almost 4 yr old black lab, is losing
weight. Her appetite is good, she has had no behavior changes, and
is still very active. I have had her blood sugar tested and it was totally
normal. I have checked her stool and all was normal. Nixa has started looking
too thin the past few days.

Nixa has not been sick. Nixa is not coughing, sneezing, have the runs, or
acting anything except like her usual self. Nixa's coat is in great shape and
very shiny.

While she has lost about 3 pounds, she still has great muscle tone. Usually
I can just barely see her last rib, and can feel the rest of her ribs with light pressure.
I do not like the fact that I can see just about all of her ribs and feel her backbone
too easily. I also do not like the way Nixa's haunches seem gaunt.

I have upped her food 1/2 cup at each feeding, for a total of 3 cups a day.
Nixa also gets lots of treats during the day.


This seems a bit light to me... What would be Nixa's ideal weight and
what brand of food are you feeding?

Nixa's ideal weight is between 66-68 #. I feed her Hills Science Diet
Light for large breed dogs. Nixa also get lots of kibble as treats during
the
day. Since Nixa is my service dog and goes everywhere with me, she
get treats for picking up items I drop, opening doors, carrying items, and
the like.

Nixa also gets a peanut butter filled kong 1-3 times a week.

Nixa is looking much better now. She has filled out a bit and does not look
so gaunt. I think that it was the stress of having another dog in her space.
I dog sat for a friend of ours. While Nixa has had many playdates with
the other dog, having the dog in her space was not a great idea.

Thanks for the input.
Renee (Nixa's mom)


"Steve Crane" wrote in message
oups.com...

R. Zimmerman wrote:
My dog, a female almost 4 yr old black lab, is losing
weight. Her appetite is good, she has had no behavior changes, and
is still very active. I have had her blood sugar tested and it was
totally
normal. I have checked her stool and all was normal. Nixa has started
looking
too thin the past few days.

Nixa has not been sick. Nixa is not coughing, sneezing, have the runs, or
acting anything except like her usual self. Nixa's coat is in great shape
and
very shiny.

While she has lost about 3 pounds, she still has great muscle tone.
Usually
I can just barely see her last rib, and can feel the rest of her ribs
with light pressure.
I do not like the fact that I can see just about all of her ribs and feel
her backbone
too easily. I also do not like the way Nixa's haunches seem gaunt.

I have upped her food 1/2 cup at each feeding, for a total of 3 cups a
day.
Nixa also gets lots of treats during the day.


This seems a bit light to me... What would be Nixa's ideal weight and
what brand of food are you feeding?