Misha's Weight Loss

    • Gold Top Dog

    Misha's Weight Loss

    I posted pictures in April/May saying that Misha weighed 75 lbs and had lost 10 lbs in the past year. I wasn't too concerned about it because I knew that he had been a lot more active in the past year than he'd ever been before, so I chalked it up to him running and playing all the time. Then right before I left for Minneapolis, I weighed him again, he was 73 lbs. When I came home he weighed 70 lbs, and today he weighed 67 lbs. Whatever his weightloss is, it seems to be pretty slow, and he hasn't been sick, vomiting or had loose stool lately. The last time he weighed 67 lbs was when he was 8 months old. I'm concerned about the weight loss and am taking him to the vet tomorrow, and I know there are tons of things that could cause him to loose weight. One thing I'm going to ask the vet about is C. Diff, since I was recently diagnosed and treated for it. I pretty much assume that a blood test and a fecal are in order. What else should I ask or note when talking to the vet?

    What I've thought about so far: no change in quantity/quality of food in the past year, though there was a point where he seemed to be vomiting/having diarrhea for a while; change in activity levels -- from outside playing with Yuri to inside, mostly sedentary; my dad suggests that it could be the heat affecting him, and this is the first year he's in full coat. That's all I have right now, thanks for any suggestions/questions/etc.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Ask the vet for a *broad* blood panel -- not just something in -house.  It can often point to something not obvious.

    This sounds REALLY dumb -- but you don't ever find little things that look like dried pieces of rice in his bed??  A tape worm could cause weight loss that is gradual -- and if you don't inspect every time they poop (like if they go in the yard) you may surely miss it.

    A fecal and bloodwork is definitely the place to start -- and an x-ray if the vet feels it's warranted.

     

    • Gold Top Dog
    Thanks Callie. I haven't seen any tapeworms -- my cat had them once -- but I'll double check. I haven't seen any in his poop, but I also don't check every time.
    • Gold Top Dog

     You'll probably see them in the hair around his behind, too. I do, often, with fluffy dogs.

    • Gold Top Dog
    That's where they were with my cat. I've been paying attention to the butt fluff (washed the beast today), and have definitely not seen any.
    • Gold Top Dog

    I have no advice or suggestions but I hope Misha is ok and the weight loss is nothing serious.

    • Gold Top Dog

    Good you're taking Misha to get checked out! I would also ask to make sure they include thyroid testing as part of the broad bloodwork. (It's probably be included, but just in case...) Keeping fingers crossed for a quick diagnosis that's not serious.

    • Gold Top Dog
    I took Misha to the vet today and on their scale he weighed 77 lbs -- which is much less concerning. I sat there a while, wondering if I was over reacting or if I should still see the vet. Then one of the vet techs said that 1 lb weight loss wasn't anything to worry about considering the heat, his coat, and his age. She also said that if he was eating and drinking well and on HW preventative, that we could just watch his weight, and I probably didn't need to see the vet today. I commented that Misha's fluffiness makes it hard to judge his body condition, and when she felt him, she said he felt perfect. So at the moment, we're going to watch his weight by going to the vet to use their scale every few weeks. The scale I was using at Petsmart is right next to a wall, so I guess that he could have been leaning against the wall and manipulating the reading. The scale at the vet is far enough away from the walls that that's not an issue there.
    • Gold Top Dog

    Well, that's a relief! That seems like a really good idea to use the vet scale to keep track. Will they record her weight in her chart each time?  Frisby's very fluffy, too, and it really is hard to tell with all that fluff!

    • Gold Top Dog
    Yeah. They will put it in his file, just like they did today, to help keep track.