Does anyone know what might make a dog lose weight even when feeding is increased?
I have a very active outdoor 5 year old German Shepherd who began to noticeably lose weight a couple of weeks ago. She weighed about 50 pounds, so we had been feeding her 4 cups of moist dog food each day (2 cups twice a day). When I noticed her condition, I increased her food by adding a 12 ounce can of meaty dog food at midday, bringing her total daily feeding to 44 ounces of food divided into three feeding periods, but she is not gaining back her weight.
She is not lethargic or noticeably less active, her nose remains moist, and her eyes are bright and clear. She remains as attentive and alert as always.
Does anyone know what might cause a dog to lose weight like this. I intend to take her to the vet soon, but if I can do something else more quickly, I'd like to do that (we're kind of strapped for cash at the moment).
The most frequent cause of something like this is a parasite. The parasite is eating up the dog faster than the dog can eat food.
Could also be a thyroid problem....The thyroid regulates the metabolism, so when it's over productive (hyperthyroid), it produces too much of the hormone and it can cause weight loss....The dogs body burns calories faster than it can eat them.
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Wow, that sounds like what my dog went through. She's an 80-pound German Shepherd who began to lose weight like that when she was 4 years old. She's had lots of medical problems anyways, but never anything that affected her weight. We found out what it was. Apparently her pancreas wasn't working well, if at all. Without the pancreas working properly, the dog's body doesn't process the food properly. So she's not getting any of the nutrients that she needs from the food. Basically, she's starving to death. Our dog got down to 50 pounds from 80 and began to lose her "spark".
I'm not sure if this is what is wrong with your dog, but from what I hear, this is a common condition for German Shepherds.
Here are some signs to look for to see if this might be your dog's problem. (Yes, they will be gross questions. rofl. But necessary.) Don't worry, if it is this problem....it's totally treatable with enzymes and vitamin B12 shots. My dog is back up to 80 pounds and is 7 years old now!
#1: Do you notice if your dog has been having larger piles of poops? As if the food that goes in just goes right out?
#2: Do you ever see an oily substance on top of her poops? Like a shinyness? Or on the hairs around her rear end or on her tail?
#3: Is your dog pooping more frequently?
And then you've already told me about the weight loss. That is another big sign.
The best thing I can tell you to do, if your dog continues to lose weight or has any of these signs, is to go to your vet immediately. Ask the vet about pancreatic insufficiency/deficiency. Like I said, this can be a problem with German Shepherds. They'll end up taking some blood and sending it out for tests.
We almost lost our dog to this. She was so skinny. While we waited for the blood test results, which could take a couple weeks to come back, we noticed her getting worse. The vet gave us a sample bottle of the enzymes we would need to put on her food, just to try it for the heck of it while we waited and she immediately started gaining weight again and coming back to us.
The dosage of enzymes can be a bit tricky to get down at first. We figured it out by trial and error. Too little and she wasn't gaining weight. Too much and her gums actually began to bleed because the enzymes were actually burning her mouth. Apparently that is not a common side effect of the enzymes, but it can happen. And we give her vitamin B12 shots once or twice a month, as the pancreas aids in the production of that as well. Vitamin B12 is vital for the production of red blood cells and normal nerve cell activity.
If it turns out that this is what your dog has and you need any help or advice, please don't hesitate to PM me.
I'd love to know how this turns out. Let me know! I'll be praying for you and your dog. Good luck!
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Help Needed to Understand Dog Weight Loss 
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