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Getting skinny

Rating: 9
Louie
Louie

My five year old rottweiler mix has lost ten to fifteen pounds and his ribs are starting to show alittle, his normal weight is around eighty five pounds. His appetite is great and he is getting about three to four cups of food a day,plus table scraps from my three year old. He is relativly active and shows no signs of slowing down. his demeamor is the same, but he seems to drinking more water. He also has not had a heartworm pill since Dec., becauase we live in a cold weather area.
I would just bring him to my vet, but I lost my job recently and can't afford to bring him in if there is nothing wrong or if it can be treated by me.
My familiy and I love him very much and we would hate for anything bad happen to him. What could This be? Thank you!

One Response to “Getting skinny”:

  • Master Advisor Matthew says:

    February 14th, 2008 at 11:42 PM

    Please measure his water intake over a 24 hour period, then provide me with that information in litres (e.g. measure 9am to 9am, using a measuring jug, and subtracting what is left from the total), and also provide me with his bodyweight. That way I can calculate whether he is drinking excessively enough for that to be a significant clue in his diagnosis.

    Also make sure he has been dewormed in the last 3mths with a proper veterinary dewormer.

    Ravenous appetite and weight loss can occur with several conditions, the most common of which are diabetes mellitus and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

    Current Rating: Rating: 9
    Rate This Answer:
    Matthew Homfray
    PDSA is the UK's leading veterinary charity, caring for more than 350,000 pet patients belonging to people in need. We provide free veterinary treatment to sick and injured animals and we promote responsible pet ownership.

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