Golden Retriever Losing Weight.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi Joe and thanks for your question.

Sorry to hear that Patton is doing well. A significant amount of weight loss in an older dog can often be a sign of something serious.

Have you noticed if your dog is drinking more than usual? Dogs with diabetes can have significant weight loss.

Similarly, if your dog does tend to drink a lot another possibility is a condition called Cushing's disease. This can cause changes in the hair coat and a decrease in muscle mass. Cushing's is treatable but can be expensive and difficult to treat.

Unfortunately another possible reason for weight loss in an older dog is cancer. There are a number of types of cancers that are possible. In a Golden, Lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) is common. There are good chemotherapy protocols for lymphoma and most dogs tolerate them well.

Another possibility is some type of kidney or liver disease...possibly due to aging changes.

It is unlikely that these symptoms are related to the injections or treatments that Patton received previously.

I wish I could give you some advice for things you could do at home but it really does sound like a vet visit would be the best thing for him. If I were seeing Patton I would be running a blood profile to look for the things mentioned above as well as a good physical exam.

If he is losing a lot of weight, you may be able to help him maintain his weight by feeding him a puppy food as these are higher in fat and protein. However, it really is best to have some tests done first because if he has kidney disease the increase in protein could make things worse.

I really hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie.

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