Help please - does anyone recognise these symptoms??

[Acolyte]

My greyhound has not been well since January, and has been back and forward to the vets roughly once a week

Originally she had blood tests which showed a slightly impared liver function, so she went onto liver tablets.

At the second visit a different vet decided that her heart murmur was the problem, so he put her onto Vasotop.

Then she developed a skin complaint which the vet treated as mange, so she was on steroids and was treated with Advocate for the mange.

Following all that treatment she has picked up quite a lot, and is pretty much back to her usual self. She is eating really well (she has always been a poor doer) and is having two good meals a day - but I took her back to the vets last night and she had lost weight, not gained any

The vet did more blood tests, and when I phoned him this morning for the results he said that there was still slight liver impairment, but that the results were better than last time

So I don't understand why she isn't putting on weight - and the vet doesn't seem to have any answers! Has anyone ever had a dog with these symptoms? I am beginning to think of a tumour or cancer, but surely these would have shown up on the blood tests

Well done if you have persevered to read all of this

 

[Daisy11]

Has she had her teeth seen to cause the same with horses there teeth can stop them putting weight on
Also greyhounds do not carry very much weight due to there breed my friend had some and they where thin like she never feed them before .

 

[Acolyte]

Thanks very much for the suggestion but yes, her teeth are done regularly as they are awful if they aren't treated!

Although she is a small greyhound she is skeletal at the moment - she only weighs 19.95kg, the "ideal" weight for a greyhound is 28kg and I would want her to be at least 25kg given her size

so proportionally she is very underweight.

 

[Oneofthepack]

How old is she? My lurcher is very underweight despite eating 3 good meals a day and the vet says there's nothing specific wrong, just an old liver which stops her absorbing the nutrients so well. Have you tried adding sardines to her food to increase her appetite and calorie intake?

 

[Acolyte]

She is 11 - so not that old, but certainly not young! I think it will be the same answer with her as for your lurcher TBH - the vet said that basically she is just getting old and her body is starting to decide it has had enough

LOL about the sardines, yes I do give her them - she absolutely adores them

I alternate between that, Butchers Tripe and raw tripe as they are her favourites

 

[Oneofthepack]

Yes sounds similar doesn't it. 11 is a good age though and about when I would expect them to start needing a little more TLC and sardines!