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Joy's losing weight


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A few weeks ago, I noticed Joy was a little on the thin side so I boosted her from 2 cups a meal to 2 1/2. I hadn't noticed any change in her weight, but dad commented on how her hips were sticking through her t shirt (yes, Joy wears shirts in the winter time..). I decided to give her a few more days, or I'd boost her food up a quarter cup. She still lost some weight, so she's now at around 3 cups plus scraps a meal. This is more than my friends' dane eats in a day, and his weight is easily maintained!

 

I haven't changed her schedule around, I've been limiting her play time, no fever, or other abnormal things. No fighting in the house, or other external stressors.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts? I brought it up with a friend and she was thinking worms, but I don't think its likely. We were in wis. dells over the weekend and our pet sitter said that "our food was too high in protein, and Joy should be getting more grains, since she's not a working dog", but by my definition, Joy is a working dog since she gets at least 3 hours of hard aerobic exercise every day, plus obedience and agility. She's also highly sensitive to grains. When we first got her, I thought she had allergies, but once she was on grain-free treats and raw, the hair loss went away.

 

I'm going to keep a food and exercise log over the next week or so, hand if there's any negative changes I'm bringing her in. If I bring her in, should I get her tested for anything in particular? I know thyroid issues were brought up with someone too...

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I can't offer too much in the way of advice but I will say that between the 18 months or so up until very recently it was a fight to keep my female above 26 pounds. She just turned three. 29 - 30 pounds is ideal for her and that still leaves her pretty lean. She was being fed approximately 3 cups of good quality food a day plus treats and a few scraps here and there. She's a pretty busy girl too. Keep an eye on her over the next week and like you said, if there are any negative changes take her into the vet.

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I'd go get some blood work done, just in case of a high thyroid. Just to be on the safe side. I'm always quite careful with my critters. Good luck Joy, we all love you! The money for the blood work will ease your mind. Well worth it.

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I worm my working dogs regularly....they eat the darndest things out there! Also, instead of upping the amount of food...you might try adding fat. My working girls have fat added to their diets.....also metabolizing of fat for energy seems to keep their systems cooler when the weather gets hot. Check out what Dr. Angie Untisz has to say about feeding the canine athlete. She has information at Border Collies in Action. She helped me get my import dogs working well here in the US without them overheating. I really value her input on feeding dogs that work hard!

 

Lora

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I'd take her into the vet for a check up . We just went thru this with our two year old male boxer . He was far to thin , we tried boosting his food (Taste of the Wild and Horizon Legacy) but it made no differance . We had a blood panel run and did a fecal exam . Turned out he had a cellular parasite and high thyroid levels .

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You might want to have the vet check for tick borne diseases (e.g., lyme, anaplasma, etc.). They can cause weight loss. My dog just tested positive for anaplasma exposure--he didn't have any symptoms, but it can cause some pretty serious problems, so you want to catch it and treat it early.

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Joy just treated me to a big, new surprise- I was so happy she ate her food. I went to pull her blankets out of her crate, and *GASP!* there was about 4 cups worth of food in a neat little pile in the corner of her crate, like she was picking it up piece by piece going "HAHA mom! Now you'll never find it!"

 

I don't think she's in any pain, since she's tugging fine, and she'll eat out of my hand.

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Maybe she just doesn't like her food and is being a picky little girl. It wouldn't hurt to get her checked out but maybe try another food in the meantime. Of course they will still eat even if it's not their favourite thing but you could try. I can't remember the name but a few posters have mentioned a brand of food that their dogs lick the bowl after they are done. You could try to put some really smelly fish oil on her food or even some wet food to make it smell more appetizing. I hope everything is alright with her. Either way still get her to the vet to be sure.

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