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Could use some help

3.3K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  Heidigsd  
#1 ·
Man, if it’s not one thing it’s another. First here’s an update on Ridley; she had an UTI, the vet gave us some antibiotics and she is doing great, back to her crazy self and happy as ever. Well now it’s our other dog, Abel. He’s a 3 year old Great Dane that we’ve had since he was 8 weeks old, our big, goofy, loving, lap dog. Well about a month ago I noticed he started losing weight, I thought it was because Ridley was keeping him active and playing. So I upped his food an extra half cup every feeding (2 meals a day). After a week he was still losing weight so I upped it again another half a cup a feeding. Another week goes by and he’s still losing weight and was sleeping a lot, again I thought it was just because the pups play a lot so we talked about taking him to the vet soon to see what’s going on. Well about 4 days ago Abel started to smell really bad, so we gave him a bath but the smell was still there. It wasn’t his fur; it was more this breath or his farts. Now I know dog breath and farts doesn’t exactly smell like roses but this smell is different, it almost smells like dead animal. So last night we put all the clues together and were taking him to the vet first thing tomorrow morning. We pretty scared as to what the vet will find. Does anyone have any idea what could be the problem? If you know, don’t sugar coat it, I need to know and prepare for what might happen because if worse comes to worse I need to be strong for my wife. It’s our first dog and if it’s bad it’s gonna hit us both hard. :(
 
#4 ·
Is he eating all that food with gusto?

If so, he may have EPI. He needs a blood test and you have to fast him for, I think, 12 hours prior to the blood test. They need to do a full blood panel, checking for SIBO, EPI, Vitamin B, because those all go together.

If his breath is stinky, is he eating poop? If he is very hungry -- EPI is an inability to digest the food, so it goes through without the nutrients, and the dog eats more, gets skinnier, is hungry, eats more, gets skinnier, will eat anything.

If it is EPI, there is a fix for this. You will need enzymes, your vet can tell you what, and then come back, and we can tell you where you can get them cheaper. But the enzymes need to go on the food with some warm water, and sit for 20 minutes minimum, before giving it to the dog.

Some dogs have SIBO and or a Vitamin B deficiency, and those need to be treated as well.

It can be treated and it is not necessarily terribly difficult to treat. If it is EPI. Have your vet check for it.
 
#6 ·
Could be a bad tooth causing bad breath. He's kind of young for that. But if he injured one. I have heard of a dog having a peice of stick wedged up in their mouth, and rotting causing odor too.
 
#7 ·
My guess is some kind of worm. Common in dogs is the tapeworm which they get by eating an infected flea. They eat whatever the dog eats and since this happens, the lack of calories is making him tired and sluggish. It is easy to treat but needs to be treated. I would look for irritation around the anus. You can look up other symptoms online. Best wishes at the vet tomorrow.


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#8 ·
He eats everything super-fast, always has. If you put it in front of him, he’ll eat it. He has been eating all his food but not his poop, I let them outside and watch them until they are done then let them back inside. His poop is like a light tan color. I haven’t checked its mouth or teeth, I cleaned them about 2 months ago and everything looked good. I do hope it’s something like worms, my friend had to put his 2 year old lab down because of caner and his dog showed the same symptoms but started vomiting later. Thanks guys. Abel Hasn’t started vomiting. Thanks guys
 
#12 ·
I've seen extreme weight loss like this in a foster who had an outrageous load of hook and whip worms (they're microscopic, so you won't see them in the poop). We were sure he had EPI, but the test came back negative. Once we got him dewormed, he gained weight and was fine.

Until the vet figures it out, as a precaution--just in case it's worms--be careful to scoop feces immediately-- don't leave it on the ground even for a few hours. Tie it up in a plastic bag and put it in the trash, even if it's annoying to have to do that every time in your own back yard. If it turns out to be hook or whip worms, you don't want them infesting the soil of your yard -- they can live in soil a long time, infect other household pets....and people who walk outside with bare feet when it gets warm (esp. important if you have any human little ones who play in your backyard).
 
#13 ·
So we went to the vet this morning and Abel has lost 20lbs since August…… The worst part is; he’s only been losing weight about 3 weeks to a month. That’s what’s killing us, we feel like we’ve neglected Abel. The vet did some blood work and should call us tonight or tomorrow morning with what they find. We do have to get a urine sample, which should be fun. The vet said as far as the physical exam, other than the weight loss everything looks good, teeth and all. So I’m really hoping it’s something small.
 
#14 ·
So Abel’s blood work came back normal so the vet said we should switch his food. I really hope this works, I hate seeing him skinny like this. I know this is a GSD forum but does anyone have any recommendations for a food we can switch Abel too? Once Ridley is old enough she’ll go to whatever were feeding Abel too.
 
#16 ·
So sorry that Abel is not well. Do you know if your vet actually tested him for EPI and what the result was? That is usually a test that is send off to an outside lab, like Texas A&M.
I dont know for sure if he was tested for EPI. My wife got the call but im going to call the vet on monday and ask him what test they tested for. I do know they sent his blood to an outside lab but not sure what one.
 
#17 ·
I'd probably want to home cook for a dog that's dropping weight this profoundly on commercial food, to see if it made a difference. If that's not an option, maybe try a dehydrated or freeze dried food (Stella & Chewy, Honest Kitchen, etc.). I don't think I'd use another kibble right now. I'd also add a digestive enzyme to any food, while waiting for results -- it doesn't hurt healthy dogs, it benefits lots of sick dogs, and if it turns out to be EPI, it really benefits.

As a supplement (not a meal replacement), I feed sick foster dogs needing significant weight gain these satin balls (but unilike the recipe, I bake them in the oven, covered, at around 350, since most of the dogs I foster come to me already sick and/or immune compromised, so raw isn't an option, but home-cooked works great for them):
Dog Treat Recipes
 
#23 ·
I had an EPI GSD.....went from 84 lbs to 64lbs before they finally figured it out and I could get proactive. She gained back most of the weight but not all...stabilized at mid 70's. I used the pancreatic enzymes and they worked like a champ. I noticed Enzyme Diane mentioned and that is who I used for the enzymes....a much better deal than Panacare etc,.

EPI is a manageable health issue which shouldn't be a major issue once the diagnosis is made.

I do recall however, besides the loss of weight another symptom was very loose stools since her food was not being properly digested but do not know if this is typical of all EPI dogs before they are diagnosed.

I'll hope they figure out your pooch's situation in short order.

SuperG
 
#24 ·
So we spoke to our new vet (who is awesome) and he told us to have our old vet fax all of Abel's papers to the office. Once they get them he will look at Abel's blood work but he did give us some info. He said the bloodwork won’t rule out cancer, and that EPI is a possibility but unlikely because of his stool. He offered to give us a stool sample kit and to bring it in within 24 hours but he said the best thing would to just bring him in as soon as we can so he could do a full exam. He said it could be his pancreas too. We called our old vet and they said they would fax his papers over to the new vet on Monday, so if they send it Monday morning we would like to take him that day but who knows because our old vet isn’t the best.
 
#25 ·
I am glad to hear that your new vet is taking this serious. I would take him to see him ASAP. Call your new vet tomorrow to see if they received the records and if not I would call the old vet immediately and request the records to be faxed over again. Or, you could just stop by the old vets office in person and get a copy of his tests/records.

Keep us posted!