When to worry about dog weight loss

Weight Loss in Older Dogs (Whats Normal vs When to Worry)

Just like their owners, many dogs struggle to keep their weight down and stay in tip-top shape.

Weight loss is generally viewed positively by owners and vets. In fact, most owners find themselves seeking out low-calorie dog foods to promote weight loss when their older dogs start packing on extra pounds.

However, some owners have the opposite problem, struggling to have their dog keep weight on. There are some occasions in which weight loss can indicate a problem particularly when it occurs in older dogs.

Most geriatric animals lose a little muscle mass as they age (your grandma probably cant bench press as much as she used to), so a bit of weight loss is not necessarily unusual or cause for concern. Except when it is. The trick is to determine when your older dogs weight loss is normal and when it indicates a health problem.

Below, well discuss some of the reasons older dogs suffer from weight loss and explain some of the most common signs and symptoms that should have you making an appointment with your vet.

• Unfortunately, many dogs begin to lose weight as they age. In some cases, this is normal and no cause for serious concern particularly if the weight loss occurs over a long period of time. But in other cases, such as when the weight loss occurs rapidly, youll want to seek prompt veterinary care.
• There are a variety of health problems that can make an aging dog lose weight. Some of the most common ailments associated with weight loss include dental problems, canine cognitive dysfunction, and kidney disease. However things like cancer can also cause weight loss in some cases.
• There are several ways to help your dog bulk up, but youll need to work with your vet to do so. Ultimately, the most important thing is to treat any underlying illnesses causing the weight loss, but you may also want to employ some husbandry or management solutions, such as simply moistening your dogs food to make it easier to chew.

Symptoms and Illnesses that Can Cause Weight Loss in Older Dogs

There are a variety of different issues that can cause your senior canine to lose weight. Accordingly, it is important to visit your vet anytime your dog loses a significant amount of weight usually defined as 10% of their normal body mass. Only a veterinarian can determine the cause behind your dogs weight loss, and provide you with an accurate prognosis.

Weight loss is most troubling when it occurs over a short period of time. If your 60-pound-husky loses 6 pounds over a 6-month period, it probably doesnt represent a serious problem. But if your dog loses this much weight in a month or so, youll need to take the weight loss more seriously.

Some of the most common causes of weight loss in elderly pups include:

• Dental Problems Failing teeth, gum disease, and other dental problems are common in older dogs. These types of problems can discourage your dog from eating and lead to weight loss. Your vet can help treat most oral health problems (although you should do your part to treat such problems proactively), which may help make it easier for your dog to eat again.
• Anxiety, Depression, and Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Just like people, dogs suffering from emotional disorders, such as anxiety, depression, or canine cognitive dysfunction may stop eating as much as they normally would.
• Kidney Disease Kidney disease is a pretty common problem for older dogs, and among other symptoms, it can cause your pup to drop a few pounds. Talk to your vet about performing a simple kidney function test and switching to a dog food for kidney disease, which will be formulated with unique properties to keep your dog healthy.
• Cancer There are a variety of different cancers that can afflict dogs, and their symptoms vary widely from one type to the next. Many cancers produce visible lumps or sores, but plenty of others dont, which further illustrates the need to visit the vet when your dog loses weight quickly.
• Heart Disease Heart disease is a fairly common problem for older dogs, but it can usually be treated medically. Heart disease often causes a chronic cough, as well as lethargy and excessive sleepiness, so be especially vigilant about observing your dogs behavior as he ages.
• Intestinal Disease Dogs with poorly functioning intestines are unable to digest and absorb their food properly. This can lead to weight loss, even if your dog still exhibits a normal appetite.
• Liver Disease Liver (and to a lesser extent, gall bladder) disease can occasionally cause sudden weight loss. Keep an eye out for yellowing eyes or skin, as these can indicate jaundice another symptom commonly associated with liver disease.
• Dehydration Your dog would need to be pretty dehydrated to lose 10% of his body weight, but it is possible. In principle, this is a pretty easy problem to treat, but it can be challenging to coax some dogs into drinking more. You may find it helpful to offer your pooch a few ice cubes, as dogs often like to chew them. Pedialyte is another way to help dogs rehydrate quickly.
• Diabetes Diabetic dogs are unable to use glucose to fuel their body like healthy, non-diabetic dogs do. Instead, their body must turn to other energy sources, such as the protein and fat in their bodies. This can lead to a net loss in weight for your dog. Diabetic dogs often need a special food, specifically formulated to meet their nutritional needs.

Packing the Pounds on Your Senior Dog

Youll always want to work closely with your veterinarian any time you make substantial changes to his care regimen or diet, and if your vet identifies a specific medical problem, youll obviously want to provide the suggested treatment particularly if your dogs ailment is causing him pain.

But some of the best ways to help elderly, but healthy, dogs regain a bit of weight include the following:

• Switch to a diet or dog feeding schedule that provides more calories. You may want to look at a food formulated for all life stages, as these foods often provide more calories and protein per cup than those formulated exclusively for senior dogs or adults. If your dog still exhibits a strong appetite, you may simply find it easier to provide a little more food than normal.
• Provide your dog with moist or wet food. If your dog isnt eating well because of dental issues, you may be able to entice him to eat more by moistening his food or switching to a wet variety. Just be sure to speak about any dietary switches with your vet.
• Reduce the amount of exercise your dog gets. Exercise is very important for good health, but you may need to trim your dogs exercise just a bit to help him regain his original weight.
• Consider supplementing your dogs diet with a probiotic. Probiotics beneficial bacteria that live in your dogs digestive tract are sometimes helpful at improving the intestinal function of dogs. Some dog foods are fortified with probiotics, but you can also add powdered probiotic supplements to your dogs normal food.
• Add a tasty topper to your dogs regular food. Sprinkling a little shredded cheese or stirring in a teaspoon or two of olive oil can help increase the caloric value of your dogs food and improve its palatability, which may encourage your dog to eat more enthusiastically.
• Make sure you are supporting your dogs mental and emotional health. If your dogs weight loss is the result of anxiety, depression or another mental ailment, youll need to take steps to help him feel a little better. You may be able to accomplish this by simply spending a little more time with him, but if that doesnt improve his mood, a consultation with an animal behavior therapist may be necessary.

For more reading, make sure to check out our guide on how to fatten up a skinny dog. Suggestions there apply to all dogs, rather than specifically senior canines, but you may still find some helpful strategies to keep Fidos weight up.

Has your elderly pooch ever struggled to maintain a healthy body weight? Was your vet able to determine a cause? What steps did you take to help fatten her up?

Tell us all about your experiences in the comments below.

How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight

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In the U.S., 56% of dogs are overweight or obese, and that excess weight is tied to an astonishing array of health problems. When it comes to preventing dog obesity, or even the slow creep of excess pounds, simple awarenessknowing what your dogs weight should be, and keeping on top of any fluctuationsis the first step. Just a few pounds can make a big difference.

You can seek your vets counsel on your dogs ideal weight, but a quick way to assess good canine condition at home is to ask:

• Does your dog have an hourglass shape when you stand behind them and look at them from above?
• Do they have a waist?
• Can you easily feel their ribs?

If youre answering no for all three, theres a good chance your dog needs to lose weight. Now what? Here are some vet-approved tips for helping your dog safely shed excess pounds and keeping them in good condition.

The Food Factor

For dogs, as for humans, losing weight really comes down to two things: food and exercise. And for a dog owner trying to manage or reduce their dogs weight, food is most important by far.

Weight loss begins and ends at the food bowl for dogs and cats, Ernie Ward, DVM, and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), tells us. Weight loss for humans and dogs is 60-70% diet and 30-40% exercise.

For dog owners who have active lifestyles, its easy to overestimate the impact of physical activity on weight maintenance. So even for active dogs, its important to establish clear guidelines for daily caloric intake.

Get Specific With How Much Youre Feeding

Heres where things can go sideways. Humans may or may not choose to count calories as a guide for what theyre eating, with some opting for other methods of keeping to a healthy regime (Do my pants fit? Great!). But when it comes to the long-term management of your dogs weight, its essential to establish a concrete benchmark for how much to feed. This means determining the number of calories your dog needs every day.

Its not a good idea to rely on the feeding guidelines on the average pet food package. There are many factors that will influence your dogs dietary needs, including breed, size, activity level, and whether theyre spayed or neutered. Standard kibble-bag feeding ranges are generally too broad for your dog, and many owners end up over-feeding based on too-generous and too-vague suggested portion sizes, typically measured in cups and scoops.

The feeding guidelines on pet food packages, says Ward, are based on active adult dogs for all life stages. Spaying or neutering, for example, reduces energy requirement by 20 to 30%, he says. So, if your pet is spayed or neutered, and not particularly active, you can already be overfeeding by 20 or 30% or more.

When it comes to determining the ideal caloric intake, its important to consider a number of factors. We take a couple of things into considerationwe look at body condition score, we look at muscle condition score, we look at lifestyle, and any concurrent medical conditions, Dr. Ward says. We start by determining, OK, how many calories should you be feeding?

As a starting place, there are also many tools online to provide rough feeding guidelines based on weight and breed. You might start by consulting the guide published by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

For at-home calculating, you can use the Resting Energy Requirement (RER) formula. Take your dogs weight in kilograms, multiply by 30, and add 70 (or, take their weight in pounds, divide by 2.2, multiply this figure by 30, and add 70). You can then factor in a metabolic energy requirement (MER), depending on things like health and whether theyre spayed or neutered.

Typical MER factors include:

• Weight loss1.0 x RER
• Neutered/ Spayed Adult1.6 x RER
• Intact Adult1.8. x RER

Ask your veterinarian about the MER and calculating and determining how your dog can lose weight safely. Tools like the MER multiplier table on the web provide estimates, but every dogs metabolism is different, so be sure to keep monitoring your pets weight.

You can also sign up for a fresh-food plan (like the ones offered to customers of The Farmers Dog). A plan like this makes it easy to determine the correct total caloric intake and food portions based on your dogs very specific requirements, and also makes it easy to adjust daily calories based on changing weight-management needs.

Food Quality Is Also Key

In addition to calorie counting, another important part of weight maintenance or weight loss is feeding lower-carb, whole, fresh food.

Many ultra-processed dog foods are full of carb-based fillersas Dr. Ward has noted, when you actually break down the ingredients on the label, many of them top out at over 60% or more carbohydrates. Fresh diets provide quality protein, but also the fiber and moisture that can keep your dog satisfied, without carb-y fillers.

Feeding nutrient-dense, bioavailable food will keep your dog healthy as they reduce their overall intake of food.

Treats Count, So Count Them

Another way to help your dog drop some extra weight is by controlling, and possibly reducing, their treat intake. Here, again, quality and quantity matter.

Nobody wants to deny their dog treats, as they are often helpful training aids, and its fun to see the excitement they generate. But its important to keep a close eye on how many treats your dog actually eats in a day and what their caloric impact is. Treats should be factored into, and comprise no more than, 10% of total daily calories.

Dog owners who feed their dogs healthy food, yet still feed them highly processed, high-carb, high-calorie treats, are potentially missing a big source of weight gain and health issues. And if you feed your dog too many treats (more than 10% of their daily intake of food), you can undo the benefits of the balanced diet youre feeding.

Many vets recommend using single-ingredient treats like fresh veggies and fruit. Baby carrots, celery, broccoli, green beans, cucumbers, blueberries, apples, and bananas all make healthy treats and, unlike mystery-meat treats, can contribute to your dogs health (use apple and banana in smaller amounts due to higher sugar content).

As for peanut butter, make sure its truly a special (rare) treat, and doled out in limited amounts; this dogand humanfavorite has a hefty 100 calories per tablespoon. Also, ensure that the peanut butter youre using doesnt contain Xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. For a lighter, and perhaps better, substitute, try plain canned pumpkin, which weighs in at just five calories per tablespoon.

Its also worth stepping back and considering why youre giving your dog treats. Our bond with our dogs is so special, and every dog owner wants to see the happy excitement a treat brings. But you can get that joyful response with healthy treats, or with smaller portions. I typically tell owners that dogs get the same enjoyment, and you can get the same reaction, from a small piece of a treat as you can from the whole thing or a handful, says Alex Schechter, DVM. There are many ways to show love and bond with your pet. It doesnt have to be all about food.

Safely Increase Exercise

Food is key, but no weight loss plan, or health maintenance plan, is complete without exercise. The most obvious, and important, activity for your dog is walking. Regular walks dont just exercise your dogs body; they provide crucial mental stimulation and that all-important opportunity to sniff. The amount of walking your dog needs, or wants, depends on their breed and general health. But while conventional wisdom says that some dogs need less exercise than others, all dogs need to move.

While the recommended minimum of daily exercise is 20 minutes, twice a day, many dogs will need much more. For many breeds, an hour of exercise a day is a good target. If your dog needs to lose weight, try to increase the amount of exercise they currently do. So, if thats none, or barely any, start with short intervals of walking. If youre already exercising, try lengthening your walk or other activity by 10-20%.

Ask your vet about the best types of activities based on your pets breed, age, gender, and current physical condition. Introduce new activities slowly to avoid injury. And, unless your dog has been trained for or slowly introduced to these kinds of activities, leave the extreme sports to your own weekend hourstoo-vigorous, or repetitive activity can put your dog at risk of joint problems. Also, keep weather conditionslike high sunin mind if your activities are outdoors. The sun creates the potential for heat stroke and burnt paw pads.

Rule Out a Medical Condition

If youve established and are staying within caloric boundaries and youre still not having any luck helping your dog lose weight, a visit to the vet could be in order to rule out a medical condition. Weight gain and lethargy can be symptoms of conditions like hypothyroidism and Cushings syndrome. The latter, also known as hyperadrenocorticism, usually occurs in older dogs, and can also cause frequent urination, hair loss, and weakness.

Weight Loss (and Maintenance) Is a Long Game

If you determine that youre overfeeding, work with your veterinarian to create a weight-loss schedule based on the appropriate calories so that your dog doesnt lose weight too fast, which is unhealthy.

Overall, the best weight management strategy is to develop good habits that are applied, consistently, long-term.

People (humans) want to rush weight loss, says Dr. Ward. Thirty days to bikini season! But this is a long process. Its years of making small decisions that help. When youre deciding on sharing your pizza crust with your Pomeranian, if you do it once, OK. But if you do it once a week for five years, thats a problem.

This article was vetted by a vet. Reviewed by Alex Schechter, DVM, founding veterinarian atBurrwood Veterinary.He was previously founding veterinarian atPure Paws Veterinary Care.