Hi there, welcome to the Pupster Passion dog lovers blog.
In this blog post, we are going to look into older dogs that are losing weight.
Should You Be Worried That Your Older Dog Is Losing Weight?
This first thing to say is that just like people, as dogs enter into old age, they will naturally lose a bit of weight.
This won’t happen overnight, but gradually you may notice them shedding a few pounds of fat or muscle over time.
As a general rule, this is perfectly normal and not something you should worry about.
However, as with any health concern related to your dog, please always take your dog to the vet if you are in any doubt.
When Should You Worry About an Older Dog that is Losing Weight?
If your dog’s weight loss follows any of these patterns, then we suggest a swift trip to the next as soon as possible is the right thing to do:
- If your older dog is losing weight but eating well.
- If your dog loses a lot of weight in a short space of time.
- If the dog shows any signs of being unwell along with the weight loss.
- If the dog has a sharp decrease or increase in appetite or thirst.
- If the dog has any lumps or bumps.
- If the dog’s skin has any sores, cuts, bruises, or a rash.
- If your dog has bad breath or any type of dental issue.
Basically, if anything jumps out as being abnormal about your dog’s condition or its behavior, then this might suggest that the weight loss is due to an illness and needs medical attention from a vet.
(While you are reading this post, you might also like to take a look at this one about obedience training for older dogs, or this one about an older dog that is not eating but is acting normal).
How to Help Your Older Dog Gain Some Weight
If you want to help your elderly dog maintain its current weight or gain some more, then nutrition is the key.
If you can feed your dog more high-quality meals and snacks, and this should pack a few pounds on.
It would be best if you didn’t try to do this too quickly. Over weeks and months rather than days is the right approach.
And please don’t think this is an excuse to feed your dog loads of junk food.
But increasing their daily meals and snacks in a controlled way if your senior dog has lost some weight is a great idea.
We hope this helps. As always, please speak to a vet if you have serious health concerns about your dog.
Before you go, this video has some great advice on how to tell if your dog is a healthy weight or not: