Unveil Unexpected 8 Causes of Weight Loss in Dogs

Just like your own body your pooch also suffers from weight issues, negligible changes you can’t notice but the sudden significant changes should not be avoided. Sudden weight loss, if more than 10%, should not be ignored. Not all owners are familiar with the causes of the sudden weight loss in their pets, only fewer know the ways to tackle these issues.

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Weight-related issues just cannot be corrected by making your pet eat more or eat less. It can be a little tricky situation. Extra knowledge is required for determining the right solutions for these issues. Therefore, vet advice seems to be the best option in some cases.

These sections run through the top 8 reasons and which usually a vet cites while reporting the sudden weight decrease in your pet:

  1. Diabetes

Just like a human beings, obese pets are more prone to diabetes. The diabetic conditions can increase the appetite in your dog, even though weight reduction will occur in the pet. The excessive fat deposited will decrease the efficiency of the body to absorb insulin from the blood, thereby making the dog more prone to diabetes.

Genetic reasons are also responsible for diabetes in canines.

2. Liver Problems

The liver is the prime center for metabolism. It provides the essential carbs and proper nutrients to the body of your pet, the malfunctioning of the liver will disturb the metabolism and can cause a loss in appetite, the inability of the liver to provide proper nutrition will cause the liver to use deposited fat tissues and muscle tissues as well which in turns can be seen as a loss in weight of your pet. Some signals of liver problems are:

  • Diarrhea
  • Confusion
  • Yellowish eyes
  • Increased thirst

3. Malnutrition

Malnutrition is something related to the sudden significant weight loss of your pet, if pets lose 10% of the total body weight then it is considered malnutrition.

Poor nutrition and malnutrition should not be confused with each other, so let’s be clear that they both are totally different terms signifying different situations.

Poor nutrition is something related to poor dental hygiene, excessive fat gain, and eating too much. Some indications of malnourishment are:

  • Loss of appetite
  • The skinny appearance of the dog
  • Susceptibility to illness

4. Anxiety

You will be amazed to know that just like you, your pooch also feels anxious about people and surroundings. Your four-legged companion wants a safe and good environment for having their supper.

If they feel anxious about this, it will rob their appetite and they will show signs of separation and anxiety. Some indications which can be seen are as follows:

  • Defecation anywhere in the surrounding
  • Increased barking/howling
  • Increased chewing and digging

5. Dental Hygiene

Poor oral hygiene should be monitored and checked by your vet, as tooth decay or any painful conditions can lead to a decrease in appetite of your pet as they will find difficulty in chewing, and in turn, they will escape from eating due to the dental abscess. Veterinarian needs to properly observe that if there is a tooth that needs to be removed. After tooth removal, some antibiotics should be given to help in suppressing the pain.

6. Hypothyroidism   

The hormonal disbalance is a serious issue in humans and dogs as well. The hormonal imbalance causes a sudden increase or decrease in body weight which is due to hyper and hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism causes weight loss, no matter how much your dog is eating. The weight loss will be shown due to lack of absorption of the nutrition which is due to the rapid or improper breakdown of the food. Thyroid problem is easy to correct after proper diagnosis.

7. Intestinal Parasites 

 It is something hard to diagnose, but it is a common cause of weight loss in dogs. Tapeworms are intestinal parasites that eat up all the food eaten by your pet, which causes weight loss in dogs.

  1. Pregnancy 

The first few weeks of pregnancy in dogs are accompanied by nausea and vomiting, which is similar to morning sickness in women. Your pregnant pet suffers from loss of appetite in the initial weeks of pregnancy, stemming from nausea. Pregnancy never comes alone, it is always accompanied by a series of mood swings and depression. Heart problems and poor digestion are some other reasons for weight loss during pregnancy.

Now you must be a bit clear that weight loss in dogs is not all about eating and sleeping. In case of any doubt start observing the above conditions and if found you can report it to the vet.