Diagnosing Unhealthy Weight Loss in Cats and Dogs

Diagnosing Unhealthy Weight Loss in Cats and Dogs Unhealthy weight loss is diagnosed by weighing the pet and by assessing its physical appearance.

Pets of a healthy weight have a layer of muscle and fat over the ribs so that each rib can be felt. Pets of a healthy weight also have a waist, that is, a narrowing in the flank area between the last ribs and the hip bones. When pets are too thin, the ribs can be felt so easily that it is like running your hand along a washboard. Pets that are too thin also have an extreme waist so that the flank area between the last ribs and hip bones is deeply sunken.

Causes of Unhealthy Weight Loss in Cats and Dogs

If your pet is losing weight too rapidly, any of these may be the cause: dentition, dysgeusia, diarrhea, disease, depression, dementia, dysfunction, drugs and “don’t know.”

Dentition

Over 75% of older pets have dental disease, which may include gum problems, sores in the mouth, swollen tonsils, and decaying teeth. Brushing is the best way to improve dental health. C.E.T. Toothpaste is poultry-flavored and pets love it. Two minutes a day is all it takes.

Dysgeusia

Dysgeusia is an unusual or poor sense of taste. If your pet can’t taste, it may actually have a problem with smelling the food. If your pet has allergies, it may have a stuffed-up nose that makes it difficult to taste food.

Diarrhea

Diarrhea causes weight loss because your pet loses water, vitamins, and calories in its stool.

Depression

Upset, anxious or mourning pets may not have the spirit for eating.

Dementia

Pets no longer able to think clearly don’t eat as they should.

Dysfunction

When the stomach, pancreas and intestines don’t function well, your pet can’t digest and absorb its food. Older pets often are unable to make the enzymes needed to absorb vitamins in their food, such as Vitamin B12. When the stomach and pancreas don’t make the enzymes needed to break down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, pets can’t absorb these either.

Drugs

Many drugs—from antibiotics to chemotherapy medications—cause nausea so that pets are not interested in eating.

Don’t know

Intestinal worms are a big part of “Don’t Know” for many pets. Recent analysis suggests routine testing for worms in the veterinary clinic misses 85% of the worms in the stool. In other words, fecal samples testing negative which were then sent to university pathology labs showed intestinal parasites 85% of the time. Worms rob your pet of nutrition and are among the easiest problems to remedy.

The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians   1 Date Category Topic

 

Enter question or keyword(s):              or search by pet type:  All Pet Types Dogs Cats Horses Other             TIPS: Search for answers by entering keywords, Use multiple keywords