My brother in law and his wife have a bird dog, and there dog lost alot of weight, they took the dog to the vet, and the vet ask what they were feeding the dog, They said high protien dog food. the vet ran some test and said after the test that the dog was being starved by the high protien feed, and the vet said for them to buy a low protien feed ,old roy or anything of low protein. So they did and the dog has gained weight back and is doing good. the dogs age is around 7yrs. the vet claimed when a dog gets to this age and is kenneled alot ,that all they need to stay healthy is feed of low protien ,,even table scraps is ok.
What do you think of this ????? I would like to hear another vets opinion??????
weight loss in older dog
Moderators: Pike Ridge Beagles, Aaron Bartlett
Don, I'm not a vet, but I can see where he might be coming from. Eight years old isn't old for a beagle, but for some larger breed dogs is means a senior discount. As everything ages in a dog, this includes the kidneys, intestinal tract (malabsorption), pancreas, etc. Weight loss is often attributed by the diagnosis of diabetes - or failure of the pancreas to produce insulin. Same with kidney failure. Dog can either be bloated looking or get thin and appear to go down in the hips. Either way, kidney failure most often leads to CHF (congestive heart failure). Normal amounts of protein don't affect the kidneys of the young and healthy, but it is a concern for the aged - human or canine.
I've never been a big fan of most Purina feeds, but I'll have to say I maintained a little recue mutt quite nicely on Fit & Trim. She was eighteen when I finally had to make the dreaded decision. I think given your friend's dog's age and inactivity, his vet is on the right track. I'd limit rich table scraps, though.
I made reference to not being a proponent of ultra-high protein foods for dogs on another post. Some vets will tell you that they don't have so much more protein than regular foods that they will harm the kidneys. That may be, and maybe I'm jaded becaused I raised large breed dogs (Boxers) before beagles, but I've always avoided those foods with upwards of 30% protein. Last I heard, cats were the animal requiring the highest percentage of protein in the diet and they only need 40%.
This is just my 2 cents and that's about all it's worth.
I've never been a big fan of most Purina feeds, but I'll have to say I maintained a little recue mutt quite nicely on Fit & Trim. She was eighteen when I finally had to make the dreaded decision. I think given your friend's dog's age and inactivity, his vet is on the right track. I'd limit rich table scraps, though.
I made reference to not being a proponent of ultra-high protein foods for dogs on another post. Some vets will tell you that they don't have so much more protein than regular foods that they will harm the kidneys. That may be, and maybe I'm jaded becaused I raised large breed dogs (Boxers) before beagles, but I've always avoided those foods with upwards of 30% protein. Last I heard, cats were the animal requiring the highest percentage of protein in the diet and they only need 40%.
This is just my 2 cents and that's about all it's worth.