Weight Loss

[Scooby172]

My galgo, Valor is at least ten years old. He seems to be very healthy, eats well, no GI problems, teeth are fine, good energy level and no unusual symptoms other than he has slowly been losing weight. He does not look emaciated or too thin but has lost about 5 to six pounds over the last year.

 

As other greys I have had have aged they all seemed to lose a bit of weight. Anyone else's seniors tended to lose weight, otherwise healthy, as they have aged. Thanks for the input.

Linda, Valor, Keeva and Bella

[DustysMom]

Dusty, who turned 11 in January, has lost some weight over the last year or so. Vet says he's fine and everything checks out okay. He's appetite is good (maybe even better). In the past I've had small dogs who have lost weight as they aged.

 

Anyone else?

[gazehund]

Hmmmmmm, can't say they are Linda. Future at almost 13 still weighs in at the same 82 pounds he was when he came home 9 years ago.

DaBones did have a weight loss issue two years ago. Never really knew why he dropped almost 12 pounds but he is back to race weight right now.

It is my non senior, Pearl, who is dropping weight now for no apparent reason.

[5blackgreys]

My Aggie, who turned 13 in December has lost some weight too. She just had a dental, lost no teeth and her blood work was fine.

 

She eats 4 cups a day plus treats, runs top speed down the back yard, play bows to me all the time and generally acts like she's 3 instead of 13!!

 

Losing weight must just be a sign that she's getting older in years, but certainly not in spirit!

 

[NevadasMom]

Over her last 6 months Nevada lost quite a bit of weight. The Vet did say it was due to some neuro issues since it happened so rapidly towards the end.

[Guest HeatherDemps]

My grey just turned 12 and his weight has stayed within 1-2 pounds of his weight when I adopted him. Well, until his front leg amputation in December. He did lose some weight (in addition to the weight of the leg) but I think it is more related to chemo, etc than to his age. It has been hard to get weight on him, so maybe that is related to being older?

[silverfish]

Some of them do get rather frail. My old Jim got very, very thin, and so did Susan. I think Renie will too (she's only nine right now) because she has that very slender build. However, Jack will be thirteen in August and he's still about the same weight that he has been for the last two years or so (once we got him back up to where he should be after adopting him, that is). He's a robust looking dog, and has a much more solid build than Renie, though he is not fat. I can see his last three ribs.

 

I think it depends on a lot of things, but it can be a warning sign that something is going on that hasn't affected their energy levels yet. If one of my seniors begins to lose weight while still eating and seeming OK, I take it as a sign that we need to do a geriatric blood panel. There may be nothing wrong, but then again, there may be, and I need to know.

 

One thing I don't do, however, is put them on senior kibble. Greyhounds honestly do seem to need more calories than senior kibble provides. Most breeds tend to put on weight as they age, but mostly, greyhounds do not. They need to stay on a standard adult formula unless you are advised by a vet that they need to change for medical reasons, such as kidney disease. JMHO.

[Guest Tenderhearts]

Yes, Lori Ann definitely started to drop some weight in her senior years. I simply increased the amount of kibble she was getting. She was a huge chow hound, so I got no complaints from her!

[romansperson]

Old dogs can lose muscle mass as they age, and of course it can be really noticeable on a greyhound. I had two do that - with JC feeding him more made him look better but unfortunately feeding more won't put the muscle mass back on - it just increases the body fat percentage. Still, if they love to eat and are still doing so with gusto, why not?