Brutus is 8 years old, VERY lethargic, losing weight

karaintn · #1 20th May 2008, 09:00 AM

If anyone has any insight, I'd really appreciate it! Brutus turned 8 years old last month. Over the last couple of months he has become very lethargic, to the point that he only leaves his bed once or twice a day. I should point out that he hasn't been the typical hyper boxer in years, and has always slept/rested a lot, but not this much. He also won't eat, and has lost weight. The vet says only about 5 pounds, but we can see his spine and ribs clearly now. He went to the vet on Friday, and an x-ray was clear. Bloodwork looked OK except something alarming in his thyroid numbers so the vet is doing additional thyroid tests with the blood. Everything I've read about hypothyroid is that it makes the dog gain weight, not lose.

So, what could it be? Is he just at the end of his life and fading out? What should I do? Should I try to coax him into eating by offering "treats" in his food?

Thanks in advance!
Kara

BxrMommieNAZ · #2 20th May 2008, 09:21 AM

My dog was anorexic to the point that I had to force feed him, once we put him on hypothyroid meds he did MUCH better. Now he had other problems as well so it wasn't all peaches and roses but hypothyroid does not always follow the same pattern. My female had no symptoms at all really my male had symptoms of hair loss and no appetite but blood work was normal we gave him meds anyway and it fixed the problem so that very well could be the issue. You definitely need to get weight on him. I would try Satin Balls and see what that does if he won't eat those, I bought whole chickens and baked them and then made a potatoe vegetable soup with everything pureed and all he had to do was lick if he wouldn't I used a large syringe and squirted it into his mouth. It wasn't fun but it worked. There's also Nutri-Cal or Nutri Stat that may help and if he'll eat it I'd give him a multivitamin if he isn't already taking one.

karaintn · #3 20th May 2008, 09:38 AM

Thanks for the info - what are "Satin Balls", and where would I find them?

beausmommy · #4 20th May 2008, 09:42 AM

Satin Balls will definitely help with the weight loss issue. I found the recipe by doing an internet search but someone might have the recipe posted in the "Recipes" forum here on Boxerworld.

BxrMommieNAZ · #5 20th May 2008, 11:21 AM

Satin Balls have ground beef among other things in them. They "pack on the pounds" I have been told. Personally my dog wouldn't touch them, but I've heard of many dogs that absolutely love them so it may be worth a try. If you do a search on them you can find a recipe that has been cut in half I believe so you don't have to make so much just to try.

butlersmom · #6 20th May 2008, 01:48 PM

I've never made satin balls, but I've heard of them and the good they do. I hope you get some answers as to your boys problems.

karaintn · #7 20th May 2008, 02:17 PM

I went home at lunch to check on Brutus and try to get him to eat. I didn't have time to cook anything, but I put some dollops of peanut butter in his food bowl thinking that would make him eat his food. He wouldn't eat out of the bowl, but he ate pieces of PB covered food out of my hand. He also ate 3 PB sandwiches out of my hand. However, if he got the sandwich in his mouth and part of it fell to the floor, he wouldn't bend down to get it. I wonder now if bending down to get to the food bowl is painful for him. I might get one of those trays from a pet store that moves the bowls up higher. I'm just glad I got some food in him.

TossBranAbi · #8 20th May 2008, 06:19 PM

Is he drinking?

If it is as bad as you say, I think I would be looking for another vet for a second opinion. Good luck and I hope it is nothing too serious. You need to find a way to get food in him and get him going again.

djheitz · #9 20th May 2008, 06:56 PM

How long until the thyroid test results are back in? Did they say there was any possibility of arthritis?
Our Roxi will be 8 this week, and while she's still very active, she has slimmed down in the last year. I would give him anything he'll eat just to make sure he's getting enough calories. We've even done plain old chicken noodle soup at times. Just watch the salt content if you use canned.

Gruntsmom · #10 20th May 2008, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TossBranAbi

Is he drinking?

If it is as bad as you say, I think I would be looking for another vet for a second opinion. Good luck and I hope it is nothing too serious. You need to find a way to get food in him and get him going again.

I agree. Sending out healing and positive thoughts for your Brutus. Please keep us posted on how he's doing.

karaintn · #11 22nd May 2008, 07:39 AM

The good news: I have been able to get Brutus to eat by raising his bowls off the ground, and mixing a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter in with his food.

The bad news: I spoke with the Vet yesterday. He said Brutus's thyroid numbers are sky high, which means he has the opposite of hypothyroid. His thyroid is producing too much hormone, which is causing weight loss. The really bad news was that the Vet said he's 99% sure this is caused by cancer of the thyroid. He's having us come in for chest x-rays tomorrow. Two things could happen - if the cancer/tumors are spread throughout his chest, there's not much we can do and it's just a matter of time (he said a few months). If there is one contained tumor, he will refer us to a surgeon who may be able to remove the tumor, and then we could choose to do radiation or not.

The doctor did give me some thyroid medication for Brutus to counteract the overproduction of the hormone. He's taking it 3x per day.

Send wiggly vibes to Brutus tomorrow (Friday) morning, that his chest films look as good as possible.

BxrMommieNAZ · #12 22nd May 2008, 09:19 AM

Oh I am SO sorry! Having lost my dog to a brain tumor in August 2007 I definitely know what you're going through. Big hugs to you, your family, and Brutus. let us know how things go Friday!