Been to vets waiting on bloods and further consult tomorrow ..but curious tonight...big man just reduced his epiphen from 60mg twice daily to 45mg twice daily...

He looks really fat...and feels fat but when weighed today he was only 200 grams from his last weigh in 5 months ago....he feels squishy and and has a yellow flaky dandruff..(reminds me of cradle cap)..vet who took bloods says his skin seemed quite fragile to her..( she doesn't know the big man so he is going to see his main vet tomorrow for advice)..

Any ideas what makes a dog look and feel fat with no apparent weight gain? He also pants a lot lately even though its getting cooler here and I haven't used the central heating yet...heart was sounded this evening was normal...

Cheers
Mainly curious as will hopefully find out tomorrow...but wondered if anyone has an idea...:-)

has he had all thyroid levels checked? T3 T4 and TSH.

Not yet..will find out today what bloods were run...if not will get them to do them..

Also could be water retention ?

My dog was recently diagnosed low thyroid...she panted a lot,was lethargic,and seemed to be bloated....her other symptoms were loss of coat,and lethargy. It could be worth testing your dog for this.
Just  three weeks after giving  the meds she lost 3 kilos,and has regained her energy...three months later her coat has also changed to a deeper rich color  and is growing back in.

All his bloods were normal...vet thought he was good weight and perhaps I I thought he was fat because his coat was fuller.

She showed me his bloods and all were nearly perfect centre of the range apart from potassium which she said was only off a little bit upper range was 5.2 and his was 6.4....

Starting to think I am being over cautious and seeing things that aren't actually wrong...
His skin has greasy sort of feel to it and she suggested a bath in nor clear and see how he goes...since he isn't itchy or inflamed...

Thanks for the ideas though ... Will still keep an eye out for strange happenings...

greasy feel to coat also makes me think of thyroid problems.  Did your vet do all three tests for thyroid problems?  Only doing all three will give a true picture.

Has he been tested for Addisons Disease?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison%27s_disease_in_canines

Just a stab in the dark, but it's known as The Great Imitator, since it can present so differently in different dogs (and people) ;)

He was tested for Chushings but not Addisons as far as I know..
Will say about the thyroid...but I have a feeling she thinks I am inventing symptoms...:-(

Ha! My vet was adamant the symptoms my dog had we're due to her years of steroid meds....I insisted on a thyroid test and guess what.....positive for hypothyroid. She  is a different dog after just three months on her meds....don't forget who is paying the bills....if she won't test ,change vets. Your dog may thank you for it.

Re the test...it is a simple blood test,so relatively non invasive to your dog.Mine cost 70 euros,so not so  bad...l I'd say it would be worth it to rule out the condition.