Hi all, Just desparately searching the web for some answers prior to my Vet doing blood and urine tests on my RR bitch.

Over the last month, I haven't changed her food, however, have changed the flavour.  Both my dogs (I have a Sussex Spaniel bitch too) aren't particularly fussed with this food, so I have bought some James Wellbeloved to try and intice them to eat and to improve RR diet because of her age.

Since this time, she has lost nearly a stone in weight, and I have taken her to the vet who wasn't very forthcoming at this time with his prognosis, but told me he was obviously concerned about the sudden loss. 

I can't find anything online to suggest anything other than cancer, but the vet said he couldn't feel anything obvious upon examination. 

Has anyone else had any experience of this with a happy outcome?  Or has anyone any information they can give me, even in preparation for bad news.  I am worrying myself sick here. :-(

Thanks all, Clare  

You've obviously wormed her recently? Tapeworm can have a dramatic effect.

Both regularly wormed and de flea-ed. 

They have both got worms before, and she just ate for England (memory loss - and didn't put the reminder on the calendar) but she is very non descript in her desire to eat.  I even tried putting real gravy on the food to encourage her. 

Saying that she wolfed down some bacon I sneakily passed her when cooking tonight. 

The obvious thing would be to put her back on the food/flavour she was on before you changed it. Try adding some tinned fish like sardines or mackerel (in oil or tomato - mine prefer the tomato) as a lot of dogs love it. Hope the results come back okay.

I thought my shar-pei (11 in 2 months) was on her way out a few months back. She'd lost weight and all her ribs were sticking out - her kidneys are not good and I thought this was it. Long story with the food so I won't bore you, but I changed her onto what my puppy was having and she was like a different dog in a couple of weeks. So weight loss doesn't mean your dog has necessarily got anything immediately terminal.

Has your dog been x-rayed for oesophageal cancer?  We had a Rough Collie with this.  We were taking him to and fro to the vets who could find nothing wrong with him, we then went to the PDSA who said that they would anaesthetise him and do an x-ray.  When my parents got home the PDSA phoned them as they walked in the door and gave them the diagnosis, unfortunately we advised them not to wake him up again.  He was only 8 years old.

This did eventually show that after eating food it would come back up in a big balloon, but he lost so much weight in only 3 weeks.

I hoipe that your dog improves soon.  Thinking of you.

Diane

Thanks for your messages, she has had this food before, and has eaten it quite happily.  I didn't buy it for a while as my other RR was sensitive to that flavour, and when I ordered a delivery the pet shop just kept delivering the one flavour.  This is why I am confused that she has completely ignored it.  Plus JWB food was what her 'puppy' ate when she came on holiday here when her mum went away on business, and poor puppy didn't get a look in!!  She has never been a fussy dog, as I have never been able to afford 'posh' food so to speak, but am desparate to try anything, hence the JWB purchase. 

Just read Lynne's message about Shadows weight loss, the great dane, on this board, so am now in tears - people often say that reading about ailments on the web is no good for you....
:-(

this is just so not like Zimba to be like this.  I asked my vet if this could be stress, but he said that although pets may loose weight through stress, they don't go off their food.  My new partner is not a dog person, and offers them no love or caring at all, and neither dog likes him (short lived relationship methinks!!), so wondered if this could be the cause?

Hi Clare,

Please don't lose heart or fret over things you've found either on this site or elsewhere on the web.  Obviously with such a dramatic weight loss you need a more pro-active approach by your vet and you need it urgently but the reasons for her weight loss could be many, and thankfully although cancer is by far the most serious one it is not necessarily the most likely.  One of the most common causes for dramatic weight loss and lack of interest in food is an intolerance to one or more of the ingredients.  An intolerance can develop at any time - even with a diet that has remained unchanged for years and shown no previous ill-effects :)  and it can be identified and over-come with an elimination / exclusion trial diet that takes no more than dedication and discipline in following a strict regime of minimal novel ingredients over several weeks.

You don't mention what other symptoms your dog is showing in relation to the weight loss apart from a disinterest in certain foods.  Has she any other symptoms accompanying this (even intermittently) such as physically throwing food up, loose bowels, excess gas, mucous or bloody stools, intermittent bile vomiting, "air-licking" - i.e. constantly licking her lips, depression, lethargy, excessively drinking or not drinking much?  Is she passing what appears to be partially undigested food from either end?

The digestive system is a complex one and many things can upset the balance and smooth working of it but thankfully most are treatable and many others at least managed if not entirely cured :)

Try and stay positive - contact your vet and ask if faecal and urine samples can be done now.  Also blood tests at the same time.  If your vet feels there may be a parasitic problem such as Giardia (which is not killed off during routine worming) he will no doubt treat that immediately as a precaution.  Importantly, ask him to explain in detail what he thinks the possibilities are faced with the details he has from his previous exam and the info you've been able to provide to date.  Take a note pad with you and write it down - both your Qs and his As - it will help you both :)

Unfortunately a lot of vets think clients are less likely to become unnecessarily worried if they don't get too technical with them immediately - whereas IMO, with cancer often being to the forefront of the human mind these days, it would often be better if they mentioned a few lesser and quite common "maybes" to stop situations such as your own blowing up into terror.

To minimise your anxiety and expedite matters, ask that when doing the bloods could he run tests for hypothyroidism, Cushing's, EPI and Addison's - none of these are automatically included within a regular panel which, on it's own, doesn't always reveal very much apart from slight variations in clinical readings which are rarely definitive but can clearly identify for eg. SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). In any event, all of those mentioned above plus a great many more can cause dramatic weight loss and, more importantly, all of them are manageable with diet and/or varying degrees of short or long term drug therapy.

This is not intended to worry you still further - quite the opposite - and I sincerely hope that it reads that way.  In short, while your dog clearly needs something to be done urgently, she need not have a poor prognosis.  However the quicker an accurate diagnosis is made, the more quickly everyone will know how best to proceed and, please God, your bitch and your family will feel a heck of a lot better.

Best wishes, please keep us posted. 
God Bless, Teri :)

Thanks Teri, I am not usually a hypochondriac, but with dogs and children they can't tell you where it hurts or what they are feeling, so feeling a little helpless with Zimba. 

Strangely enough, I had a urine sample to hand (bizarre eh!!) she was being tested for crystals in her urine as she is incontinent :-( and it took me ages to catch her with my roasting tin (don;t tell my partner!! LOL)  The vet took bloods when we were there, and said that he wasn't going to give any kind of diagnosis until they were back.  I will phone tomorrow and ask them to test for the other conditions you mentioned though, TY x

The vet in question is a lovely man, and came in on a sunday (15 years ago) to the vets as he had been reading up on something to treat my cat that he previously couldn't put his finger on.  So very very lovely man, my trust is 110% in him.  They all know Zimba down there, and saw her have puppies and so was consequently heartbreaking when the Head Nurse said that she didn't look herself, but reassured me that she would let me know the results as soon as they were back and they would look into everything.

I think it's worse as my other RR was taken a year ago by my ex just after we split up, when I was out!!  He knew he couldn't have access to his child, so knew this was the only way to hurt me.  So from having two wonderful Ridgebacks, I now only have one.  My animals are my family (as they are to everyone) and I almost cannot remember a time without Zimba. 

I shall keep you posted, and maybe roast a chicken and treat Zimba to the breast tomorrow with some pasta to see if she will eat. 

Thanks all for your replies...

Clare x

sorry Teri, forgot to say, other than being scared of new partner (not good :-( ) and not being as bouncy as usual, no unusual licking, or wind or vomiting.  Some diarrhoea, but no indoors accidents.  No mucos, no food like stools, I've not noticed her drinking more or less (the bowl is down all day, and the spaniel either tips it over, or plays in it, or just dribbles it half way across the kitchen!), no real depression (apart from partner dislike) slightly feeling sorry for herself, but has always been a real couch potato, so nothing really to guide me either way.... :-(

Hi again Claire,

I'm glad you have such an obviously caring vet - sounds great :)  Stress can play as big a factor in our dogs' lives as in our own and I'm sure your vet will have a few things in mind that he will be able to score off his mental checklist with each piece of info he receives both verbally from you and from any test results.  Just try, for your own peace of mind as much as anything, to encourage him to give you details of his ideas and ask him to put them to you in "plain speak" :P   If stress is affecting your girl, she'll pick up on yours too so it makes sense to ensure that you are as well informed as possible and hopefully that will keep your stress levels down too.

Very best wishes and multi digits and limbs crossed for you both here!
Teri ;)

Bless you Teri, my lady is snoozing upstairs at the moment, but no waggy tail when I stroked her when I came out the bathroom :-(

Will phone the vet tomorrow (have been in once with sample, and phoned once since I left at 4.30 already!)

Will catch up tomorrow with any progress....

Clare x

A while ago I was worried about one of my girls - there was nothing I could put a finger on, but she just wasn't right, and had lost a bit of weight.  Eventually she was tested for campylobacter (despite having no diarrhoea) and it came back positive.  The vet was really surprised because of the lack of bowel symptoms, but once we knew what it was it was easily cleared up.  Good luck.

>>My new partner is not a dog person, and offers them no love or caring at all, and neither dog likes him (short lived relationship methinks!!), so wondered if this could be the cause?<<

Anything is possible at this stage. I wouldn't dump the boyfriend out of hand just yet :D but if all the vet tests come back normal, I'd trust the dogs. They're often better judges of character than we are...

...aren't I awful - he-he!

Well today I phoned the vet and asked him to check for the other things, and was told that if the first tests come back inconclusive, then they automatically test for the other bits Teri mentioned. They said the test results should be back in the afternoon.

I phoned this evening from my parents, and the receptionist said that my vet wasn't back until Friday, but it did look as though the tests had come back.  I asked if she could tell me what they were, and she went off, then came back and said that I should phone tomorrow to speak to a vet, but all the tests weren't back. :-?

When I got home, my partner said that the vet had called and said that Zimba was slightly anaemic, and that he would phone on Friday.....

So none the wiser, although Zimba ate some pork when I offered it to her, so maybe she has just turned v fussy.....

No one wants a 15 Kg bag of JWB do they?

Hi again Clare

Some in-house tests can produce immediate results, others take up to 24 hours and others still for eg. may require to be sent off to a lab and cultures to be grown etc (7-10 day wait :( ) to get definitive results so it may be that although some are ready not enough are and your vet simply needs more data back to get the bigger picture ;)  Try not to worry meantime (easy said I know).

Everything still crossed for you here, Teri ;)  

Hi Clare :-) I also have everything crossed here for you and Zimba.....keep us posted :-)

Had a phone call from a vet (not my vet) a little while ago, and he said that Zimba was slightly anaemic, and was lacking in protien (surely this would be consistent if she was not eating??  lack of iron and protein?)  He said that my vet would phone me tomorrow morning.  I didn't take much in, as the phone he was on was kinda echoey, and the boys in the office were having their own 'boy' conversation.  He did mention that she probably had diarrheao, and that blood was probably present, which would explain the anaemia.  I haven't noticed any bloody stools in the garden?  He mentioned something about her bowel, but as I said, it was difficult to hear, and I thought my vet would explain it better, and I would be in a quieter office then (boys get a little excited near home time!)

So even though I have spoken to the vet, I don't seem to be any the wiser? 

I put some tinned chunks on top of their dinner today, and Zimba ate some, then Betty (little bitch!) came over after eating all hers, and growled Zimba away from hers.  I told her off, but the damage was done, Zimba didn't want any more :-(  What is it with small dog syndrome!! 

Any hoo.... feel a little more positive, no news is good news eh....

Clare x

Hi Clare,

Just seen this :rolleyes:  Not on the ball today :(

Anyway, hopefully you will get lots of easy to follow info tomorrow plus details of how best to proceed together with resolving any of the things that have showed up.

Will keep an eye out for updates - good luck.  Teri :) 

Hi Teri,

thanks for your mail, I shall update with some 'real' info tomorrow.

On the plus side, my other half got in a strop today when I told him off for telling Betty off AGAIN for scratching (need to buy some more pills) and when I mentioned if everyone paid me what I was owed, then I would be able to afford them!!  He took offence at this (obviously, how dare I mention that 50 quid for 6 months rent and food was tight!!) and said that he would pay me a months money next Friday and then leave!!

Without sounding off about personal problems, this may be one problem less for the dogs!!  Don't feel sad, although my daughter will miss him, but feel this is the best way forward.  I certainly won't pick anyone who isn't a 'dog' person again.... My dogs are worth any man in this world :-)

Hopefully, when he goes and we get our life back in order and Zimba can go back to sitting where ever she damn well likes, things may improve....

Ho hum... who said that life with three kids was easy on your own (one human, two canine!!)

Speak soon.

Clare x

Good on you girl - not only a non doggie person, but a non doggie sponger by the sound of things... maybe his mummy will have him back. ;)

Fingers crossed that Zimba is okay!

Can't beat what Phoebe just said :D   Dogs are trainable, eventually mature and never cast anything up to us!  Luckily my OH is dog daft too - but I know I'm lucky (would never actually tell him that though LOL :P )

Good choice girl ;) :P

Hi
Funnily enough I too have a dog called Simba (but mine's with an S) and we've just been through something similar! Simba lost a lot LOT of weight -don't know how much but he ended up looking like a dog from an RSPCA advert, you know one of the starved cruelty case ones. I didn't even dare take him to dog training for fear of what people would think!  My Simba is a 2 year old Golden Retriever. I too thought cancer ad when I started reading Shadow's story, well, I totally freaked out. But he still ACTED so well, happy and playful. He's very active, and for a while when I had a bitch in season he stopped eating altogeher. Then I found out hubby had DEcreased the amount of food he was giving to ALL the dogs, rather than to just the ONE we needed to lose a bit of weght off. (MEN!! :rolleyes: ) (We feed the dogs once a day each, so I didn't know his feed was smaller than what I gave.) We then simply incresed his food. Doubled the amount of his usual food, plus an extra meal of puppy food, making 3 meals a day. It took about 2 weeks before he had put back on a noticeable amount of weight and since then he has continued. We've now felt able to drop the third meal. It was as simple as that. I've had dogs before that have lost weight too easily and found it hard to put on (if only I was like that myself, LOL) and they grew out of it eventually. I hope it is something as simple with your Zimba too.

Just spoken to the vet, and he said there wasn't anything conclusive from the tests, and anaemia was part and parcel of weight loss.  I now have to collect tthree faecal samples (nice!) over the weekend, and take them down Monday.  From here on in, if they don't show anything, we are looking at a diagnostic xray (or something) and then an endoscopy :-(  loads of money!  Ah well, if nobby actually pays me something before he leaves, then that will be a bonus in my book so can go towards this.  Other than that I could ebay Betty!! LOL  (joking!) 

Didn't get a word from him this morning (which was nice, usually wakes up moaning about something), and don't actually feel sad, just releived, me and my girly lay on the sofa last night watching TV which was lovely (she isn't allowed on the sofa, or the floor when he is there).  One thing that was weird, was I leant over to give her a cuddle, and she was dozing and yelped and bit my nose!!  She has never done that, so don't know whether she thought it was him being mean, or just was half asleep!  Poor lamb. 

Roll on Monday, results back Wednesday. 

Thanks again for all your support,

Clare x

Hi again Clare,

Have just caught up with this - hope something definitive comes out of the samples.  Try to stay chilled meantime and give us an update when you can ;)

Sorry life on the domestic front isn't so good just now - thinking of you.

God bless, Teri x  

"she isn't allowed on the sofa, or the floor when he is there"

How can anyone not allow a dog to be on the floor??    is she able to float then??  seems unreasonable to me ;) ;) 

"then Betty (little bitch!) came over after eating all hers, and growled Zimba away from hers.  I told her off, but the damage was done, Zimba didn't want any more"

Is it possible that your smaller dog is putting her off her food?  It might help to feed in different rooms for now, just to see if this is the problem ;) ;)

Hope you get some answers soon, its such a worry when they don't eat and lose weight.
regards
Dill

Ha ha, just read my mail again..... they have a chair each, and I have a rug (washable) on the floor.  They have to stay on their chairs, or be outside.  God forbid they go for a wander. 

This morning he said that you could smell my house outside, as it reeked so much of dog and dog wee!!  Really?  It is that bad and I can't smell it?  Apparently it is because I am used to it, and everyone is too polite to tell me??  Strange man!

Any hoo, Zimba ate some lamb chops last night and some liver during the day, so will go shopping and find her some other goodies to keep her strength up. 

Will collect another 'poo' sample in readiness for tomorrows tests.....

She seems a little better in herself, but that's probably because she has eaten something, albeit not very much. 

I may try feeding betty in another room, that may give Zimbs the time to eat hers without 'big' dog interferring.

Clare x

Clare,

I've been reading your posts again, and I'm afraid I don't agree with the vet, if the dogs are that scared of your partner, if they aren't allowed to move around and can't relax or even have a scratch when he's there then I'm sure it would affect their appetite ;)

Are you sure that he meant what he said about leaving next friday? it may have just been a threat to stop you asking for what you're owed ;) :(
Re the comments about the house smelling, it sounds to me as if he's trying to knock your confidence, please don't let him ;)  If you're worried about any of it being true ask a trusted friend to come around and give an opinion, ask for brutal honesty ;)  but even if its true (and I seriously doubt it) don't let him bully you.  Its your house, not his ;)

Please be aware that in many cases, how a person treats the animals around them is often how they treat their spouse once the honeymoon period is over ;)  :( :(  You deserve far better

Hi Clare

I've just been reading your posts from the start.  Please, please let me know the outcome of the test results.  I really feel for you right now.  I've been in your situation pretty recently (although my situation ended up being totally devastating) and I know only too well how you must be feeling right now, the waiting for results is probably one of the hardest parts. 

Fingers and toes crossed for you and your beloved dog.

Lynne

Hi Clare,

Let us know what the vet says, I hope it's nothing serious. I'm the same, when anything's slightly wrong with the dogs I really panic. Better safe than sorry though! And glad you are getting rid of the non-dog lover! :-) My OH is fond of the dogs, but not as obsessed as me, so even that can cause a bit of friction, when he complains about the noises they make snoring, licking themselves disgustingly, chewing rubber toys, throwing toys around so they can chase them, etc etc!

Hi Clare,

Any news?  Hope you're coping with everything.  Update when you can.

Teri x

Hi All,

First things first, no abnormality in the urine sample, or the faecal sample, so they are continuing more tests on the faecal sample. 

I'm to phone back and speak to the vet on Monday, (although the other results will be back Friday) to see where we go from here.  Also, her tests for crystals for her incontinence, was also negative, so need to see what I need to do regarding that too. 

Nobby didn't go, and just said that he was angry, so that's why he said what he did. I told him that he wants to watch it, or I'll take him at his word next time.  Didn't have long to wait, last night he said he was going today.  Honestly, i do think some of the problem with Zimba is stress related.  I could quite happily go home and curl up with my dogs and not go out for a week at the moment. 

On the positive side, Lidl's tinned food seems to be the dish of the day with Zimba, so it doesn't break the bank, and I can mix some JWB in there, so although she isn't putting any weight on, she isn't loosing any more. 

Will let you know any news as soon as....

Clare x

{{{Hugs}}} and white light from my Zymba to yours

Anne

Hi Clare,

Thanks for the update ;)

>so although she isn't putting any weight on, she isn't loosing any more.

Well, that sounds positive - for whatever reason the weight loss has occurred at least if Zimba is currently maintaining her weight at the moment you can relax a little until you get some more info from the results.  Try to resist the urge to feed anything too fatty to up her weight - if she's coping with what you've listed don't play around with it unless you have to until you've got a recommendation based on test results.

Thinking of you both, best wishes, Teri  :)

Hi all,

Phoned the vet today, and he still can't find anything to suggest the reason to Zimba's weight loss....

Sooo, we are going back down there Friday afternoon (the soonest appt I can make) to have her weighed again to see if she is still loosing weight, or whether this has stablised.

On the stress front, nobby is moving out this Friday, at my request... long story, but this may help my baby with just loving people around her. 

She is a bit unstable on her back legs, which is worrying, and got stuck on the stairs yesterday :-(  Poor lamb.  But again, I think nobby panics her a little, so hoping his departure will improve her situation all round.

Clare x 

Update as at Thursday.

Last night, Zimba found it hard to get off her chair, and looked as though she was trying to walk on the tops of her paws on her back legs.  I thought it may be that she had been in a funny position, although this is happening more frequently of late.

This morning, she went outside, then 10 mins later wanted to go again.  She is just passing watery faeces now.  When she came in, she again couldn't walk on her back legs as her paws were almost upside down.

Phoned the vet, and my vet isn't in today, but they said it best to bring her down today rather than to wait until tomorrow. 

Doesn't bode well.... am at work today, but keep crying, so having lots of cigarette breaks. 

Will let you know what they say this afternoon.

Clare x

Oh dear :(

I am keeping my fingers crossed that they get to the bottom of this.

Lucy
xx

Dear All,

Thank you for all your support during this time, but it doesn't look good. 

The vet had a look at her today, and she has lost another Kg.  Her back legs are bad through muscle wastage as her body is trying to get protien from her muscles as she is not getting it from anywhere else.

They gave me three options, the first two were treatable with strong steriods, and the third was Lymphoma. 

The vet noticed that her lymph glands were bigger than they should be, so think that is what we are looking at. 

She told me Zimba was very poorly, and to go home and spend some time with her. 

She is going in tomorrow for xrays, and to take some 'whatever' from the lymph gland to see if they can pinpoint the problem.

Basically, I have resigned myself that my beautiful dog is dying, and that the wonderful 8 years she gave me, her litter of puppies, her taking me home from the pub when I got lost will be the best memories I have. 

I pray that I have some better news after the vet has had her in all day tomorrow. 

Clare x

Hi Clare,

I'm so sorry to read your latest news about Zimba's further weight loss and how it is affecting her.  I will be praying for you both that all is not lost and that her x-rays show that she has a treatable illness and not a cancer.

Enjoy one another as best you can for now and know that people are thinking of you both and sending healing thoughts your way.

God bless, and gentle hugs to your very precious girl.
Luv, Teri x

Poor Zimba, hugs to you both. ((()))

You never know when the other half goes she could pick up.  I know that my glands swell up when I[m run down etc.  Got everything crossed for you.

My heart and thoughts are with you. Stay positive for your beautiful Zimba. 

Lynne
x

(((hugs))) i know how worried you must be, try to stay positive and enjoy Zimba.
Donna

Hoping it proves to be something treatable and sending {{{{HUGS}}}} to you both, its such a difficult time, try to stay positive even tho its hard.

Dill

Unfortunately, all my worst fears were confirmed.  The vet found a large mass round her spleen, which put with all the other symptoms are signs indicative of a tumour.

He said they could operate, but thinks it would buy maybe two months at most, and she would never get back to what she was, and we would be having the same conversation two months down the line.  That is if the operation was successful and she survived the op with no further complications.

Basically, I have up to two weeks with my baby, and his recommendation is to feed her whatever she wants, and just spoil her over the next two weeks.  I cannot put her through an operation which could risk her life for my selfishness to have her for two months when she would be in the same discomfort she is now. 

He said she wasn't in pain, and to wait until she showed signs of giving up, then to give him a call.

I desparately wanted to post something positive, but it seems it's not to be. 

My other half said he would stay with me tonight, but he is still going tomorrow.  which is my choice.

My zimba can lay on the sofa, sleep on my bed, do whatever she wants now. 

thank you for all your kind wishes during this time. 

Clare x

Cyber{{{{{HOGS}}}}} I've been where you are now with my Glen 14 years ago

Cherish the time you have with her now

I am so very sorry.  I was in your position just over 3 weeks ago.  I know all too well what you are going through.  Its gonna be hard but you will get through it.  Spend as much time as you can together, feed her all the "naughty foods" whisper all your thoughts in her ears, cuddle her gently and spoil her rotten.  If you want to talk then I will be here to listen. You can PM me anytime. 

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Zimba
Lynne
x

So very sorry :(

Make sure you cherish what time you have left :)

Lucy
xx

Really sad for you {{{HUGS}}} Remember though that she doesn't know what lies ahead so won't be worrying or sad. It's you that has to be brave

Anne

Oh no, poor Zimba. I'm sure a lot of us thought of Lynne and Shadow when we read this post. I just can't begin to imagine what you're going through. I'm sure Zimba has had a wonderful 8 years, and I'm sure you will give her the best 2 weeks of her life. I'm so sorry for you both. :-(

So very sorry for you, try to be brave, as has been said, she doesn't know whats lies ahead ;)  spoil yourselves rotten for the next few weeks, I'm sure you'll make them really good for her.

{{{{HUGS}}}}