How to help my dog gain weight and stop his smelly, itchy ears?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Part of her not gaining weight could be due to an intestinal malabsorption issue. Your veterinarian could consider further advanced diagnostics like an abdominal ultrasound and a GI panel to check for something like that. I do suspect that her skin issues are possibly due to allergies and that probably plays a role in her quality of life. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There can be several causes for no weight gain or weight loss despite eating normally. Intestinal parasites can be a cause as well as pancreatic problems, intestinal absorption issues, metabolic diseases such as liver or kidney disease and certain types of cancers. Hair loss from the ears likewise can have many causes such as fungal infections, bacterial infection, allergies, mite infection, or even autoimmune diseases. I think it would be a good idea if Hunter sees his veterinarian very soon for these issues. Your veterinarian may recommend blood work and a fecal test or other tests as necessary to help determine a diagnosis here.

I think getting Smokey checked out at the vet is the right thing to do. Inappetance for a day or so is ok but 3 or more days is concerning, especially for a lab. Your vet will likely want to run some lab work and take X-rays of the abdomen. The mass on the ear is likely a histoocytoma which is a benign growth that young dogs commonly get. They tend to regress on their own after 2-3 months. This is most likely not related to the inappetance. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I have had excellent luck with Royal Canin so I can definitely support giving that a try. In general for giant breed dogs, feed according to the bag. Being 7 months, Bear is probably past the biggest of the growth spurts but we probably still don’t want to free feed. However, it the giant breed formulas, it is safer to feed larger quantities while still keeping bone growth at a proper rate. As for the beard, I have a schnauzer so I can relate a little. My best advice is just to wash the beard with a puppy shampoo once a week. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Finally, for the skin. Adding about 2000 mg per day of Fish oil can sometimes help with the skin however, I recommend talking to your vet. If Bear is already this itchy, food or environmental allergies could be to blame. Bet wishes to you and Bear!

Poor Elsa. I obviously cant say for sure without seeing her in person but I bet she has sever allergies and some secondary bacterial and/or fungal infections causing her to smell bad. it also sounds like she has an ear infection which will need medicated ear drops to help her heal. I would strongly recommend to have your vet take a look at her to get her on the proper treatment to make her feel better. The weight loss could come from a number of different things and the vet will be able to help you determine the cause of that as well. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon!

Thanks for using a Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not possible to know this without an examination and cytologic examination. I highly recommend you consider having him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. It may be best to switch him to a diet of a different protein and carbohydrate such as duck and potato for example in case he is having allergies to his current diet. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Scruffy isn't gaining weight as you would expect. Has he had a fecal sample tested for exposure to intestinal parasites? If he hasn't, I would recommend having one evaluated. If his stool sample is negative, I would recommend having him evaluated by his regular veterinarian to have a thorough physical, and have a conversation about changing his diet, as it may not be working as well for him as we would hope. Good luck!