Why is my dog losing muscle and lethargic, but vets find nothing?

The best next steps would be more tests to help get to the bottom of her symptoms. Typically we start with xrays and ultrasound if bloodwork is normal. Mainly looking for any cause as lethargy and weight loss are non specific. If nothing is found on imaging then loss of nutrition via the GI tract is possible and so sometimes additonal testing is needed to assess this. If your family vet is stumped, some pets get referred to see a specialist (a veterinary internist) for additional help in diagnosis. Additionally medications can be tried to help with any nausea/stimulate the appetite but if an underlying cause can be found and treated that will always be better. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for posting this question. There are several processes that can cause muscle wasting and distended belly. Cushings disorder is a common problem in older dogs where the body produces too much steroid hormone, but also certain types of kidney disease, liver disease, heart disease, or chronic gastrointestinal diseases can cause muscle wasting and fluid build up in the belly. Tumors can also have these signs. I would encourage you to have Buttons examined by her veterinarian to find out how best to help her. I wish her the best!

The most common reason that we will see symptoms like you are describing of a loss of muscle in all legs, but being more affected on one side would be a problem in the nervous system. Most commonly, we will see problems in the neck that affect one side more than the other. I would start with having your veterinarian examine Trick again and perform a full neurological examination. Depending on their findings, the next step may be a consultation with a neurologist. If Trick is only 4 years old, then it is certainly worth doing additional testing to determine what is doing on and if additional treatment could help prevent further muscle loss. Although we can certainly see muscle loss from arthritis, it rarely involves all 4 legs and is not often so asymmetrical that you can tell that one side of the body is worse, so I think it is worth consulting with a neurologist. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you very much for your question. I am sure that you are extremely frustrated with what is going on with poor Brian. The symptoms you describe can be a part of many, many diseases that can occur in dogs Brian‘s age. When we see at two-year-old dog that is gaining weight and not wanting to move as much, we begin to think of certain diseases like hypothyroidism or an orthopedic disease that is causing him to feel pain and not wanting to move. But there are just so many diseases that can cause weight gain, lethargy, etc. I realize that you have been to many veterinarians, but are they general practice veterinarians? If they have been, and you have not gotten any answers this far, I believe you should ask one of your regular veterinarians to refer you to a internal medicine specialist. If you live in the city, there may be an internal medicine specialist nearby. If you do not live in the city, you may have to travel a few hours to a specialty hospital. At a veterinary specialty hospital, the vets concentrate on one specific area of practice and their hospital has more diverse testing and equipment then can be found at a general practice. I hope this has helped and I hope that you get Brian back on the road to recovery

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ludo. I am not sure about what you mean that your dog has lost 7 legs. As far as his head though, he appears to have significant muscle wasting. This can occur secondary to longterm steroid use, generalized muscle loss due to aging or an inflammatory muscle disorder known as myositis. When the last condition occurs, the dog can have difficulty opening it's jaw. Unfortunately, he will need testing to know for sure. I hope this information helps!

I hate to hear this is happening to Dora. I recommend to look for more exotic causes like tick borne disease and retest her for autoimmune disease. Make sure radiographs were taken of her chest, spine and neck. A painful lesion in the back/neck or heart conditions could all look like this. Work closely with your veterinarian. You may also look into thyroid levels and Addison's Disease. I hope you get a diagnosis soon!

I am mostly concerned about the weight loss, lethargy (depression) and the labored breathing. This is certainly not normal for such a young dog. From the symptoms you are describing, a metabolic disorder seems most likely. Options are hyperadrenosorticism (Cushings), hypothyroidism (although this is not consistent with the weight loss), certain sex hormone disorders, and certain immune mediated disorders. Since this has been going on for such a long time, I would advise a consultation with a specialist at this point. You can find a veterinary internist in your area on www.acvim.org.