Why is my dog so skinny, itchy, and smelly despite eating a lot?

It sounds as though you have been through a lot with Jordan. The amount of food that she is eating is quite large for a dog her size, making me concerned that she may not be absorbing the nutrients appropriately. Possible causes of this could be due to inflammatory bowel disease, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, intestinal parasites, among other issues. Changes in the skin and hair coat can occur secondary to other health conditions, so it is quite possible that Jordan's hair loss, scaling, and odor are related to an underlying gastrointestinal issue. I don't know which lab tests have been run on her, but consider discussing further testing with her vet, such as B12/folate levels to check vitamin absorption, TLI to evaluate for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, fecal testing for parasites, as well as baseline CBC, blood chemistry, and urinalysis to evaluate overall organ function and blood cell counts. It may also be worth considering an abdominal ultrasound with a veterinary radiologist to see if any changes are apparent. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Jordan!

Poor Max! Losing weight despite being fed can be a sign of a medical illness, such as diabetes, intestinal parasites, or an inability to properly digest nutrients. I would make sure Max is up to date on his deworming treatment, and if he isn't, you will need to get one from the vet. The constant scratching could be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If he isn't up to date on his flea treatment, he will need a spot on treatment such as Advantage or Revolution. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. I recommend taking him into your vet for an exam. The vet can do a physical exam, routine blood tests, and a urinalysis to see if there is a medical cause behind him losing weight. The vet can also do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm if he is up to date on his flea treatment. I would take him into the vet tomorrow for an exam.

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!

Gradual weight loss in an older large breed dog is usually the result of an underlying cancer (particularly intestinal) or an underlying intestinal parasite, or pancreas disorder (exocrine pancreatic disorder) just to name a few. I would start with baseline bloodwork and a fecal exam to get a big picture as to whath is most likely the underlying cause. As long as JJ is still active, happy and clinically normal other than the weight loss, then I would consider doing the testing that he needs. Best of luck with JJ and his weight loss issues. Take care.

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!

Sorry to hear Daisy is unwell! If Daisy is losing weight despite having a good appetite it suggests something is going wrong in her digestive tract meaning she can't get the goodness from her food. Because she is a young dog there could be a condition from birth causing this or a problem she has developed. However what I suspect is the problem is a high worm burden. You say she passed a lot in her faeces, so she will have many inside. Because she is weak and has lost a lot of weight I would take her to the vet because it may not be a case of simply worming her, she may need more treatment if her gut is damaged by the worms. The vet will also be able to give you a good worming product which you should use regularly.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is definitely concerning that Sadie does not really want to eat and is thin. I recommend having her seen by a vet as she may have some chronic inflammation of her intestinal tract or a sensitivity to certain foods. Your vet can also recommend some diet changes that have more calories to help Sadie gain weight. If Sadie is eating bones, I recommend stopping as they are not nutritionally adequate and can cause chronic irritation to the intestinal tract. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!