My dog sleeps a lot, gains weight despite walks and less food. Why?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If you have been having difficulty in getting his weight down, it certainly could be from a disease such as hypothyroidism. If you have not had a veterinarian examine him and test his thyroid level, I would suggest doing so to rule this out as a cause. If his thyroid level is normal then you may want to enquire about Hills Metabolic Diet. The vet would need to provide you with a prescription for this food as well. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there. If you think that you're feeding Sophie a normal amount of food for a dog her size, then it's possible that she may have a medical problem such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease causing her to gain weight - these problems are more common in middle-aged and older dogs, but can occasionally be seen in younger pets as well. Your veterinarian can do lab work to check for these issues, and get her started on appropriate treatment if a problem is found. If her lab work shows that she's healthy, then this means she's getting more calories every day than she needs. In simple terms, this means you need to feed her less. You could do this by decreasing the amount of her regular food, or switching to a prescription weight loss diet and following the feeding instructions on the packaging based on her target weight.

Poor girl. It is really common for dogs used only for breeding to not understand play and to not be very active. If she is gaining weight despite being on a diet then I would worry about thyroid issues. She doesn’t look like she is very heavy. Also remember if she was recently spayed she will gain some weight after that due to her hormones being lowered. As far as her gum disease, if she is healthy enough (heart sounds okay and blood work normal), I would talk to your vet if she is a candidate for a dental cleaning and extractions of any diseased teeth. I hope this helps.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you want to rule out hypothyroidism 100% you should have a profile done that includes fT4, TSH, T3, fT3. I like the profile to Michigan State. With that being said, hypothyroidism at 21 months old is exceedingly rare. It occurs in larger breed dogs more commonly. These dogs have stunted growth, have retention of "puppy coat," orthopedic abnormalities due to delayed growth plate closure and many other obvious abnormalities. Dynasty looks very normal. I hope this helps!

I wuld recmmend a full physical exam by your vet to rule out medical causes for the lethargy and weight gain - thyroid disease can commonly cause such signs and heart and liver disease can result in fluid retention (often with some muscle loss and weakness). Bullying and intimidation from a new, dominant dog may also cause her to be reluctant to walk and a calming supplement may help if this is the only reason

I would recommend that Rex have a thorough checkup with a vet. Gaining weight and lethargy can be a symptom of hypothyroidism, which can be confirmed easily with a blood test. However, the shortness of breath has me a little concerned that there could be heart or lung disease also at play. Heart disease can cause fluid build-up in the lungs or abdomen, which can easily be confused for weight (fat) gain. After thorough examination, the vet may recommend bloodwork to check for internal medical illness, and x-rays or ultrasound to see what is going on inside the body. After your vet has a better idea of the cause of Rex's symptoms, then an appropriate treatment plan can be discussed.

If you have a copy of Milo's medical record, you can choose a Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach Consult to discuss this fully. Hypothyroidism does not usually cause weight loss in dogs, and the test may be caused by euthyroid sick syndrome, meaning the thyroid hormone is low because of some other illness. There are confirmatory tests that can help your vet decide if Milo needs to be on thyroid therapy. If there are no other abnormalities on a CBC and complete blood chemistry, then additional diagnostics may be indicated, including intestinal parasite screen, GI panel, x-rays, abdominal ultrasound, etc. If Milo has a good appetite without vomiting or diarrhea, you could try feeding more calories. I like Purina ProPlan Sport. You could also try puppy food, which is higher in fat. If you do decide to switch food, mix them together slowly over 2-3 weeks to avoid an upset stomach.