Why is my senior dog incontinent, off food, losing weight, and tired?

Her symptoms could be due to any number of things: * intestinal parasites (worms) * endocrine disease (Cushings, thyroid, Addisons, etc) * liver, kidney or other organ failure/disease * cancer * etc...... Her symptoms sound serious and I think you need to have her examined by your veterinarian. Weeks of weight loss and diarrhea is not good. Even if the vet finds that it is just old age there are medications she can be given to help her walk better and be more comfortable.

I'm sorry Diesel isn't doing well! If he had pancreatitis, you would see symptoms such as repeated vomiting, vomiting undigested food, a hunched pain, a painful abdomen, a distended abdomen, diarrhea, loss of appetite, dehydration, and lethargy. Diesel would be extremely ill if he had pancreatitis, and from what you are describing, I would be inclined to think he doesn't have it. It is possible that he does have cancer even if your vet didn't feel any masses in his abdomen. There can still be tumors even if they can't be palpated, and cancer would cause him to eat and lose weight. Cancer can also cause diarrhea. Certain cancers also do not show any changes in blood work. I recommend having further testing done on him, such as x-rays or an ultrasound of his abdomen. These would help visualize if he has any tumors in his abdomen, and further testing such as a biopsy of them can be done if any are found. Unfortunately cancer is very common in senior dogs. I recommend having him seen by your vet again to discuss further testing. I hope this helps!

These signs are usually related either to urinary tract infection, or to kidney problem (failure) or to urinary incontinence. A blood test and urine analysis can rule out kidney failure and urinary tract infection. Urinary incontinence usually derived from a weak urinary sphincter (quite common in old age females). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

I would definitely recommend some blood work, if this hasn't been done recently. Older dogs are prone to a number of health issues that can cause decreased appetite along with being less active - chronic kidney disease and hypothyroidism are two possibilities that are both very common. In many cases, these issues are treatable (at least to some extent) once a diagnosis is made, so it's well worth checking for them if you can - hopefully, there are some things you can do to make him feel better for as long as possible, even though he's getting older.

That is very concerning that she is not eating, vomiting, and losing weight. If blood work is normal than your vet could do x-rays and/or an abdominal ultrasound to look for abnormalities. Your vet could also do an ACTH stim test to make sure she is on the correct dose of vetoryl. Your vet could also treat with an anti-nausea medication called Cerenia and an antibiotic called Metronidazole to see if that helps with the vomiting and diarrha. Hope she feels better soon.

Yes it would be best to have her seen. Decreased appetite and lethargy are very common symptoms of many diseases, many of which may be treatable. The best way to know what is going on (diagnosis), how serious it is, and how to help her feel better is to have her seen. Most likely your vet will recommend some senior bloodwork and xrays to start. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It sounds like Button is pretty sick. She is showing several different symptoms and could have a number of things going on. In older dogs like her I worry about things such as diabetes, a urinary tract infection, and cancer. I would recommend taking her to your vet to be checked out as soon as possible. Your vet will most likely want to perform some lab work, possibly a urinalysis, and maybe even some x-rays. Hopefully nothing too serious is going with Button and your vet will be able to get to the bottom of it. Best of luck. Let us know if you have any additional questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.