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Why is my active senior dog losing weight despite eating well?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | 9 years and 7 months old

Hello, my ten year old German Shepard has lost a lot of weight. He was never a puffy dog, he has always been a bit skinny, but now it can be seen more. He eats well and is very active. Do you think it is because of the age or something else?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on May 15th, 2018

This could be due to several things like age and losing some muscle mass, he may need an increase nutritional requirements, liver or kidney problems, cancer or something else. You could get a baseline weight and increase the amount of food you are feeding as long as there is no other symptoms to see if he puts on some weight. I would reweigh him in 2-4 weeks. If he is still loosing weight or not gaining any weight or if you start seeing additional symptoms, I would have your vet take a look at him. Your vet will be able to do a fecal, blood work and even x-rays if needed to help determine the cause of weight loss. I hope this helps and he starts to gain weight quickly.

3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on August 2nd, 2017
I am very sorry to hear that Thor is not doing well. First, I would recommend taking him into your vet to have some blood work and x-rays performed to see if they can figure out what is going on. With such drastic weight loss I would be concerned that it is something more than just depression from his dad being away. In the meantime you can try offering him puppy food because this has more calories than regular dog food. You may want to also entice him to eat by adding some broth to his food or adding some plain boiled chicken to it. However, as mentioned before, I'm concerned that something more is going on and I would recommend getting him in to be seen as soon as you can.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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