Why is my senior dog scratching, chewing paws, and losing weight?

Drinking a lot of water and losing weight is very concerning and indicates an underlying medical condition. There are many possibilities: * cancer * Cushing's disease * Diabetes * kidney disease * etc.... The weakness and spasms in the back legs is probably due to arthritis, however, she could be just weak from whatever underlying disease is going on. The chewing and licking of the paws could be due to her being generally uncomfortable (displacement behavior), allergies, bacterial infection of the skin, etc. She really needs an examination by your veterinarian to get to the bottom of what is going on.

With the weight loss as well as the skin condition I would recommend a blood test to rule out internal diseases such as liver disease as well as a skin scrape and possible biopsy in order to fully investigate the underlying cause and to guide the most appropriate treatment

Hello, and thank you for your question. Possible causes of itching and hair loss in dogs include parasites (fleas, mites), skin infections (bacterial, fungal), or allergies (food, environmental). If she is very uncomfortable due to itching, this may explain her low appetite. I would suggest a vet visit in the morning to help determine the cause of her skin problems. They may perform a skin scraping, skin cytology, or culture. They may be able to provide medication to provide her some relief and comfort from her itching, and treat the source of the problem as well. I hope this helps, and that Sophie is feeling better soon!

I'm so sorry to hear that Lucy isn't doing well. The appropriate treatment very much depends on why she is scratching and chewing. She could have allergies, an infection, mast cell tumors (which release histamine in to the blood stream), or even be chewing because of the anxiety itself. There are also many different medical treatments for anxiety (including daily and just as needed options) as well as various behavior modification protocols. So it's hard to help without knowing what has been tried so far and what her diagnosis is. If you were starting from scratch, I would recommend a fine needle aspirate (FNA) of both masses to try to get an idea of what type of tumors she has (and determine if surgery is possible to remove them), as well as general bloodwork to make sure her organ are functioning ok and there's no indication of endocrine disease, and skin cytology and skin scrap to look for yeast, bacteria, or parasites. If you're not having luck with your vet after several follow up visits, it's reasonable to seek a second opinion.

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.

Oh my - it sounds as though Riley has a lot going on. It's likely that his excessive licking is associated with the hair loss that you've noticed, as licking is a sign of itchiness in dogs. I agree that his whining sounds like a sign of discomfort. This could all be associated with his other issues, or due to other skin conditions, like mange, ringworm, or allergies. Vomiting, diarrhea, weight gain, and excessive urination could be due to a number of different health conditions. Some of these possibilities include gastrointestinal viruses, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, liver disease, endocrine disorders (such as Addison's disease), or food allergies. The challenge is that all of these conditions are treated very differently, so it's important to figure out the root cause of all of Riley's issues. At this point, Riley really needs to be examined by his vet and have some diagnostic testing performed. I assume that your vet will likely recommend some baseline bloodwork to check on his organ function, as well as a fecal flotation test for parasites, and skin testing to see if any infectious conditions are present. Based on their findings, they'll be able to come up with the best course of treatment for Riley. I hope that everything goes well!

According to the symptom of weight loss, otherwise normal and elevations on bloodwork, I would advise having your pet checked for Cushings disease (due to elevated ALP) via a specific test that your vet can go over with you. Also an abdominal ultrasound should be considered as well to check for any obvious masses since the Globulins were a bit high. Weight loss can also be caused by a change in diet as well, especially if your pet was once overweight, so its best to discuss this possibility with your vet as well. Also it is worth mentioning that none of the medications you listed would cause weight loss as an adverse effect. I do hope that things work out well for your pet moving forward. Best wishes and take care!