Hi im new to this forum,
i have a 5year old beagle who was overweight by 4kg since the begining of this year but over this past month hes dropped down to 22kg(hes a big beagle and 22kg is skinny on him lol) and his appetite has increase alot. i feed him a barf diet and i changed him from beef chunks to tripe permently as i found out beef wasnt actually to good for dogs compared to tripe so at first i thought that mayb because of the change in meat hes lost all that weight because i havent changed his exercise routine. i then had a look into other reasons of the weight loss and went to the vet about it. he had a urine sample done today to check for glucose but it came back ok so hes having a bloodtest on monday to see whats going on. i was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem with there dog? his symptoms are: weightloss, increase in appetite, breathe smelling chemically(which made me think of diabetes straight away) and he also seems a bit weaker than his usual self. any info would be great to put my mind at ease untill i go to the vets on monday for the bloodtest thanks.

[Lara's mom]

My guess would have been the same as yours - Diabetes. You mentioned that the glucose came back normal. I would have it redone after a meal and after fasting. You'd get a far more accurate picture of what the glucose actually is. However, the blood test should give you the answers you need.

Many diabetic dogs live long and healthy lives. If that's what it turns out to be, you'll learn to manage his blood sugar and dispense insulin. It isn't nearly as hard as it sounds.

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

My guess would have been the same as yours - Diabetes. You mentioned that the glucose came back normal. I would have it redone after a meal and after fasting. You'd get a far more accurate picture of what the glucose actually is. However, the blood test should give you the answers you need.

Many diabetic dogs live long and healthy lives. If that's what it turns out to be, you'll learn to manage his blood sugar and dispense insulin. It isn't nearly as hard as it sounds.

thanks for the reply, ive been worried all day thinking it could be somthing else but diabetes. is there anything i should watch out for untill the bloodtest also anything i should/shouldnt feed him?

[Lara's mom]

Not that I'm aware of except be careful of treats containing fruit or sugar. I'm sure somebody more knowledgeable on the subject will be able to give you better answers. It tends to be a little slow in here on weekends.

Try not to worry too much. A lot of times we worry ourselves sick and then find out that the problem wasn't so bad at all. I very much hope that will be the case for you. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed!

hopefully it is nothing as all i need is more worry as at the begining of july my staffy got pyometra then as soon as she was better this happened but thanks for the info

[Lara's mom]

Oh dear...When it rains, it pours! Is the illness you mentioned your staffy had a result of giving birth?

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Oh dear...When it rains, it pours! Is the illness you mentioned your staffy had a result of giving birth?

nope it just came about around 2months after her heat, the vets where surprised that she got it at her age(shes only 3) and how fast she went down hill, the night before you wouldnt have known anything was wrong then come morning she couldnt even stand but luckily the vets reacted quickly to it and now shes fully recovered ive got a 3rd dog which is a female staffy aswell and im considering getting her spayed just to avoid somthing like that happening again as its horrible and scary seeing any animal in such a state.

[Lara's mom]

Wow! that is terrifying. I'm so glad she recovered! You must have been just frantic!

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Wow! that is terrifying. I'm so glad she recovered! You must have been just frantic!

yeh and the worst thing was it was a sunday so had to go to the emergency vet which is alot further from me than my normal vet. now just need to get my beagle back to his normal self/health

[Lara's mom]

A good friend of mine had her dog come down with a really bad case of bloody diarrhea. It was horrible! She was passing a lot of bright red oxygenated blood. Of course it would have to be a Sunday when no regular vet is open so, off we rushed to the emergency clinic. Poor Renee was so frantic that she left all her credit cards, etc., behind and when we got there, they wouldn't even look at her dog without a $600 deposit. Well, thank the Goddess that I always carry my credit card in my purse! I was able to pay the deposit. If neither one of us had been able to put up the money, I'm convinced they would have turned her away and she was losing so much blood that I doubt she would have lasted until Monday morning when our regular vet opened up again. Anyway, once they relieved me of $600, they treated her and we were able to pick her up the next morning, very much improved. It cost Renee an additional $200 & change.

This is why I am such a proponent of pet insurance. Renee gave me back the money I spent on her dog. However, if she had insurance, she would have gotten 80% of that huge bill back! Particularly in Canada where we have free medical care, we forget how much medical care really costs! I know it's different for people in the States because they pay to see the Dr. Still, vet bills can add up at an incredible rate! It seems to me that our animal health care system is much like your human one...

[chevy & karen]

Was a stool sample tested? Could be a parasite.....

Let us know and I hope all is ok real soon.

If your dog is losing weight very quickly then I recommend you to visit your veterinarian first. Most probably that beagle is facing liver disorder and diabetes it depend on how much your dog is eating and the feces condition of your dog
Click for more info common dog health problems
http://www.xomba.com/common_dog_health_problems_0

thanks for the replys, the vet reckons its heart problems but will find out everything on monday so hopefully its nothing. ill keep everyone updated the messages:mrgreen: