Elderly dog's anal glands leak, losing weight despite Glandex. Why?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Dexter! I am concerned about the weight loss. I hate to see older animals lose weight. Possible causes are: kidney or liver disease, diabetes, cancer, pancreatic or intestinal disease that is causing poor absorption of nutrients. Now with the diarrhea starting a lot of the above still applies as causes. He could have just eaten something that is disagreeing with him, have a viral infection, or parasites. I highly recommend a physical by your Vet and have some blood and urine tests run to help figure out why he has lost so much weight. For the diarrhea you can start feeding a bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice. Feed 1 cup per 20lbs per day for 3-5 days. Your Vet can also start him on some medications for the diarrhea. I hope this helps and I wish you and Dexter the best!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Anal glands are sometimes difficult to determine what causes them to fill up quickly and why they don't empty on their own. What we typically recommend is switching the diet completely to a different brand / formula and adding in supplementation for the anal glands such as Glandex (which can be purchased online). I've known Glandex to reduce the time between anal gland expressions by months and sometimes the diet switch alone makes a big difference. Try this for a few months and if the problem persists after, I would speak with your veterinarian about other options. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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!

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!

I recommend to call your veterinarian. When pets don't respond to treatment as expected, it can mean that the real cause of illness has not been identified. The veterinarian may try a different medication or recommend further diagnostics such as a fecal culture, parasite testing or ultrasound. Mia may also need additional testing of the liver such as a bile acids or endocrine testing. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Likely from what you are telling me, as well as your pet's age the drs are looking for masses (tumors) in the gastrointestinal tract or otherwise that would be causing Logan to lose so much weight. If your blood work is fine diabetes (one of the more common) has been ruled out and this should also mean your liver and kidney function tests fell within normal limits in your bloods. An ultrasound may be beneficial as well in looking for abdominal masses. I'm sorry you're having this issue with your friend. It sounds as though he is very uncomfortable. My best to you both.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see that Stone is a little thin from the photos, and the amount of weight he has lost in the past 3 weeks is definitely cause for concern. The next steps after checking for intestinal parasites include blood work to make sure that there isn't an underlying infection present and that organ function is normal. It can also determine that food is being digested and nutrients are absorbed appropriately. X-rays and an ultrasound can rule out masses, obstructions, and inflamed bowels. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!