do my dogs sense something more.?

[anbuma]

this is not necessarily thyroid linked btu my dogs have been off their food for a few days.my female staffie X always eats her food just before her morning walk and for the last few days she hasn't done so and now doesnt eat at all,even not given her dental sticks which is the only thing she has daily.my older dog (12)is eating a little .could it be that she knows something about him I don't?or are they both concerned for me?their behaviour has changed over the last year .im not depressed or anything at the moment btu have concerns about my health and will my dr finally support me when I see him on Monday.my brother says my female dog is overweight and I shouldn't be concerned shes not eating as he suspects she is still eating treats.i have already cut her food down by half and she has a good run every day.she is a staffie X Alsatian and she doesn't have any fat on her.shes broad cos of her breed.could they have eaten or sniffed something when out?she does eat anything she may find when on a walk and recently the council have been spraying weedkiller along the verges.

[Hidden]

Hi Anbuma, if it were my dog, I have to say I'd be straight to the vet if he wasn't eating or funny with food for a few days. Yes, dogs are sensitive to their owners emotions, but they can also get sick. Your vet rather than your brother is the best placed person to assess Annie's weight too, as they will know exactly where fat coverage should be distributed. Unlike Drs, they do look at more than just the scales, because of the different shapes and sizes dogs come in. Please try not to worry but do get her checked out, I don't think this forum can safely answer any question about your lovely dogs x

[Hidden]

I have just come back from the vets for my one cat's third visit in a week due to a badly swollen food following a cat bite, and he has lost weight since the first visit. My vet was concerned because although only 100 g, percentage-wise for a slim cat it was not to be ignored. If your dog is not eating there will be a reason, irrespective of her starting weight, and that I think should be checked out . Good luck

[lunamoona]

Hi Anbuma,

Loss of appetite is often a sign that your dog isn't feeling well, so if this has been going on a few days it is time for the vet.

I notice you say that they go for their walk right after breakfast and that they have a good run. I hope you don't mind me mentioning this but it is recommended that you wait an hour or more between food and exercise due to the risk of bloat, especially in larger, deep chested breeds.

I hope your dog is feeling better soon. x

[anbuma]

thanks guys ill phone the vet in the morning.

to lunamoona,thanks for your advice.I didn't know that.its something Annie has always done.i get their food ready in the morning when I get up .buster likes to eat outside in the garden and around mid morning.from now on I will only let her have her food after her walk.?does that work the other way around too.should they rest after exercise before eating?

[Banjogirl in reply to anbuma]

Hi. Totally agree with lunamoona. And yes, after exercise your dogs should rest before eating. Especially in hot weather. At least 1/2 hr with no panting and only when cooled down. Let us know what the vet says about your dog. x

[lunamoona in reply to anbuma]

Yes, at least an hour either side, large amounts of water too. x

[TSH110]

One of my dogs has hypothyroidism but she eats non stop given half the chance. She is a whippet...and what a whopper of a whippet...poor thing! She was always flopping down to rest on walks and had phantom pregnancies. Her tail had a bald patch and her eyes were often inflamed. She became very disinterested in the other dogs and people. It was a slow business but I just looked at her one day and thought I feel just like her - she must have hypo. A blood test showed she did indeed have it. She has dog thyroxine every day but is still a big fattie! Whippets, greyhounds and staffies were interbred long ago to get a smooth coat on the sighthounds. Sighthounds are prone to hypothyroidism.

I think just a few days of your doggie off her food could be something and nothing but if it persists get her to the vet for a check up. Another of mine hardly eats at all and is as thin as a pin. They are sensitive to illness esp in their owners and they can smell cancer apparently before it is detectable by doctors.

I hope your doggie is better soon, give her a big fuss from me

[anbuma in reply to TSH110]

told my gp that my dogs sense something is not right(detecting illness in their owners) but he said he cant accept that in diagnosing me

[anbuma]

hi everyone.I took Annie to the vets and she said everything was fine-heart temperature and stomach.did eat better today.got more steroids for her -she has an allergy every year and is constantly biting at her toes .vet said if she goes on "not eating" she will do blood tests.interesting that you (TSH 110) say about dogs detecting cancer.I am sure mine do as they have very clingy .annie always shows she is concerned and buster wants me with him 24/7. i still believe my swollen stomach to be OC even tho my gp says scans are normal and that I have IBS when I know I don't- because my weight gain over the years of about 11 kgs(in 2011-more since)is all abdominal and swelling doesnt come and go as with IBS.it is htere all the time and Buster is constantly nuzzling the area around my pelvic area.

[scatterbrain in reply to anbuma]

Hi Anbuma,

Just wanted to say that IBS bloating doesn't always go up and down, I was diagnosed with IBS and food intolerance 29 years ago and my tummy is permanently swollen.

Also as you get older your weight distributes itself so you tend to lose fat on your limbs and gain it around your waist which is why diabetes is more likely to occur after age 40. Women's shapes in particular change dramatically around 40ish and older. I don't know how old you are.

If you have had tests for ovarian cancer and they have come back negative then it is pretty certain that it isn't' cancer and believe me having lost both parents, a cousin and aunties to cancer and another auntie with terminal cancer at present, I don't take cancer likely.

[anbuma]

hi I know this is a month on.i see where you are coming from and tummy being permanently swollen but is yours ever increasing?if weight is redistributing itself then total body weight would remain the same??mine has gone up 11kgs between 2005 an 2012 and all abdominal.have gained more weight since then and again all abdominal as loss elsewhere.waist has gone from 38" in 2005 to 45 " now.

[Hidden in reply to anbuma]

But Anabuma that is over 7 year period! That is really not so uncommon,in fact it's very common especially for a woman in middle age to gradually increase in weight,abdominal area increases also due to loss of muscle strength there, so those things combined make it almost a normal occurance! Unless you have since childhood kept up a regular excersize regime,ballet,gym,sport,those types of things then it pretty inevitable.walking dogs and normal pottering around doesn't qualify as enough to keep it at bay,only wish it did-mines gone saggy and squishy !Next step for mine is going hard too-that occurs when the fat layer deepens,sort of goes solid and almost impossible to move it then.At the same time limbs go thinner because loss of underlying muscle tone making it appear the weight has only built up around the tummy area. That condition doesn't get a name or label or any diagnosis from any gp it's just natural aging process,rotten as that seems to us all!!

[Clutter]

Have you had menopause, Anbuma? Fat usually gathers on the abdomen giving an apple shape post menopause. My sister has gained a stone since menopause and RAI to control Graves. She has always been thin but weight is now on her trunk and she's lost her waist despite eating less and taking up zumba and running.

[anbuma]

yes period s stopped in 2008 but no menopausal symptoms(ie flushes).more so related to gallbladder op as wors esince then as dog s have been .dr has given me no suggestions whichever way it maybe.mentione d7 year period btu weight not measured in between 2005 and 2012.weight increase on stomach began in 2011 and increasing.dont feel it s just nature.iahve fatty area s on my upper chest and side s-these are soft nto hard like my stomach

[anbuma]

feel that 2 stone is a lot of weight in one place when other shave gained that amount of weight have had cysts or tumours.(not saying I have)have to go buster crying for me to help him down off the bed-when asleep just now he got up and wanted to crawl between me and annie.somethign he does a lot of now he senses i am not well.

[Hidden in reply to anbuma]

Honestly Anbuma, I would try not to worry about the weight being something serious. I have piled weight on as a result of some nasty medication and untreated hypothyroidism, all on my stomach and almost 3 stone in about 9 months. I have no appetite, and always feel sick and bloated. It's just is what it is I'm afraid. It sounds like your GP isn't the most supportive but might have done all he can to rule out nasties with scans and bloods where your abdomen is concerned.

[sazzyb in reply to anbuma]

Both Buster and Annie will know that you are stressing about your health. Dogs are so in tune with their owners so if you're having even one off day they'll be right on to it. If you change your demeanour to one of being positive and happy around them (even though you feel like crap), be light-hearted and playful, sing a song or two, they will become much less worried. Re the weight problem, I am Mrs Blobby, believe me!

[anbuma]

hwo does anyone cope with their swollen stomachs.am dreading summer .last year ddint go out without a coat to hide mine and it is that much more swollen now -coats wont hide it.