My 14-year-old dog is losing weight and has diarrhea. What to do?

Question

14 year old german shorthair. He has dropped a lot of weight over the past several months and has started diarrhea for the past 12 hours. Pet's info: Dog | German Shorthaired Pointer (duplicate) | Male | neutered | 14 years and 3 months old | 55 lbs

Laura Johnson VMD · Accepted Answer

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!

My 14-year-old dog is losing weight and has diarrhea. What to do?

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