My senior dog is weak, losing weight, peeing, and breathing hard. Why?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male
Hi. My dog has been living for 12 years. My pet's name is Blue. And now he's been laying down all day and could not able to stand and walk. He is now peeing in his bed and breaths heavily. He has an ear infection before, and I believe it was called hematoma. But we wasnt able to take him to the vet. He still eats food. But he has lose his weight drastically. We could not take him to the vet because of financial problems. What medication will you suggest? Please help us. TIA.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 31st, 2017
Oh my. Poor guy. The weight loss and his body condition score is very concerning. Gradual weight loss in older pets is highly suspicous of cancer unfortunately. Other possible causes are intestinal parasites, diabetes mellitus, etc. There is also possible arthritis which is causing Blue to become debilitated and unable to move around well; however, generalized weakness could also be a cause. You can try to feed Blue a high calorie diet (ie puppy food) to help with his muscle tone and try over the counter joint supplements (ie Dasuquin) to help with his mobility. Here is a website link with more financial resources to help you get him seen by a vet for further care because he really needs medical attention and testing to determine if this is something serious or not, and to pursue medical treatment. http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html Best of luck to you and your pet Blue. I really hope he will be ok. Take care.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on August 21st, 2017
I can't tell you for sure what is going on with Blue. Certainly, as dogs age, their vision and hearing can decline. Other than TLC, there is nothing that can prevent these from happening. Mobility issues can be difficult to manage, but often pain medications and supplements will take out the pain component and allow the pet to continue to move to maintain lean muscle mass. Common prescription pain medications use include NSAIDS, gabapentin, and/or tramadol. Other options for pain control include physical therapy, acupuncture, and Adequan injections. Weight loss can be caused by inability to eat (as in oral or dental pain) or from a decreased appetite caused by a change in metabolic processes (kidney or liver disease, diabetes, etc). Getting "stuck" is common in dogs with cognitive dysfunction. This is most closely related to dementia in humans. There are a few supplements that may be able to slow this down a little, like high-powered antioxidants (I like Cell Advance 880) or SAM-e. I am not sure what to make of the dried blood without a picture or additional information. I recommend that Blue have a thorough physical exam and senior bloodwork performed to determine if there is any internal disease that needs to be specifically managed. The bloodwork will also help determine what pain medications would be most appropriate to use. Now would also be a good time to read up on Quality of Life in dogs. Discussing this ahead of when it is really needed will help you evaluate Blue with a clear mind and heart to know what to do that is best for him. https://www.lapoflove.com/Quality-of-Life/Determining-Pet-Quality-of-Life http://www.lapoflove.com/diseases/canine/Cognitive_Dysfunction_in_Dogs.pdf
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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