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My pit bull has joint pain, low energy, and is losing weight. Why?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My pit bulls seem to be having hip and back leg pain they have no energy and my female is losing weight although she is eating normally vet checked for worm and she is negative what could be wrong?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 20th, 2018

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dogs. Hip and knee pain is a common cause of rear limb lameness in large breed dogs. Arthritis tends to develop in either or both joints making the animal reluctant to move. Over time they will lose muscle mass in the rear limbs as they bear more weight on the front end to compensate. This could be what you are recognizing in your dogs. Other causes of weight loss include increased activity levels, diet changes (dog food can vary drastically in the number of calories per cup) or hormonal or metabolic disorders. If the dogs are acting ill, they should go to the veterinarian for further testing. I hope this information helps!

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