Dog starving

Question
Hello Jana. We have a Bullterrier cross, she is eleven. Approximately 2 months ago, the dog started getting very skinny, very skinny. She was eating properly but now is starting to eat less and less. I wouldn't think it is worms as the dog was dewormed recently. Probably a liver problem?

We live in Zambia and help is limited around here,

Thanks

Nico Chassing

Answer
Skinniness along with eating well and then stopping is generally a sign of something very serious such as cancer. Liver problems tend to manifest themselves with vomiting, lethargy, swelling in the belly.

Cancer tends to 'catabolize' the protein in the dog itself, such as eating away at the muscle proteins. It isn't the cancer eating the dog away, but the body trying to fight off the cancer and using all the protein resources it has.

Of course the only way to know for sure is have a vet check her and do some xrays. You can usually feel a mass in the body somewhere and if it isn't palpable it is usually way high up or in the kidneys or somewhere unreachable- although you can feel kidney masses from the belly area.

I am not a vet, I am a registered technician so I cannot diagnose this for you but you could re-post to one of the vet's in here and get their opinion on it. But in my 30 yrs experience this is almost always the case with symptoms like this. There are other wasting diseases of course and some regional that I have no knowledge of, but cancer is always the most common.

I know that isn't what you wanted to hear and I am sorry. 11 yrs is pretty old for a bullterrier x even.
I hope that isn't what it is and that you can turn this around. Please let me know if you do find out what it is and how she does.