Losing weight and hungry.

Dr. Marie replied:

Hi,

I am concerned about the symptoms that you have mentioned for Knock. The symptoms of weight loss, loose stools and a possible mass in the abdomen certainly do sound like cancer. It is hard to tell though without doing further tests such as xrays or maybe an ultrasound.

It sounds like your vet is concerned about severe inflammatory bowel disease and is doing all of the right treatments. However, it is often hard to tell the difference between inflammatory bowel conditions and cancerous conditions of the bowel.

Has Knock had any blood tests done recently? A pancreas condition could cause similar symptoms. You could ask your vet about the possibility of something called EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). This is much more common in German Shepherds though and is really a long shot. EPI is treatable but is expensive to treat.

It's hard to know how to advise from here. The best advice I can give is to trust the advice of your vet. If she says that things do not look good then it may be time to consider euthanasia.

Please let me know if you have more questions.

Dr. Marie


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Dr. Marie replied:

When I see a dog who is eating ravenously, losing weight and having loose stools then one of the possible causes is that the intestines are not absorbing the nutrients properly. So, food goes in, doesn't get processed properly and causes diarrhea. Because the nutrients aren't being absorbed, the dog feels like they are constantly hungry.

There are some cancers that can cause the intestines to not absorb properly. Again, some forms of inflammatory bowel disease can do this too.

The symptoms don't match a foreign object such as a rawhide. It really shouldn't cause his appetite to increase. You would also expect to see some vomiting.

Regarding flax seed oil and cottage cheese, there is probably no harm in adding these in small amounts to Knock's diet. The omega 3 in the flax seed can have some health benefits but it's not going to be a miracle cancer-cure.

Dr. Marie.