Dog Is Losing Muscle Fast

[Sam The Butcher]

I have a 3yrd old Roti/Shep mix. Within the past few months he has been losing weight, not eating much and very lathargic. Had his hips tested (fine). His whole body x-rayed (fine) He was tested for Lymes too (fine) Blood tests havent showed anything yet either. The Vet told me looks like something is attacking his muscles. This was a 100lb dog who now weighs 76lbs. He is going for a Muscle Biopsy tomorrow and I am just not sure what that tests for. I just have a real hard time watching this poor guy wither away and waiting to do tests day after day with no results.
Any advise would be appreicted

 

[Renee750il]

Ask your vet about referring you to a specialist, or if you're anywhere near a university with a veterinary hospital, get an appointment there. It's best if your vet will refer you since that not only gets you in sooner, it usually gets the attention of the right people.

Immediately, if not sooner, get your dog on a high quality feed. No chemicals, no hormones, no inorganic additives, only human grade ingredients.

It truth, I'd be sorely tempted to start feeding him organic table food, starting with just a few components that are unlikely to cause any allergic reactions and adding more one at a time, maybe once a week. Start with an organic meat. Normally I would say chicken but it's so difficult to find unadulterated chicken, so organic beef is probably your best bet. Beef hearts are a good source of high quality muscle meat. I cook them for my dogs periodically and freeze the broth for later feeding.

Go to www.greatdanelady.com and see if there is some information there that might be germane to the condition. You know the most about what's going on with your dog so you'll be best able to tell what's relevant and what's not.
Hopefully Serena will see this thread. She's bound to have more good advice. And TiggersDad should have something constructive to add, too.

Keep us posted on your guy. What's his name?

 

[Sam The Butcher]

Renee,

Thanks for the help. I've heard mixed reviews about the food he's on (Science Diet) dry. He came to a point where he just wasn't eating it at all. I'm wondering if his losing muscle is just from not eating. I hav since switched to the Science Diet in can form and his appetite seems to have increased. Oh before I forget his name is Simba, my pal. I live on Long Island New York and I am not sure if there are any Univeristies with Vet Hospitals. He came back from his Muscle Biopsy today and I wont know any results until Tues or Wednesday. I will keep you posted and thanks for your imput.

 

[Renee750il]

Well . . . I've heard Science Diet referred to as 'Science Die' by quite a few people who were very knowledgeable about nutrition. It's loaded with chemicals and hormones, not strictly from human grade ingredients . . .

In your part of the country there should be some specialists available to you, and surely one of the colleges or universities nearby has a veterinary college. Your vet should be able to tell you, and you could try doing a search on the net for vet colleges.

Keep me posted on Simba. Poor guy. When a dog like that starts losing muscle it's definitely something to worry about, even if it's only from not eating. I had a big GSD/Akita mix once who routinely dropped from his winter weight of around 108 pounds to about 85-90 in the heat of the summer, but he put it right back on as soon as the weather cooled down. I think 5 pounds of it was hair, though! (lol)

Do see if you can get some beef hearts for him. I braise them in some water with some unsalted bouillion and I've learned to cut them up into fairly small pieces before giving them to the dogs to keep them from scarfing them down too fast. Don't give him any kidneys or liver, though, since those are the organs that clean all the toxins out of the body. He doesn't need to eat anything like that, especially right now.

 

[Sam The Butcher]

Science Die huh? Whoa! Where I bring Simba to get groomed, the guy "shows" dogs and he said it's the worst food also. I'm gonna have to find a nutritionist or find another brand or something.
As far as the hearts go, I'm going to try to get to my butcher today and see what he has. So you are saying just to boil them with an unsalted bouillion, I'll try that too. It was really starnge, yesterday when I picked him up at the vet after his biopsy, he was like his old self. But it must have been the pain medication. Ok, well thanks again

 

[Renee750il]

Be sure to let us know what the biopsy turns up.

 

[Sam The Butcher]

Well I received Simba's biopsy results and nothing really pops out. Which we feared. My Vet said that if he had to make a diagnosis right now he would think that he has a mild case of Polymyositis. So he suggested that we go to a neurologist tomorrow hopefully point exactly what he has. If it this "Polymyositis" I have no idea what that is. Is it treatable, cureable, what is his quality of life? These are questions Im going to need to know. And what are the treatments. Uggghh, so frustrating. Well thank you for listening. I'll keep you updated.

 

[Sam The Butcher]

So last week Simba went through a battery of tests. He had an EMG, Ultrasound, Spinal Tap and yet another Muscle Biopsy on his head area. So far everything has come back Normal except I havent gotten the results of the "new" Biopsy. The Neurosurgeon (Internal Medicine) specialist that he saw put him on 10mg (1 1/2 tablets twice a day) of Prednisone. But question is, is Prednisone going to put "muscle" back on to his body? And how long does it take for the effects of Prednisone to take effect? Or is Prednisone being used just to maintain the weight and muscle that he now has? Thnx again

 

[Renee750il]

Well, Sam, I did some searches on polymyositis and didn't really turn up anything enlightening.

Prednisone is a relatively mild steroid. When I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis at 14, my treatment was a low dose of Mestinon, a brand name prednisone. It didn't seem to have the effects that the more well known, stronger steroids have. Myasthenia gravis is a disfunction of the transmission of impulses between the nerves and muscles, resulting in weakness, muscular exhaustion and resultant loss of muscular mass. I don't know if that helps any with understanding what may be going on with Simba, but at least it [hopefully] gives you some idea of why the vet may have prescribed the prednisone for Simba. Your vet should be glad to explain the treatment to you as well.

I'd really urge you to get his nutrition up to the highest level. Go to www.greatdanelady.com and read some of her research on nutrition and please, seriously consider following her advice. Vets don't learn much about dog nutrition, and most of what they learn is from the companies that sell them their highly profitable, poorly conceived products.

 

[pitforlife]

I have been going through the same thing with my dog for the past year I switched over to BARF- (raw) feeding and innova & timberwolf kibble . I went through 5 different specialist to the tune of $12k and no solid answers. my son got better for a little while and the past to days he is so weak he falls down and is having a hard time walking somewhat arthritic looking. to see a 90lb pit who comes from a sled pulling family like this is killing me.

The Neurologist said he has some neuro muscular disease . The Intermeds specialist said it could be some sort of coon hound syndrome. All and all it is making me sick to my stomach to see a dog not even 8 yrs old going through this.

Please contact me maybe we could trade notes to see if we can help our dogs.

PS the predisone is not a anabolic steroid it is a anti inflammatory steroid and will not put muscle growth on him. and extended use or the drug will cause kidney problems just like if you ate 8-10 Tylenol everyday.

 

[Renee750il]

Pit, that was an old, old thread

Miakoda is probably who you need to be talking to though.

 

[lizzybeth727]

Wow, this thread's five years old.

That's gotta be some kind of record.


Wonder what ever happened to Sam and Simba?

Pitforlife, I hope your guy gets better! Good luck!!