Jump to content
BC Boards

Weight loss after neutering


Recommended Posts

Our 11 month old was neutered a month ago and all went well. I read that you have to watch weight afterwards and adjust food if necessary to stop them gaining weight but we haven’t reduced his food. He did have a bout of diarrhea two weeks ago but after a one day fast and then light meals for a day (under vet guidance) he was soon back to normal. 

However, when we weighed him today we were surprised that his weight has plummeted. He’s back to the weight he was at nine months old!  He also seems happy for an even quieter life than normal. 

We will of course seek vet advice but has anyone else experienced weight LOSS with their pup after neutering! He was weighed at the time of the op and was still in a steady weight incline at that time. 

He gets fed a good quality kibble (about 900 calories) and his training snacks are liver and cheese and home made dog biscuits. Probably another 200 calories in those. He does about an hour of exercise a day and either potters about or rests for quite a bit of the day so that calorie intake appears to be about right. 

TIA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First thought is that I'd ask my vet about it before looking elsewhere for advice. Many dogs will require less food as they mature rather than more, unless there's also been a significant increase in activity level.

There are a number of things that could be leading to unexplained weight loss, such as certain parasites, thyroid imbalance, cancer, liver disease to name a few. Plummeting weight isn't something that should be ignored. And his seeming "happy for an even quieter life than normal" could be a medical symptom or maturity or, IMO least likely the result of lowered hormones post-neutering. Or it could be a symptom of not getting enough to eat; insufficient input results in lowered energy.

Second is that I don't worry about calories or recommended portions of food. I pay attention to my dogs' body conditions and adjust accordingly to achieve and maintain the desired result. I judge this by paying attention to the feel of their ribs, spine and hips. Since I'm petting them every day and paying attention to their condition, it's a constant and immediate gauge of when they need more or less food.

So, yeah, call your vet ASAP and (not meaning to be snarky) pay attention to what's going on with your dog before it becomes an issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you @GentleLake and I didn’t take it as snarky at all :)

i did go through this with him several months back and had him vet checked and their conclusion then was to feed him more - which I have. He’s also been wormed. 

I also mentioned the energy level at time of neutering and they did Blood work and heart checks and all ok. 

I will certainly have vet check him again but it’s weird that most people complain of weight gain after neutering - not such a dramatic weight loss - so that threw me. 

I can definitely feel his ribs through his thick coat but whenever I have asked the vet if he’s too thin they have said no.

i’ll let You know what they conclude :) 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every dog's an individual, and even one dog's needs can change at different periods in their lives. I've had a couple of dogs whose metabolisms changed fairly quickly with no medical issues and I had to start feeding either less or more to accommodate for it.

I hope that's all this is with your guy.

You may just be able to call your vet to see if s/he's concerned enough to take him in. S/he may just advise upping his food to see if that makes a difference.

Oh, I don't know what your worming protocol was but another thing to consider is that some parasites need more than one round of worming to eliminate. With the exception of fresh ground pumpkin seeds or diatomaceous earth, I don't use chemical wormers unless there's been an intractable infestation with confirmation through fecal samples.  You could probably take a sample in without an office visit. And remember, not all the worms shed eggs all the time so sometimes repeat samples are necessary.

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, GentleLake said:

Every dog's an individual, and even one dog's needs can change at different periods in their lives. I've had a couple of dogs chose metabolisms changed fairly quickly with no medical issues and I had to start feeding either less or more to accommodate for it.

I hope that's all this is with your guy.

You may just be able to call your vet to see if s/he's concerned enough to take him in. S/he may just advise upping his food to see if that makes a difference.

Oh, I don't know what your worming protocol was but another thing to consider is that some parasites need more than one round of worming to eliminate. With the exception of fresh ground pumpkin seeds or diatomaceous earth, I don't use chemical wormers unless there's been an intractable infestation with confirmation through fecal samples.  You could probably take a sample in without an office visit. And remember, not all the worms shed eggs all the time so sometimes repeat samples are necessary.

Good luck.

Thank you :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...