HELP! Why is my dog is losing too much weight!? And how do I get her healthy again!? :_(?

Question

My 2 yr old Chihuahua Hollyday is a very small dog, according to the vet, 1.5 lbs would be about right for her tiny frame.

She recently got checked for heart worms, several blood tests and an x-ray. Her blood returned an early detected blood parasite (from a tick in her ear from my former room mates dog, even though she gets a flee drop every month). The parasite tested level 1.5 out of 6 about 3 weeks ago. She's been on antibiotics since. X-ray shows a slightly enlarged heart, but the doc said not to worry about that? She did have a light seizure once, a few months ago.

Her appetite and behaviour has been very normal and consistent (energetic, cuddly and her temperament is not affected whatsoever). She's always been healthy, even her respiratory system is strong.

However, she started losing a lot of weight 2 weeks before antibiotics and was a measly 1lbs. Since then she's gone down to 0.8lbs!

The vet doesn't know what else to test for and if she loses more weight she'll die :_(

UPDATE!

Thanks to all of you who took the effort to answer and wish us well.

The day after posting I woke up and noticed she wasn't moving. I rushed her to the clinic as she was about to go into a coma. The vet said any minute could've been her last... :_(

Unfortunately here in the Philippines there arn't many pet clinics to choose from. Thank God my vet has become a good friend and developed a special love for my baby girl. He rushed in and saved her life. A lot of test had been done over time (he can't withdraw enough blood at once 'cause she's so tiny) but it looks like she has some sort of hormonal imbalance that's causing her liver to not function well and may be the cause for her irregular heart beat. Holly was confined for three days and when I picked her up she was almost as good as new :D She gained a few ounces and it looks like she's going to be fine. I'll just have to bring her back in a few days to see if the liver function and heart condition are improving :D

Answer 1

You are obviously a loving caring dog owner.

You need to get a 2nd opinion very very quickly. Take time off work, what ever it takes.

Ask your vet quite openly for all the copies of the test results and treatments and tell him/her you want a second opinion.

Have you got a big animal hospital (like Vet University Hospital or so) within driving distance, where they can run more tests and have better equipment?

I really keep my fingers and toes crossed for you!

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Answer 2

try giving her pasta or rice to put on the weight mixed with her dog food also ask the vet for Nutrical. Nutrical is a type of vitamin and I use it on all my chis for safety as they are known for having hypoglycemia.
I hate to say it but a lot of these really small chis don't live past 2-3 years the enlarged heart and seizures is very common in these very small chis and is often the cause of the early death.
Some vets are not use to these really small dogs and don't know much about them a heart that isn't that enlarged in a larger dog wouldn't be serious but the little dogs can be VERY dangerous.
Good Luck

Answer 3

get another vet's opinion. Maybe yours is missing something? If a vet can't find it, I wish you luck finding the answer anywhere. Weight loss, as you seem to know already, is serious. Delay could kill your friend, so I'd suggest setting an appointment with a different vet, after asking around my neighborhood for recommendations as to a good one, and doing all this asap. Good luck, hope doggy does well.

Answer 4

my sister has a teacup chihuahua named gardenia. odd little thing. she eats regular dog chow but the kibble is so large she only eats two or three pieces per meal. i looked up a recipe that is used to make dogs gain weight quickly in animal shelters when they are rescued malnourished.

10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
1 lg. box of Total cereal
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil
1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs AND shells
10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt

obviously you would want to cut the recipe down for your purposes, but with the amount of carbs in there she should put on some weight quickly. i would recommend leaving out the egg shells though, larger dogs can digest these. a chihuahua probably can't. after she gains the weight back switch her to a "complete nutrition" formula. purina has an excellent one with multi vitamins.

good luck with Hollyday, i hope she does alright.

Answer 5

God Bless! I'm glad to hear she's doing better.

I also have a small Chihuahua that is on the skinny side and doesn't seems to gain weight. My vet says she's fine also.

Answer 6

for sure extra workout (duh) yet it is not continuously sensible...rather interior the wintry climate... attempt this, it worked for me. initiate feeding a decrease calorie foodstuff if achievable and decrease the element length in basic terms slightly. If the canines starts to lose some weight, gradually, you comprehend you're on the stunning song. If each and every week or so is going with the help of devoid of progression, decrease the foodstuff element slightly extra. finally you will feed him an quantity which will enable him to burn extra energy than he consumes and then he will drop some weight. whilst he gets to the burden that he could be, you will have the skill to easily experience his ribs and notice a "waist " advance in the direction of his back legs. whilst he gets the place you elect him, up his foodstuff quantity in basic terms slightly to help him safeguard the burden devoid of gaining or dropping. it incredibly is going to take slightly experimentation yet you're able to do it.

Answer 7

Take her to the animal hospital for 2nd opinion! That's the best things you could do! Wish you good luck and to her too!

Answer 8

Go to another vet. It sounds like heartworm. I don't know what your vet is thinking.
Very Soon

Answer 9

Feed her healthy food but not to much

Answer 10

Ask if a different antibiotic is in order. Some intestinal bacteria have adapted to normal antibiotics.