Accepted Answer

Thank you for the additional information. I am worried that your dog is not wanting to eat or drink normally for you, and am concerned that maybe there is an illness present that is contributing to her symptoms. Things like diabetes, kidney disease, cancer or hypothyroidism are just a few of the illnesses that an older dog can face. Typical symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, increased water consumption, increased urination, dehydration,weakness, weight loss, muscle wasting, poor hair coat, changes in appetite, changes in behavior and increased vocalizations. While I am not suggesting extreme money be spent on diagnostics, some basic blood tests could reveal an illness that might be able to be managed with some simple treatments or medicines. The goal here is quality of life for your dog, regardless of how much time she has left. Since she has trouble getting up to defecate and is not wanting to eat or drink, several important items that make up quality of life are severely lacking. Steps should be taken wherever possible to address these issues. You have several options at this point. You can consider having some blood tests run and try to manage any abnormalities, or you can keep your dog as comfortable as possible until her quality of life is not maintainable. I suspect that her ribcage is more visible because she has lost weight, and this could be due to illness. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. If this has been helpful, please hit the green accept button. Best of luck with your baby girl, I hope she has some good quality time with your family :)

Expert:	ERAnimalNurse
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	10/30/2009

Emergency Critical Care Nurse

16+ years of veterinary experience