by Darla C
(W Lafayette, IN)
Question
My 11 year old Yorkie has allergies and recently has a loss of weight and hair.
Continual biting of her feet and scratching. She has lost about 3 lbs over the last 6 months.
Vets state she is just loosing weight due to her allergies. she has fair appetite, but since she is beginning to show signs of kidney failure just the beginnings, she is on special food for this. She does not like, I try to put a little chicken broth or some chicken on food to get her to eat but she eats little.
Does anyone else have an older Yorkie that is loosing weight and allergies.?
Is this normal, is there anything we can do to help her gain weight?
She seems to have a lot of spirit, loves to go for walks, but tires easily. She is always ready for a car ride.
Any suggestions?
My Yorkie is Spice and she is the Spice of my life.
Answer
I am afraid this is something I might not be able to help with, our yorkie has never experienced any allergies or problems to this effect.
If she has allergies I am just wondering if the vet can give her anything to help with the allergies especially if he says that this is the cause for her weight loss.
For yorkie allergies one of the things I would recommend is a change of diet, however if your vet has put her on a special diet due to the kidney failure signs I hesitate to give any other dietary advice.
Please if anyone has any experience with the problems being faced tell us and let’s see if we can help this yorkie!
Helping your baby
I feel for you………… If your baby is in early stages of Kidney failure, it is urgent that your baby get the care it needs quick. Meaning, IV fluids (everyday) under the skin depending on her weight but usually 100 cc’s. You can do this, the vet will show you how. Also Hills KD (call Hills for coupons) makes the can and the dry kibble. There are recipes out there for dogs in kidney failure but be sure to ask your vet., if he has any on hand. When transitioning with the wet food add some rice to prevent loose stool’s.
My precious baby died from kidney failure only 1 month ago. My heart hurts………….. I miss her so much……… The weight loss happens quick and hair too, you have good reason to be concerned. The allergies are adding and are bothersome but the kidney disease needs to be addressed more aggressively. Did your vet do a complete study of blood work, urine and stool sample. This is so important and if not please get a complete Blood Study (blood work) and urine sample. No sodium in the diet, Never! However, milligrams that is in the Frosty Mini wheat’s and Gerber baby food is OK! Frosted mini wheat’s flavored are a great snack and fine for dogs in kidney failure. Also, try Gerber’s baby veal (stage 2)1/2 a jar per serving, is great to smear over Hills KD food or over rice. This gets the appetite going. The IV fluids have potassium in it, so it helps them feel good and the appetite gets better and they feel better. It also keeps the kidney’s flushing……. Also, I would crush half of a tum mint flavored into my babies food (phosphorus binder) cuts down on the acid that kidney disease creates in the stomach. You can do this, trust me it’s just emotionally taxing to see your baby like this. Ask me any questions you may have. I extended my precious baby’s life. I hope this helps…….
Allergies
My yorkie has allergies as well. One vet told me to keep her on chicken & rice diet and she continued to get sicker – not eating and getting terrible sores & welts. They told me there was nothing else they could do for her except put her steroids.
I finally took her to a new vet who actually did allergy testing (thru the Mayo Clinic). She was allergic to both chicken & rice as well as soy, pork & eggs. Within weeks of my removing those items from her diet ( now I cook for her every day) she got well. That was about four years ago – she just turned 10. I rotate a diet of chopped beef, veal & lamb with either pastina, shredded potatoe or corn. I occassionally add in chopped carrots or shredded cheese. It’s really important to rotate the diet and not let them eat the same thing for several days.
Alot of treats are made with chicken and soy but I’ve found a few that are not.
Hope this is helpful!
Home Remedy for Yorkies Losing Weight and Hair
I certainly feel for you. Our Yorkie, Zoey, is 14 years old and she was losing weight, suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, hip problems, bladder leaks, cartacts and most of all she hates the kidney friendly food.
Four months ago it looked like Zoey was just days away from death. The vet suggested putting her down.
We began to search the internet for alternatives. Now after 4 months Zoey is putting on weight and is becoming a bit more active and her diarrhea and bladder problems are gone. She’ll never be a puppy again but she is enjoying life right now.
What we did was a combination of suggestions we found on-line.
Although Zoey didn’t show signs of pain, she has really perked up since we started giving her one doggie aspirin a day.
For her weight loss, we started by giving her warm milk using a oral medicine hypo. As she began to perk up we added coddled eggs to the warm milk. Her strength and appetite began to improve. Since she couldn’t handle kibble we tried several different canned dog foods. What worked really well, was PAWS canned dog food, not in gravy. She chows it down and has gained 1-1/2 pounds in 4 months.
We found that Zoey was having some really bad smelling gas attacks. We found that by giving her a small dose of Pepto Bismol everytime she had gas, her diarrhea stopped.
We not sure how this happened but, her bladder problems stopped too, thank goodness!
Don’t get me wrong Zoey is still an old dog and her cataracts are getting worse but, she is compensating. The vet says that most likely she would not survive a cataract surgery. So, we leave a light on all night outside her dog door and God bless her she still manages to get out to go potty.
Yes, she still has hip problems but the aspirin is helping and she is still getting around. Overall she is a happy dog that is enjoying eating, her favorite past time.
Best of luck to you 🙂
My Dusty a Yorkie full size just passed this Saturday no reason ate his diner drank some water went for his walk came in lied on couch and was gone within 5 minutes he was 14 years old no medical problems always get shots to the vet yearly for checkups groomed often I am heart broken I am a 76 year old women without my beloved pet and no answers called vet he thinks heart or stroke I am thinking kidneys but would I not have some signs any ideas to ease this old women broken heart would help pleasek
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