My 7 year old neutered Miniature Schnauzer has been slowly loosing hair for a few years and he’s beginning to look hairless when shaved. His pits are completely bald, and his chest, neck and the stripe down his back are thinnest places. He has a lot of extra skin that is very thin.
He’s also been loosing muscle mass for the past year, mostly around his neck. He lost a full inch in collar size in 3 months, and over the course of a year has lost 3 inches total. His masticular (jaw) muscles are also wasting and you can feel the bones in his face too well. There is nothing between his shoulder blades except skin. He’s loosing muscle everywhere else also, and if I feed him more, he gets fat around the waste, but still doesn’t gain muscle.
He gets a lot of exercise and is fed an evolutionary grain free high protein diet of dry form and is the fastest dog I’ve ever seen at the dog park. He has a ton of energy and rather acts like a puppy even after long walks, but his muscle and hair loss continue.
He has tested NEGATIVE for Cushings (low dex suppression test), hypo/hyperthyroidism, Addisons, Diabetes, and is allergic to grains (hence the grain free diet). I don’t think he has polymyositis because he eats and drinks just fine and has no problems opening his mouth.
He’s had comprehensive urinalysis and blood work which showed elevated liver enzymes. He was given a shot for that but no cause was found. The vet thinks he’s fine, but he’s not because he gets more and more scrawny each month. He’s even receiving a daily multivitamin supplement in addition to his food (He is fed Innova Evo Reduced Fat and similar foods.). What could be wrong with him? Since my vet isn’t too helpful, do I need a specialist? If so what kind?
MATURE, EDUCATED ANSWERS ONLY PLEASE!!
I take this issue seriously and am concerned for the health of my dog.
If you’re going to tell me food is the problem read this:
He was slowing down and appeared to be aging when fed foods like Purina One, Pro Plan, Beneful, etc. He was allergic to grains also. When I discovered REAL dog food, I switched him to foods like Innova Evo Reduced Fat, Blue Wilderness, etc and now he has the energy and speed that he had when he was about 1 year old. The food switch took place 6 months ago and has drastically improved his vigor, but has done nothing to stop the hair and muscle loss. Therefore, food is not the problem. He’s not fat either.
