Water and exercise, how do i find the balance between enough and too much?

Kash

I have two dogs, one of whom is getting on in years (11) and starting to show it in decreased activity, less spring in her step, stiff in the mornings etc. She had her annual check up at the vet last week and is to go back on Monday to have bloods taken as she has had increased thirst and is showing signs of arthritis - vet wants to check bloods before prescribing anything.

However, the vet did say she was overweight and needs to drop 5kg. We're switching to low calorie food, and it's easy to know how much to give her. But I'm not sure how much water to offer/allow or how much exercise to do.

With 3 pets, we've always had a 'water always available' ethos, but with her increased thirst, she will drink water until it is gone - her bowl fits approx 1.5 litres and she'll could finish that in one sitting, and thenspew up some or all of it again. We've been trying smaller amounts (half a litre at a time, spaced out regularly) but she's always on the look out for more, and the other dog is suffering as a result as the water isn't always there when she wants it. Any ideas of how to manage water intake? Or what a 45kg dog needs?

Then there is the exercise. Like any dog, she will stay plodding along, but the extra weight is clearly slowing her down - instead of walking beside me, or roaming ahead, she gets left behind. We live up a mountain, so the roads aren't exactly easy for anyone - and she flat out refuses some hills. I've been limiting her to 20-30 minute walks, but have no idea if it is too much or too little.

I did ask the vet both questions, but they weren't much help other than suggesting not allowing free access to water.

DBB

Honestly? I wouldn't be inclined to try to address the above issues until you have the results of the blood tests. They could be a game-changer in terms of how she needs to be managed from now on.
I would not curtail her water either... If she needs it, she needs it. Why so much? Again, the bloods will tell you if there's an underlying issue which makes her seriously thirsty, or if it's just the hot weather.
The upper limit of the normal range for water intake is surprisingly high... My own vet goes with an upper limit of 800ml/10kg for a healthy dog, so by her standards your dog can drink over 3L of water per day and still be within the normal range... But again, those bloods will tell you what you need to know before deciding on how to manage her in the longer-term.

cocker5

OP –Just a few bits of advice on the stiffness and feeding.

Have you considered supplements for your dog? Obliviously losing some weight will help your dog’s stiffness etc.

My 11 year old is on supplements for the past few years and he is in great shape.

You should look into Luposan Pellets, Salmon Oil and Turmeric paste - these will help with the stiffness hugely OP. and also its great for their coat and general wellbeing also

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/dogs/supplements_specialty_food/bones_joints/luposan/129097

http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/supplements_specialty_cat_food/fur_skin_supplements/127318

http://www.holistichound.ie/#!product/prd1/3892350021/golden-paste

On the weight loss – you should substitute all his teats for veg / peppers / carrots etc.… great for helping them feel full with a lot less calories.

Hope the blood tests come back ok!

Kash

DBB wrote: »

Honestly? I wouldn't be inclined to try to address the above issues until you have the results of the blood tests.

You are right of course, we're stuck when we don't know what it is - increased thirst can indicate so many things. The desire to know more about the controllable aspects is rooted in not knowing enough about the others. I'm worried and looking for a way to be useful in the meantime, I guess. Hopefully, i'll know more Tuesday, and it will be something we can remedy.

DBB wrote: »

My own vet goes with an upper limit of 800ml/kg for a healthy dog, so by her standards your dog can drink over 3L of water per day and still be within the normal range...

I assume that's an extra 0 typo

cocker5 wrote: »

Have you considered supplements for your dog?

Not at all. I'll look into them once we get the results back/medication prescribed in case there are any considerations to make. Glad to hear they help though!

cocker5 wrote: »

On the weight loss – you should substitute all his teats for veg / peppers / carrots etc.… great for helping them feel full with a lot less calories.

Hope the blood tests come back ok!

She would sooner starve. She's a stubborn old thing And thank you.

DBB

Kash wrote: »

You are right of course, we're stuck when we don't know what it is - increased thirst can indicate so many things. The desire to know more about the controllable aspects is rooted in not knowing enough about the others. I'm worried and looking for a way to be useful in the meantime, I guess. Hopefully, i'll know more Tuesday, and it will be something we can remedy.

Completely understandable. But probably best to do nowt til you know more

I assume that's an extra 0 typo

Jeepers! I meant to write 800ml/10kg
I'd better edit that now

Kash

Bloods taken - immediate glucose test came back normal, so we're just waiting for the others to come back now. She has dropped a 1.5kg since last weighed, so the vet was mildly concerned that it was related to something medical, rather than simply stopping her from begging for treats at the neighbours!

cocker5

Kash wrote: »

Bloods taken - immediate glucose test came back normal, so we're just waiting for the others to come back now. She has dropped a 1.5kg since last weighed, so the vet was mildly concerned that it was related to something medical, rather than simply stopping her from begging for treats at the neighbours!

Hope everything else comes back ok OP X

Kash

So, more tests needed to determine whether it is liver disease or Cushings disease. The vet is leaning more towards Cushings (the increased thirst, lethargy and a new pot-belly all point towards that - her liver results are only slightly raised). Unfortunately, it's not a straightforward test to figure it out - they need to inject her with something and test her system's reaction to it. If anyone has any experience of Cushings, i'd love to hear it.

DBB

Any sign of symmetrical hair thinning on her sides?
I had a fair idea that Cushing's was a strong possibility given what you described
The test takes a few hours... It tests adrenal gland function at "ground zero", then adrenal steroids are injected into the bloodstream to see how the adrenal glands cope. It's not necessarily a sure-fire diagnosis, but it's pretty good.
Prognosis is pretty mixed I think... I know one lady who kept her Cushing's terrier going for years after diagnosis. One thing I have found with my limited experience of the condition is that the dogs seemed to have pretty grumpy spells. Now, I must point out that they were all rescue dogs.. Maybe they'd always had grumpy spells , but it has been something I've noticed in the 4 or so Cushing's dogs that I've cared for. It'll be interesting to see if others have found the same or not!