Hi everyone. I have been highly concerned about my (what we believe is a Chow/Doberman/Shepard) mix. She is 10, going on 11 years old. She is overweight, and has been for awhile. Recently, she has been scratching excessively (what we believe is triggered due to allergies, she does it every year around this time) and has been taking benadryl at times for this. This seems to help, but along with the scratching, her appitite, which is usually healthy, isn't. She is noticeably losing weight. She refuses to eat her dog food, only eating about a half a bowl in the afternoons, if that. She is whining and panting. She has been weezing off and on at times. The panting is somewhat due to the heat we are expirencing here, but she does stay inside in the air conditioning. She rolls on her belly any time you pet or talk to her, like it may be a stomach problem. We have ruled out that it as a dental problem, because she will eat her dog biscuits which are as hard as her dog food is. We have tried putting a little veg. oil in her food, which has helped, but not tremendously. We have given her a bath with oatmeal shampoo and have given her proper dosages of benadryl for her scratching. The bath didn't help much. The benadryl has, but we don't want to give it to her too much. She also has an odd odor. These problems have persisted for about 2 1/2 weeks. Does anyone have any idea what could be going on with her? Any ideas on what to do for it? We are thinking of taking her to a vet, but it upsets her horribly, so we are trying to help as much as we can at home. My apologies for the length of this post, and any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I am afraid she may have to endure going to the vet. There are so many things it could be, it is the only way. Don't put it off, she could take a turn for the worse over the weekend.

I feel so sorry for your dog. She must be in so much pain. I would take her to the vet right away before something terrible happens to her. If you wait
It may be too late.

Hi,
I am sorry to hear about her. My wife and I lost our 12 yrs old poodle-terrior mixed breed housedog Jan. 29. She passed away in our home. She was like one of the family, and is really, really missed.
After having blood testing with a good Vet, found out she had low red blood count, and enlarged spleen (from an X-Ray), and possible cancer.
I sincerely hope nothing this severe is wrong with your dog. The only way you can be sure of the issue is to take her to a Vet. I wouldn't wait any longer. I know she is worth the money for Vet, and he/she might want to run some tests on her. It is for her own good, and even though she doesn't like to even come close to a Vet's place, you need to do it. I do wish you and her the very best of luck.