[hhaider]

Breed: Miniature Schnauzer
Age: 7 months
Gender: Male

I'm pretty worried about this little puppy. He's 7 months and the runt of the litter his mom bore. His 4 siblings are all about 4 times his size. As far as we can tell this has been since birth. He was actually not the smallest puppy, but his sister soon outgrow him. He may have been sick when this started but that was after he left us and after he was off milk. He eats okay but he doesn't drink water. We gave all but the one girl away to friends. Now this one's come back from our friend for a week or two in the hope that being w/his mom and sister who drink normally might help him.

Consequently he is tiny, his coat is dry and coarse. Also, he seems quite hyperactive. Can't get him to sit still. His paws are oversized now for his body.

I'm an American living in Seoul, so there is the language barrier for me when we take him to the vet. We took him to a vet here in South Korea who, as far as I can tell from the translation, said he has a thyroid and renal problem. They did a couple expensive blood tests. The stuff I can find online seems to suggest thyroid and renal problems would be most often suggested by weight GAIN or drinking TOO MUCH water, though, so that doesn't seem to make sense to me. He also said there were no drugs or treatments for the problem the puppy has.

Any light you can shed on this would be really appreciated.

[froggy7]

It sounds like a thyroid problem to me. If that's it, you can treat it be giving supplemental thyroid hormones. However, if it is combined with renal problems, you may just be delaying the inevitable. Can you find another vet, or have a friend who is fluent in Korean go with to interpret for you?