[MacySantos]

I rescued a mini pincher off the streets last Jan. 1 2009. I have no idea how old she is. She has been visiting the vet for some health issues and now rapidly losing weight. I really need to know.

[Wondergirl]

The vet should be able to give you a guesstimate based on her teeth and probably some other clues. Is this the same vet who saw her after you rescued her?

[Alty]

Her age isn't nearly as important as the reason for her rapid weight loss. What tests has the vet done, what treatment is being given for this?

As WG said, the vet should be able to give a fairly accurate guess of her age based on her teeth, her bones, etc. Having said that it also depends on how long she lived on the street. The guess of her age may be off if she lived on the street a long time. Sadly getting the proper nutrition living on the streets, is not possible, and nutrition can affect teeth, bones, and overall well being.

I also have to ask because I'm a bit confused. You said you rescued her last January, but then posted the rescue date as January 1, 2009. That's 6 years ago. So we know she's at least 6 years old. Was she a puppy when you found her?

[DoulaLC]

Has she been seeing the same vet at each visit? What did your vet put down on her chart for approximate age? That's often one of the first items that will be determined during the initial visit since it can play a role in future tests, suspected medical conditions, etc..

[MacySantos]

Her age isn't nearly as important as the reason for her rapid weight loss. What tests has the vet done, what treatment is being given for this?

As WG said, the vet should be able to give a fairly accurate guess of her age based on her teeth, her bones, etc. Having said that it also depends on how long she lived on the street. The guess of her age may be off if she lived on the street a long time. Sadly getting the proper nutrition living on the streets, is not possible, and nutrition can affect teeth, bones, and overall well being.

I also have to ask because I'm a bit confused. You said you rescued her last January, but then posted the rescue date as January 1, 2009. That's 6 years ago. So we know she's at least 6 years old. Was she a puppy when you found her?

Yes, Cheuy is under my care for 6 years now and she has not been on the streets for long . Found her on New Year's day 2009 probably she got so scared from the fireworks and ran away. The vet just estimated that she is a senior probably between 8 to 10 years old. I've been feeding her dry dog food since then- no scraps even if I have to spend more for my pets' food than my family of 7. The reason I took her to the vet is her low appetite and her constant shaking. This is what the vet told me she is anemic, liver and kidney are on a degenerative condition and prescribed Liver52, Kidney care, L-Cvit for appetite, doxicyclin for a week, Sangobion Iron supplement, dextrose powder and liquid silver for added support. The food was changed to Science Diet for kidney which she ate for only a week or 2. Aside from that I also fed her broiled chicken liver but now it's been 2 weeks that she eats less and for 3 days she hardly eaten anything. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow.

[Alty]

Was an x-ray or ultrasound ever done?

[Lucky098]

Age is typically determined from teeth wear and tear and tarter build up. But just like people, some animals have HIDEOUS teeth starting at 6 months of age, where others have gorgerous teeth until they day they die of old age. So determining age is a guessing game.

Rapid weightloss can mean diabetes or kidney/liver disease. These diseases have no age limitations

[MacySantos]

UPDATE: Cheuy the rescued mini pincher died last Feb. 7 due to kidney failure. She was at the vet's hospital and was confined again and had several seizures. She was diagnosed with severe anemia, kidney failure and liver problem. Vets believed she was between 9 to 12 years of age. This is a devastating moment for me since last month I lost my oldest dog at 17 years old due to trauma. I haven't grieve as much as I need too I am still in denial, can't get to the garage where my dogs stayed and now became too cold for my still living Dachshund which is also a rescued. Sometimes I caught myself calling out their names only to realized that they are gone forever...it is really a struggle for me.

[Alty]

I'm so very sorry for you loss. It's never easy to lose a family member, and they're very much a part of our family.

I can't say that the pain will ever fully go away, but it will get better, I promise you.