Tikva's weight has fluctuated over the years, but mainly hovers between 7 and 7.2kg. Both Ram and I prefer dogs to be on the lean side, so if her weight starts going up I cut the meat amount of her food down a little. He does not want her to weigh more than 7.5kg whereas I prefer Tikva to be a little lighter. He weighs her every three months when he comes to give her the Parkworm shot, Bravecto, and when they are due, the Drontal wormer [6 monthly] and her yearly booster. He also does her nails each time. She is slender, but she has always been on the slim side, and she has been wearing the same size harness [XS] for years now. Last year she started gaining a bit and in September she had gone up to 7.5kg so it was diet time again, and by December she was down to 7kg. I have not changed the amount of food she has since then but when Ram came this afternoon she had lost more weight and had gone down to 6.6kg. He checked her thoroughly, said she is not underweight or too thin, and from the way she rushes around there is obviously nothing wrong with her, but did say that he does not want her to lose any more. She is happy with the amount of food she has and never asks for more, and Ram is happy with the supplements I give her, but I am still a bit concerned as at nearly 10-years-old she does not weigh much more than she did when she was 6 months old, which was the 6kg he wanted her to be so he could spay her. Am I just worrying for nothing?
If you dropped her food in September and she started losing weight and you haven't increased her food since, then it sounds like the quantity is just a bit low for maintenance. In that case, I'd increase it very slightly. If you did slightly increase it in December after the weight loss, then I would be slightly more concerned. But it could just be her body changing a bit as she gets older. While most of us put on weight as we age, there are those who struggle to keep enough weight on. I would keep a physical watch on her over the next month and if it looks like she may be losing more weight, I'd try a small increase in her food. I won't say you are worrying for nothing - because she's your love so of course you are worried. But it may not mean anything serious and an adjustment to food levels will resolve it.
Because I only dropped her meat down by about 5gm [she had the same amount of vegetables], once she was back to 7kg I was not quite so fussy about weighing the amount, so she definitely had enough. She has approximately 95-100gm of raw chicken neck pieces for her first meal, and 45-50gm of raw meat [usually turkey heart] with a load of veggies for her evening meal. About twice a week she has turkey liver, and a raw egg also about twice a week. And when I have bought bananas, it is half for me, half for her! She is the same size and shape that she has been for years, and although you can feel her ribs and spine when running your hand over her, which Ram said you should be able to, they are not visible. This picture was taken when she was three-years-old, and shows her shape - the only difference is that she is a bit broader and deeper in the chest now, so her tuck looks higher now. Same size harness but now the chest strap is looser to compensate, and checking back on her records, she weighed 6.5kg then. She has also got a light sprinkling of white at the sides of her snout, and her front paws look like she is wearing socks! I guess I am worrying for nothing...
It's never worrying for nothing. It's worrying because we love them. And it is far better to notice and pay attention to weight changes than to be oblivious. I would just watch her and if she looks like she is still losing weight give Ram a call. But I would see this as more of an age change in metabolism/body if she stabilizes.
