I thought the same. 3# on a 60# dog is not insignificant, especially if you are actively trying to increase weight.
I would be running some bloodwork now.
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IMO that is a huge amount of food for a dog that size especially if she is still losing weight. I have a retired female foxhound. She is almost 10 years old. She is a couch potato now. Might trot around the back yard a time or two. She weighs about 62 pounds.
I figure since she is also a hound breed and similar size she would be a good comparison. Kerplunk gets half a can of wet food and just shy of 2 cups of dry 4Health dry food (not grain free) a day split between 2 meals. She eats about 800 calories based on the brands and amounts I feed her. In comparison your food is 1430 for 3.5 cups.
My lab who is 76 pounds gets about 501 calories but labs are the easy keepers of the dog world.
I would strongly consider some diagnostics.
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We didn’t do blood work because other than being underweight (and the ear infection), he feels that she looks good. Her coat is in good shape, she doesn’t look dull, she’s alert and appears happy. She doesn’t have a renal patient/liver patient look to her.
If the increase in food doesn’t help, then we’ll consider further testing. She’s been eating the increase in food without any problems. I’ll take her back for a weight check in a few weeks and we’ll see where she is at. She was 55# when I brought her home, so though her weight is down from her highest weight last year, she’s still above her lowest weight.
The amount of food she is eating isn’t lost on me – I have a great dane mix who is a solid 35# heavier than her who eats less.
I think I would look to get her more food with more protein. It sounds like she’s not getting all the nutrition she needs out of what she is eating. Be very careful with adding more fat. Pancreatitis is not fun. But if she likes fish, maybe try adding some canned salmon. Or canned mackerel is very inexpensive if you can find it. My girls love sardines and tuna, too. It’s funny, they don’t like dry dog food made from fish, but “pure” fish they go crazy for. They love fish taco night because they get the leftovers!
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Last year I lost a two year old cat to Leukemia. The only sign was inability to keep weight on her despite being fed a robust amount. Glossy coat, playful, bright eyes, etc. The vet shrugged off bloodwork at her annual and I brought her back in a few months later and insisted. We let her go that same day because her bloodwork was truly horrific and the vet felt that she had days at best and I didn’t want her crashing after hours. I don’t know if I would have put a cat through chemo but you can damn well bet I have beat myself up every day since for not insisting on bloodwork three months earlier when she started dropping weight.
If money is a concern, you probably have a low cost clinic in your area that at a minimum can rub a CBC.
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You most definitely should do bloodwork. You can just have the bloodwork done and have the vet call you.
I would seriously reconsider the vet you use and look for a new one. Doing bloodwork should have been the 1st thing the vet looked at.
Give the dog more food. Let it soak in water before it’s served and up the amount.
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Maybe get a second opinion? If she is dropping weight and her spine is prominent, could be an underlying issue. I would do bloodwork, check for parasites and make sure she is active & happy. I have had great luck feeding Fresh Pet along with a quality dry dog food. My dogs love it and gained weight pretty fast.
Small update (though a lot of words) for anyone interested …
We saw the vet last month to follow up on Sadie’s weight. She was up to 59# but still had a raging ear infection. We saw a different vet this time (same practice) and he also didn’t feel lab work was indicated. She’s still a little skinny, but was able to put on weight with the added food. They still tell me “she looks great.” And she really does. Other than the jutting ribs and spine, that is. She’s definitely active and happy (even though she’s a couch potato). She’s super excited when she sees her leash (aren’t they all?) and she’s in the lead until the end.
Different medication this time for the ear infections.
I understand the concern many are expressing as far as doing a further workup, but … don’t we pay our vet professionals for their professional assessment/opinion/advice? At the same visit I took two of my cats in for their yearly checkups. I was a little concerned about my 6 yr old male cat’s teeth/mouth – he’s been dropping food when he eats. I had a cat die of osteosarcoma of the jaw several years ago, and I was concerned that I was seeing early signs of this. Vet was totally unconcerned, said the mouth looked fine and he’s “just a messy eater” and his weight is “perfect.” However, my 12 yr old female (who I had – literally – absolutely zero concerns going into the visit – the only one I didn’t have any issues I wanted to discuss with them – she’s just a cranky old lady running my household) had lost some weight since our checkup last year and he recommended a bunch of blood work (which we did – all normal thankfully). I had also taken my older great dane mix in to get an opinion on arthritis meds as she hasn’t been moving as well lately. He gave me that but also really wanted to do a lyme test as that is rampant in my area (also thankfully negative). So they aren’t opposed to work ups, they just don’t over-recommend them like some practices do.
Am I crazy? Honest question. I know my perspective is a bit skewed by my work experiences – I was an ER nurse for years and we often did totally unnecessary workups to appease nervous/worried/irrational (pick one) patients/families. I feel like my vets (all of them at that practice) are experienced medical professionals and I should have faith in their experience/expertise/assessment skills. I guess it is possible that I have too much faith in this vet practice; I know there are bad vets out there, but I’ve had really good experiences with this clinic. I feel like they achieve a nice balance between recommending testing when necessary vs. over testing. When my old catahoula was dying of cardiomyopathy/heart failure, they refilled my meds without insisting on frequent blood work to “monitor” things (which the practice I used before this one insisted on). All they required was a yearly visit/assessment (she lived for a couple of years after diagnosis). She was 16, almost 17. They were totally OK with just making her comfortable for her last days.
I also wanted to mention that it isn’t really about the money – though I guess if I had unlimited funds I’d have Sadie’s gut issues all worked up. I don’t have any issue paying for necessary/likely necessary testing (I was confident the lyme test wasn’t necessary but he was concerned so we did it and I don’t regret it at all) – all told I spent over $800 for that most recent vet visit (which isn’t horrible when you consider I had four animal seen, two got vaccines, and two got blood work). But as I don’t have unlimited funds, I do want to be smart about what I spend money on.
As for the poster who mentioned the cancer possibility – that does weigh on my mind a bit. I had myself convinced last year that she had cancer. The vet I saw at the time (same practice, different vet – there are three at this clinic) talked me off that ledge. However, I know in my heart that I wouldn’t do chemo or aggressive surgery with her. I’d be on board with palliative surgery, but nothing more aggressive than that. I wouldn’t want that for myself, there’s no way I’d put my dog through that. I understand why people do it, but it isn’t something I’d choose.
In the end, I’ve decreased the amount of kibble I feed her and have added about 1/4 cup of wet food per feeding (nature’s balance fish and sweet potato). That is mostly because she went on a hunger strike a few weeks ago (first one since I changed her to the salmon/sweet potato formula) and I was trying to get her to eat. Adding the wet food has mostly worked. There were a few days where she still wouldn’t eat but mostly it hasn’t been a problem (I tried the egg and she still wouldn’t eat it). In my gut I feel that she is telling me that I’m giving her too much food and she just doesn’t need all of that but I haven’t quite accepted that rationale yet.
I need to take my elderly cat back this week for a weight recheck, so I’ll take Sadie as well for another weight check.
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Sounds like a good choice made with a vet. You don’t need to justify it to anyone on an online forum, lol.
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Thanks – I’m comfortable with my approach/decision, but when you post a question asking for advice it is always nice to update 
I feel like I’ve made a well-reasoned choice, but I’m absolutely open to others giving me quality information that I hadn’t already considered. From a purely “I need to know” perspective, I’d love to have the funds to totally work this up. But I have to accept that the likely answer is going to be “she has a digestive disorder that causes her to not completely absorb all of her nutrients. Feed her more.” I can do that without a workup. At this stage of my life, I can’t justify a $$$$ workup that doesn’t change management. Since she’s gaining weight with increased calories, management change doesn’t seem likely. She’s also a spayed mixed breed mutt (which I love and actively look for) so it isn’t like the outcome of any studies will impact future generations.
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hi there, she has a good appetite so I don’t think any supplements will do the job. Consider hyperthyroidism or even diabetes Mellitus. Sound like endocrine disorder to me.
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I don’t really understand your reasoning, but it’s your dog you are concerned about, not mine. I would have just spent the $$ to get an overall picture. I’ve never known a vet to “poo poo” blood work.
You “in your heart” really means nothing. Get facts, do bloodwork.
You also said you decreased the dry food?? Sounds counterproductive.
You mention $$$$$ to do a proper work up. Bloodwork is around $200, not that expensive. If that is too much for you, I’ll help out.
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OP you nailed it when you said you can’t justify expensive tests that aren’t going to change management.
Sure it would be nice to know, but if the vets aren’t overly concerned than I would leave it be.
A little thin is typically better than a little overweight anyway.
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Dry kibble is high on carbs, good choice to switch the canned food to get the most bang for your buck wrt weight loss issues.
you can add bone broth, made with no onion or garlic, to increase palatability, increase hydration, etc.
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