Possible atherosclerosis and hearing loss in 9 year-old Airedale
We have a nine year old, spayed female spayed Airedale terrier who has aged significantly in the last 3 weeks. Previously she has been very healthy (other than an ACL surgery last June), never overweight, full of life. Now she has lost most of her enthusiasm; in the house she does nothing but lay around. At the park with her friends she still plays, but doesn't run like she did before. And she is showing signs of possible hearing loss. She still eats, but without her previous enthusiasm.
She still walks about 1 1/2 miles (2.4 KM) a day.
She isn't overweight, in fact her weight is down 12 lbs. (5 kg) from a year ago. But she's not overly thin - her ribs aren't showing - just very slender with decreased muscle mass. (She had successful ACL surgery in June.)
For the previous 5 months I've been feeding her 1/3 cup (79 ml) beef or chicken bone broth along with her kibble. In retrospect I think the problem is the bone broth has a lot of fat in it; it rises to the top and so some days the 1/3 cup would be entirely fat or gel. I think this was a huge mistake on my part and discontinued it.
So my questions are:
1) Could the bone broth fat have caused atherosclerosis in my dog and could that be the cause of these sudden symptoms?
2) Are there natural remedies - food and supplements - that could reverse the atherosclerosis, if that's what's causing this?
I will appreciate any good advice on this.
Thank you.
Unlike humans, my vet once explained to me, atherosclerosis is uncommon in dogs. Being carnivorous, they are more adapted to eating fats compared to us and the fats are unlikely to deposit in their arteries as it happens in humans. In the cases it occurs, it seems to stem more from underlying conditions such as diabetes or thyroid issues. More concerning with dogs consuming high levels of fats is a condition known as pancreatitis, which causes severe vomiting and loss of appetite. Was this a homemade broth or store bought? Were there high levels of salt in it, or ingredients such as onion or garlic? I would suggest having your vet run some blood work, especially since your dog is senior. The blood work may give an insight as of what may be going on.
I wouldn't think the bone broth would be an issue if you're referring to bone broth made at home and the gel that forms. While it's better to skim off the little fat that forms at the top before serving it, my bone broth was always of a jelly-like consistency when chilled and I attribute that not much to fat, but the gelatin found in bones which comes from the breakdown of collagen. The more jointly bones you have, the more gelatin that forms. If I recall well, some old recipe I have stated that you could tell a good, nutrient bone broth from the jelly-like consistency. So if it's the jelly you are referring to, don't think it should be an issue. Heard only good things about it, like helping the joints and healing leaky gut. I too suggest though seeing your vet to determine what is causing these changes you are noting in your girl.
Daisy,
The bone broth is homemade, both chicken and beef. Supposed to be very healthy stuff. I eat it too. Only moderate levels of salt, no garlic or onion.
Having our vet do blood work and looking at pancreatitis are good suggestions. Her behavior has been different. Drinking much more water, wandering around the house at night and wanting or needing to go outside when before she would be asleep.
Thank you for the reply and suggestions.
Meba,
Yes, what I was calling fat in the bone broth was almost entirely the gel you described. I was feeding it to her (and myself) to strengthen her bones and joints. I think I need to take her to the vet and get his diagnosis.
Thanks for the input.
Hmmm. those symptoms sound more like something like diabetes or Cushing's. Wandering around the house at night can also be an early sign of canine Alzheimer's. Would sure get her checked out at this point. Keep us posted on your vet's findings. Hope your pretty girl feels better soon.
We're taking her to the vet to be checked today. Thank you everyone for the advice.
Our vet did some thorough blood tests this afternoon. The good news is no indicators of diabetes, etc. Instead she found a heart murmur that had not been noticeable at her last visit a year ago, and the blood work confirmed that it's affecting her circulation, which can account for the symptoms we're dealing with.
There's a possibility that the much decreased exercise in the month preceding and the month following our dog's ACL surgery last June could be a factor in the heart murmur developing or worsening.
We have medications to deal with the diarrhea and a return appointment in 3 weeks.
I might make another post about dealing with a heart murmur. Thanks again to everyone for the kind suggestions, especially the suggestion to see the vet and have blood work done.
Thank you so much for the update. I have been following your posts and hoping it wasn't anything major. Keep us posted on your dog's recovery.
Did the vet tell you what grade the murmur is? I am guessing that your vet would need to do an ultrasound to find out more and see what is causing it. I had dogs with murmurs who acted as if nothing was ever wrong with them, and then had dogs who needed to take lasix or enalapril to keep things under control. The medications were very helpful.