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Weight Gain In A Dog

by CorinneC - June 26, 2019 View Case Report

Pumpkin is a 12yo Chihuahua fluffy mix, intact. She came to me initially last Fall for weight gain and panting, and had been told by her rDVM to start testing for Cushings. Pumpkin had a very round belly, not necessarily potbellied though. She is a stocky little girl. Her pulses were slippery and her tongue lavender pink, slightly wet and swollen. She looked like a classic Damp Heat case secondary to SP Qi deficiency (on dry kibble diet) so I put her on Si Miao San and had the O change her diet to raw.

She stabilized but did not lose much weight and then returned to me in February, now panting a lot more, heavy, and tight in her hips. Bloodwork was normal, still not tested for Cushings. The owner felt her problems worsened at her heat cycles. Her tongue was slightly more lavender this time and her pulses still deficient. Both of her anal glands were moderately full of dark brown liquid. I decided to try treating her as a Liver Blood deficiency, Liver Qi stagnation, and Dampness, and put her on Xiao Yao San. I had thought that the XYS could also aide in estrogen balancing.

The XYS has apparently made her seem depressed to O. She still wants to go for walks and is lively. She has a good appetite but occasionally skips a meal. There are no issues with V/D, she is a sweet happy well adjusted little dog, no apparent anxiety.

What am I missing here?
Corinne

by naturevet

June 29, 2019

Hi Corinne,

If she stabilized on the original protocol, and lost a little, then it may be a matter of tweaking it. For example, a purplish tongue in a Damp Heat dog would lead me to use San Ren Tang, which is an insulin-sensitizer and can assist with weight loss. As for the diet, some raw diets are quite high in fat. Choosing a raw that has a lower fat content on a dry matter basis may help as well.

Heat cycles, with their boost in estrogen and progesterone, can aggravate insulin resistant patients, so sticking with the Damp Heat insulin-sensitizing approach still makes some sense, even with that extra information

A thyroid panel could be considered here, too

Hope that helps you out!

Steve

San Ren Tang

by CorinneC

July 3, 2019

Thank you very much Steve! The SRT makes sense. I know everyone else recommends spaying her but the owner just won't budge. I understand her concerns. We will see if SRT gets us any further. If not, definitely thyroid panel next. I think I got so caught up in her "cushingnoid" appearance, I didn't consider this.

by CorinneC

October 18, 2019

Hello again! San Ren Tang is helping with weight control but now she is having extended heat cycles?? At her age, I am thinking menopause honestly? Would adding You Gui Wan or Er Xian Tang be contraindicated with a slightly Damp Heat dog?

by naturevet

October 18, 2019

Hi Corinne,

My first thought would be to try an estrogen antagonist type of effect. Given the tendency to a hot presentation, two herbs that have shown this type of effect in research are Huang Lian (Coptis) - a herb for Heart Fire - and Xia Ku Cao (Prunella) - a herb for infections. Neither of them really is used with the other ingredients of SRT, however, but I suppose HL might fit the best if the dog has any aggression or hyperactivity tendencies

Another approach, if the behaviour is mild and the dog not so hot, would be to try Ganoderma mushroom (aka Ling Zhi). Like other mushrooms, it is bland, and thus more of a leeching type of plant (like SRT) while being generally supportive. It is also an estrogen antagonist

Hopefully one of those helps. If the dog is now Blood deficient yet Damp, then a Dang Gui based formula like DGSYS might help shorten the next heat

Steve

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