Question: Our 12-year-old-Australian shepherd has rapidly gained an enormous amount of weight. He is huge. We have changed his dog food to a light food and are giving him more exercise, but he is getting bigger and bigger. He doesn’t even get any dog treats.

What might be causing this? Why is my dog getting so fat?

Answer: Your dog could have thyroid disease if he is still gaining weight despite your efforts to decrease his calories and increase exercise.

The thyroid gland is responsible for controlling metabolism the dog. When it isn’t working correctly, dogs can really pack on a lot of pounds. Your veterinarian can do some blood tests on the pet to see if he has a low-functioning thyroid gland (called hypothyroidism). If it turns out that he does, there are several pets medications that help.

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