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My dog is acting different...
I have a 2 1/2 year old male Chihuahua mix, we think with Dachshund. He is 12 lbs, and I would say maybe 1-2lbs overweight, though he's still a healthy dog. He enjoys playing tug-a-war with my other two dogs and chasing them around the yard. We rescued him when he was 1 year, and at first he was a food hound. Lately he doesn't seem as interested in food or treats. He still eats, and still does tricks for his treats, but not as much as normal.
The most concerning thing though is that he has been going to bed earlier and earlier. He has always hung around us until about 8:30-9:00pm, then he would go into the other room and lay on his bed. The past week or so, we have noticed him sneaking away earlier and earlier. He is now going to bed at around 7:00pm. He's also been growling a lot more, and his eyes have been watering a lot more. So I know he isn't feeling well.
I thought originally that he was just suffering from allergies, so I gave him benadryl, but I'm not sure if that's really the case anymore. I know that he will need to go to a vet and get a blood test to know for sure, since it could be a thyroid issue or maybe even diabetes, but has anyone else had similar experiences with their dogs?
I just would like to have some idea of what I'm dealing with before going to the vet. I never like going in blind. TIA
Re: My dog is acting different...
It could be any number of things, I think he needs an exam and a blood test to be sure. has he been steadily on HW preventative and flea/tick preventative? Lethargy can be a common symptom of heartworms, thyroid. This is an emergency, get him in.
I'll say it to you because it was said to me and it was the wake up call I needed: your dog is too young to be overweight. This is especially bad in long backed dogs like dachshund's. he can't eat what you don't feed him, yopu need to get the weight down. (FWIW, my dog is ideal weight of 45 ish, was 49, went in for a routine procedure and coded out. A regular on here gently reminded me that I was the only one who could control his weight and it needed to happen immediately. He's now down to 45 and doing much much better. He's a bassett mix so same back concerns).
I don't have any thoughts on what the specific issue might be, but I agree that all of those signs/symptoms point to something being wrong. Personally, I would get him to the vet asap. He could be in pain (growling), or maybe his stomach is upset (not excited about food). Have you checked him yourself to see if there are any painful/sore spots? If I'm concerned about that, I run my hands over my dog's entire body and watch closely for any pain signals (whining, snapping, flinching, ears suddenly going back, pulling away, etc.). I also gently palpate his tummy and watch for the same signs. If you describe his symptoms to the vet, s/he should be able to help you figure out what's going on.
ETA: I agree that getting him to a health weight is very important. 1-2 pounds on a 12 lb. dog is a lot, especially if you think in terms of percentage. One of my dogs was ~22.5 lbs. and really needed to be more like ~18 lbs., and the other was ~24 lbs. when we adopted him when he should be ~19-20. We cut down portion sizes, supplemented with green beans and carrots to help them feel full, and increased their exercise. They both dropped the extra weight within months and have maintained their healthy weights for years (they are currently 5 and 6 years old).