My name is XX. XX and I would be happy to help you with your question about your 9-year-old airedale. I am so sorry you are having this trouble with him. Hopefully I will be able to provide you with some information that will help you get to the bottom of this.
The first thing I consider is the types of different problems that would commonly cause a 9-year-old airedale to show these symptoms. There are a lot of them! Many of them have other symptoms I would also expect to see, like vomiting, diarrhea, or a change in drinking or urination. Others would show no other symptoms, with lethargy and appetite loss being the only symptoms.
So, if you were my patient, I would start by wanting to know the rest of the picture.
Is he drinking, urinating, and defecating normally?
Is he vomiting, having diarrhea, coughing, or sneezing a lot?
When is the last time he saw a veterinarian and is he taking any medications at all for anything? Heartworm prevention? Flea control? Vaccinations?
Having answers to those types of questions helps us decide which of the many possible problems that cause these symptoms is more likely.
The next step is to look and feel him over very well from head to toe and see if you notice any other changes. Check the color of his gums. They should be pink, not pale or ashy grey. Look for any lumps, bumps, or sore spots. Is his breathing normal? Does he show any lameness?
If you don't come up with any leads by considering these things, you will need to get more information to get a diagnosis. That information comes in the form of a urinalysis and blood profile. I would expect a bloodwork and urinalysis to be absolutely necessary for a diagnosis in this case. In fact, at our veterinary practice we recommend that every pet over the age of 8 receive a blood profile and urinalysis every year----even when they're acting healthy, just because it's so good at helping us diagnose problems early.
This kind of laboratory data will help your vet determine if your dog's problem is infectious, immune-mediated, related to the digestive tract (as if he swallowed something), endocrine (metabolic diseases like Addison's disease, liver disease, diabetes, etc.), or even related to something really serious like cancer.
You've given him since Thursday to see if he will get better on his own. Since he hasn't, it's definitely time to get him into the vet's.
Please REPLY if there are any other questions I can answer for you. I'm happy to help!
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