Boxer/poodle mix. 11lb. Weight loss and Enlarged Spleen.?

Hi!


I took my 4y.o. Boxer/poodle mix to the vet today after noticing that she has lost some weight. Turns out she lost a little over 11 pounds in the past month. She's always been on the thin side and has a ton of hair, so I didn't notice right away.


During the exam my vet felt what she thinks is an enlarged spleen. She took an X-ray, but Grace had lots of food in her stomach, which was blocking the view on the film.


She's going back Monday morning with an empty stomach for more X-rays and some tests.


My vet also took a fecal and blood work. I'll get the results Monday morning.


For now, I've been trying to research some common causes for these symptoms, not able to find much. Any ideas or experiences?


Also, over the past few months, she has had increased aggression towards other animals. She has attacked her ';brother'; a 130lb. Great pyrenees a couple of times, resulting in some hefty vet bills for both of them. My vet knows all about this and is including it in symptoms, but said it could also be Gracie trying to be the alpha dog. She shows NO aggression towards people.


Again, if anyone could help me out with some ideas, I would appreciate it. It's gonna be a looong weekend.Boxer/poodle mix. 11lb. Weight loss and Enlarged Spleen.?
If your pyr is 130# than he's not a pup. Alpha fights occur most often when one of the dogs is about age 9 to 12 months and trying to take over the alpha position. Due to the age of your dogs, I doubt that these are alpha fights. Due to one being female and the other dog being male, I doubt that these are alpha fights. She's alpha female; he's alpha male. You didn't state which dog has been the Alpha Dog over the other. If you don't know that, you should learn more about it.





Dogs that are feeling sick or injured often become nasty tempered with the other animals in the pack. They feel vulnerable and fear greatly the potential loss of their position in the pack. This is what your dog fights sound like. It appears that she may have been the alpha dog and fears loss of her position to him due to her illness and the weakness she feels as a result of it.





Meanwhile, work on getting more separation between the two dogs for now. Pay close attention when they are together. IF she's feeling weak and vulnerable, then she'll attack him seriously if he comes to do a play bow and request some play fighting. In play fight, the alpha dog shows it's position without aggression. In play fight between my adult dogs, when my female believes either male is seriously challenging her alpha dog position, rather than just play fighting, then she turns into miss witch b! tch !!!





Sorry for the long weekend for you... just keep them apart more for now. You can get more support from a pyr group as well. -!-Boxer/poodle mix. 11lb. Weight loss and Enlarged Spleen.?
Guess I'm confused, how can a boxer/poodle mix be related to a great pyr?