[Allison A]

I totally agree that there has to be something underlying. Jack is a rescue and was a neglect case that the police confiscated, so there’s really no telling what his history has been. Thankfully, he’s the sweetest, happiest thing you’ve ever met. Gut-wise, he doesn’t act miserable, but something is clearly up. We’ll be making a return trip to the vet pretty quick. Even if that turns up nothing, there is a veterinary specialty practice nearby that all local vets refer the weird cases to. That crew is incredible. My previous Pointer, Tucker, started having seizures and episodes of blindness and ataxia. The canine neurologist at the specialty center diagnosed pancreatic cancer, not a brain mass. He was 100% correct, and sadly, pancreatic cancer is as deadly in dogs as it is in humans.

I find it very interesting that Jack’s itchy ears and bum have gotten so much worse with adding in some Orijen…certainly a puzzle! He was very underweight when I got him, and we slowly got him up to a healthy weight, but I wonder if he has a malabsorption issue. Food seems to just fly though his system, and he has recently become VERY determined to eat every cigarette butt we come across on walks. I have to watch him like a hawk and give a “leave it” and leash correction because I can see him thinking about it the second he spots one. Some nutrient isn’t getting in if he’s that focused on eating those.